The history of literature is riddled with moments when the written word was silenced, restricted, or suppressed. Whether it was for religious, political, or moral reasons, book bans have been used as a tool to control information and ideas throughout the ages.
The relatively recent decision of a Tennessee school board to ban the graphic novel Maus from its curriculum has sparked controversy over book banning and censorship. While some argue that it is necessary to protect students from offensive material, others argue that it is a violation of academic freedom.
In 1897, a British official, James Phillips asked the oba (king) of Benin (or Edo), a modern-day region in southern Nigeria, if he could come to Benin City on a trade mission. The oba said no, but James Philips came anyway. He and seven other British members of the party were killed along with over two hundred African members, who had been conscripted as carriers.
In February 2022, the Orlando Museum of Art opened an exhibit of 25 previously unknown paintings on cardboard by Jean-Michel Basquiat. In June, the FBI seized all the paintings because they had questionable authenticity.
Historically, the art world has been a male-dominated industry, although 75% of students are first taught art by a woman.
The word “docent” has a local history as “historians note the title gained traction at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts around 190
American museums have needed to adapt since March 2020, as has everyone. We have discussed how museums are faring during Covid and many are not doing well. We have talked about the furloughed and laid-off staff, the closures, the delayed or canceled exhibitions, and the heaps of dollars in revenue lost. But there is another important loss: credibility. Museums have been arguing that they are essential to
We recently looked at the rising prices of auctioned artwork, but we did not discuss the mechanics of art auctions and it’s a relevant topic given the world today. With …
The Impact of a Global Pandemic on the online Art Market Read More »
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has a recent history of opening exhibits that push the envelope past what you might expect of the MFA. The Gender-Bending Fashion exhibit a few years ago was an example of this and this year’s Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation is another. The museum planned to open this exhibit in March 2020, but it was not to be with Covid-19, so it was delayed until 2021.
Every few months, there is a sensational story about the latest work of art that has sold for millions of dollars. Art prices have been skyrocketing for decades and pieces like Salvator Mundi sold for $450 million a few years ago. In recent years, online sales have gone from $6 billion in 2019 to $12.4 billion just a year later.
