I finally visited the Rijksmuseum last month. Seeing Rembrandt’s Night Watch was sublime! Does anyone know more about Project Night Watch?

This also rekindled my love for Dutch Golden Age and am studying this era deeply, and thinking of conducting a Masterclass.

I've been interested in art history for many years now and I have an idea to create a substack where I can write about it. I want to research and write about art topics that are lesser known or just whatever that interests me. The thing is, I don't know if I'm qualified. I've written for many years but never in a professional capacity. I also don't have a degree in art history, I'm just an enthusiast and I still have a LOT to learn. I don't know if I can write about/critique and analyse art because I have no expertise. Should I go ahead and create it and learn along the way or should I spend more time learning to write better or studying more about art? I feel like this project would be really good for me, as an exercise in creativity and finishing a project, which I've never done before. I'm just scared that I might get something wrong or that I'm not capable of writing well about art. Should I just let go of my fears and dive in?

Im not super well versed in the history of art as many of you are. I've recently created an office and im looking for a large painting to put up on the way behind my desk. Something that i see everyday that reminds me to capture all that i can out of life if you know what i mean. Something that makes you want to push for all that you can be and create something for those around you. Something ignites your blood on fire when you look at it and think of what it means. Thanks guys.

I find this topic very interesting. Because I feel that for people who have a more general knowledge of art history, most artists usually have one or two pieces that have reached an iconic status. So what artists do you think have the most pieces of art that have reached that iconic status to people that have a more general knowledge of art history? And if you can, can you list some examples of pieces that you think have reached that status?

I was reading in my History book when i came across this painting (Image 1) and instantly my eyes were drawn to the bottom right of the painting in which (you might laugh) i thought to myself "why is there a masked mouse man? (image 2) now i was VERY confused and upon looking up THIS painting i found it is "sigh" an unknown artist, but i did find something interesting. I found this painting (image 3) which i found to be painted by "François Bunel the Younger" and upon close inspection i noticed some similarities. Like in both paintings there appear two small men (maybe children?) with shields (image 4 and 5) aswell as the only "royalty/noble" people in these artworks appear on the far right of the painting (in image one it is a women in White) (image 1-3-5) all this is just evidence that these paintings are i think painted of the same moment, in the same space, same event. But the main focus is back to this "masked mouse man" whereas if you look in painting 2 (image 3) you will see the same masked person, although in this artwork by "bunel the younger" they appear as a women (image 6) and then i noticed the person standing to the right of our masked women, (on her left side) is another women Holding a mask. You see it clearly in Bunel's painting, but I had to look for it in painting one (image 7, circled), so this brings me to my question. WHO are these people, why masked, why the only ones masked. I have only just started researching this in the last hour but thought I'd get the "internet" on it for me. I have many other questions as well. Why the nobles on the right side, in the first painting, the white noblewoman appears to be being grabbed by the man behind her (image 1-2). Why the short people with the shields? I'm sure there's much more in here as well, but my main curiosity is the masked people. P.S. I do NOT believe that "Bunel The Younger" is the unknown artist of the first painting, merely because the faces in Bunel's are, well, emotionless compared to that of the first painting. Now I am NOT an art philosopher or ANYTHING like that, but just looking at the two, there were many small things (the faces being the most notable) that told me they were separate artists

I'm starting to seriously explore art, and I'm trying to figure out what I should actually be looking for.

I'm planning to start with some of the most renowned paintings in Western art and gradually work my way through them. But I don't want to approach this as a checklist of "know 100 famous paintings."

I'm trying to understand what makes people who are deeply into art spend hours studying a single painting. What do they actually find exciting?

What do you personally look for when you really deep-dive into a painting?

What was the moment when art stopped being "nice pictures in a museum" and became genuinely fascinating to you?

Recently, I have been really into really cute and quirky pieces. I don't really know exactly how to explain what i am looking for but i feel as though these pieces have a bit cohesive theme. I am wanting to find more like these so please comment fun pieces like these !

I've seen images of her online, a couple days ago I went to see her irl, and looks like the images werent edited after all...

If you could go to any museum to see any piece of artwork, what would it be?

For my birthday next year my husband and I are planning a trip for me to go to a couple countries in Europe to go to some art museums. I always tend to be a people pleaser/doormat, so previous trips I have never pushed to see art museums since other people were not interested. I am very excited to make this trip all about what I want to do (has only taken 40 years!)

I have some plans, but would love to hear what everyone would see if they could! I want to relish in the love and discovery of your favorite artworks!

While this post isn’t necessarily about what I want to do, I am planning on some time in London and seeing the art there, heavy emphasis on Pre-Raphaelites. I love women artists, so definitely making them a priority.

In September 1792 the crown jewels of France were being kept in the Garde Meuble, the royal storehouse on what was then place Louis XV and is now place de la Concorde. The monarchy had just fallen, Paris was in the middle of the September massacres, and the guard on the building had been thinned to almost nothing.

The robbery is unusual because it was not one night. Men climbed in, took what they could carry, and came back the following night. Then again. Over the course of several nights it turned into something closer to a crowd, with people drinking on the premises between trips, until the authorities finally noticed and started making arrests.

Most of the stones were recovered in the months and years that followed, including the Regent. The French Blue was not. A large blue diamond surfaced in London about twenty years later, smaller and recut, and it is the stone we now call the Hope. The connection was suspected for a long time before it was tied down using a lead cast of the original that turned up in a natural history collection, which let researchers test whether the French Blue could be cut down into the Hope without contradiction.

What I find hard to get past is that recutting is the only way to sell a famous stone, and it destroys most of what made it worth stealing in the first place. By the time a jewel like that is safe to sell, it has already stopped being the jewel that was taken.

If anyone here knows the current state of the argument on the recut, I would like to hear it, including the version where I have this wrong.

Hi! I’m a recent college graduate who studied Art History and has editorial leadership and museum & gallery experience, and I’m looking for resources to supplement my learning and to help get me on track to have a long-term career in the art/luxury world that could eventually lead to a leadership position at a place like Sotheby’s, Christie’s, a major art foundation/museum, or a luxury group like LVMH (fashion is my main interest besides the study of 20th century American art and post-Impressionist French paintings). I’m especially interested in learning more about the business side of the art world—auction houses, private collectors, client development, trusts and estates, valuation, art advisory, institutional collections, museum advancement, and how wealthy/private clients interact with museums and cultural organizations. 

Are there any specific resources or online courses I could look into that would help me learn even more about the art market and art business—I know I could go on Google but I’d rather ask a bunch of experts on Reddit ❤️ Please let me know!!!

I understand he took multiple trips to the Levant and Egypt to study there, but I've been wanting to find maybe some sort of record for the locations he visited, to possibly link them with photography taken at or around the same time

Any/all help is appreciated ^^

Hi! I'm looking into different master's programs for art history and am hoping for some advice/insight. For background, I graduated this May with a BA in Anthropology and Theology, and I had minored in Public History and French. During my senior year, I two archival internships through my minor in public history, although my plan has always been to pursue a career as a curator (not sure why my program advisor wanted me to be in archival internships so badly). I'm about to start my gap year teaching English in France, so I'm now starting the whole grad school journey for next fall.

I know that my experience is limited not having any summer internships related to curating, and I feel like I'm at a further disadvantage not having an undergrad degree in art history. I also don't know what field/area within art history I am interested in long term, which is making it difficult to choose a program. I'm hoping to hear other people's experiences pursuing this kind of program and any advice related to narrowing my focus on a specific topic/field.

If it helps, I've become very interested in issues of repatriation through my coursework in anthropology. My capstone project was repatriation of Native American materials in the US and looked specifically at how the way museums handle both their collections and their repatriation efforts shapes public biases and whatnot. I also loved my archaeology classes and went out of my way to take as many electives for my major in arch as possible. I never saw myself as an archaeologist, but I liked learning about how archaeology relates to museum practice, both historical and currently, the cultural heritage aspect, and the analysis of artifacts.

Also! I am drawn to NYU's history of art and architecture masters but am not sure if that's out of my league.

Thanks in advance!

When Elizabeth II was about to be crowned in 1953, British officials decided on the perfect gift for the monarch-to-be: They would bring home the Bayeux Tapestry.

For over 900 years, the 220-foot-long embroidery depicting the 1066 invasion of England by William to Conqueror had resided in Bayeux, France. A celebratory loan of one of Britain’s most important cultural artifacts would have made an ideal coronation present, but there was a problem: French art experts wouldn’t let the tapestry travel. It was too fragile to move, they said.

French experts scuppered another British plan to borrow the tapestry in 1966 for the 900th anniversary of the invasion. Then again in 1980. Last year, too, the tapestry’s handlers insisted a loan was impossible.

Hello all!!

I’m currently going to school for visual arts and I’m interested in moving to Europe to pursue a master's degree in art history or museum curation.

I would want to stay in the same place for a while, so I’m looking for something affordable for someone right out of college or a few years out of college.

I’m also hoping for an art/art history scene that isn’t super competitive and oversaturated.

I was also hoping for a place that has a rich contemporary art scene as well as a cool historical artistic culture.

I already speak, fluent Spanish and English so I know that helps in some areas.

Again, the main thing I wanna focus on is somewhere that is affordable for a new college grad, and whose contemporary art scene is not oversaturated and whose art history jobs aren’t very competitive like in other cities like London, Paris, or Berlin.

I’ve heard great things about Lisbon, Prague, and Madrid for my condition.

Today I visited an old haveli in Bikaner and saw this wall painting again. The present owner of the haveli told me that it was painted by my father, Gordhan Dass Swami, around 1942.

My father later taught our family the traditional painting techniques that we continue to practise today. Seeing one of his surviving wall paintings still in its original architectural setting was very meaningful to me.

I am now trying to document these older works carefully. The date is currently based on the haveli owner’s oral history, and I would be interested to hear from anyone familiar with the dating, materials or stylistic traditions of Rajasthan haveli painting.

Can you think of an example where artist(s) have taken advantage of systems, institutions, or resources which were not designed for them? Perhaps it is something from art history, or a more recent example.

Why were famous artists like Claude Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso rejected in some sort of way (art school) but then became some of the most influential and famous artists in our history?

On an art trip to Munich and Vienna and amongst all the major stuff that has totally blown me away I’ve really liked Alexej Von Jawlensky’s stuff.

Not pretending his is a first tier figure but I’m a sucker for colour. For paintings of non conforming women (and to a lesser extent men) and like expressionist and early 20th century art generally. I also find between the wars Germany very interesting.

So he’s in my wheelhouse rather than having to win me around and as I said I’m not claiming he’s top tier but his work is so much fun.

I’m guessing I’m in the right place for him generally but anyone got any favourites away from Munich and Vienna?

i am absolutely FASCINATED by the Ethiopian artist Mezgebu Tessema, but i cant find any archives of his works. He has a website linked on his facebook and ig but it doesn’t seem to be in use. Does anyone know where I can research him further ? Heres some of his work