Art & Design

Arts

Art You Can Wear On Your Arm? For Judith Leiber, It's In The Bag

10:34am May 27, 2017

by Karen Michel

In her 40 years in the business, Leiber designed 3,500 handbags, some of which were carried by First Ladies and movie stars. Now 96, Leiber says she loves her bags, whether "classic" or "crazy."

Queue Listen Now

President Trump's daughter Ivanka (left) and his wife, Melania, both covered their hair when meeting with Pope Francis on Wednesday at the Vatican.

Why Did Melania Trump Cover Her Hair At The Vatican But Not In Saudi Arabia?

5:03pm May 24, 2017

by Amita Kelly

Despite criticism, the first lady's attire was in keeping with the protocol of the countries she visited and the precedent set by foreign leaders who have visited them.

The empty frame (center) from which thieves cut Rembrandt's Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee remains on display at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in 2010. The painting was one of more than a dozen works stolen from the museum in 19

Hot Tip On Old Heist Could Be Worth $10 Million, Gardner Museum Says

2:55pm May 24, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

It's been 27 years since thieves made off with more than a dozen works of art from Boston's Gardner Museum. But the museum's trustees hold out hope — and have doubled the bounty on the masterpieces.

With A Wedding Dress Comes A New Beginning For A Syrian Tailor

6:33pm May 20, 2017

by Carmel Delshad

A Syrian refugee hopes his past as a tailor will help him build a new life for his family in America. His first commission is a wedding dress for a Muslim bride.

Queue Listen Now

Sufiyan Khatri learned to make the dyes for the block-print textiles from his grandfather. But he likes to experiment with color and design: "Whenever I get the time, I do some innovation in our work."

Worms Land A Great Job Working With Gorgeous Indian Textiles

7:00am May 20, 2017

by Shaina Shealy

After the craftspeople of Ajrakphur dye fabrics with a traditional block printing method, there's a lot of toxic waste water. Enter the earthworms.

Arts

Jean-Michel Basquiat Painting Sells For Record $110.5 Million

4:36pm May 19, 2017

by Elizabeth Blair

The late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat broke a few records at Sotheby's Thursday night when one of his works sold for $110.5 million dollars to a Japanese entrepreneur and art collector.

Queue Listen Now

Jean-Michel Basquiat's untitled painting of a skull is displayed behind an official with Sotheby's, which offered the media a preview earlier this month. On Thursday, the work sold for $110.5 million — the highest sum ever paid at auction for a work by

At $110.5 Million, Basquiat Painting Becomes Priciest Work Ever Sold By A U.S. Artist

1:12pm May 19, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

With the sale Thursday night in New York City, the late Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1982 untitled painting is also said to be the sixth-most expensive work sold in world history.

Arts

Correction: What Is The Shell In The 'Birth Of Venus' Painting?

5:07pm May 18, 2017

NPR offers a correction to a piece earlier in the week in which we referred to the mollusk in the famous "Birth of Venus" painting by Botticelli as a clam shell.

Queue Listen Now

Sandro Botticelli's Venus was painted after his best known work depicting the goddess, The Birth of Venus.

Arts

A Lesser-Known Venus Visits The U.S. In New Botticelli Exhibit

4:34pm May 16, 2017

by Andrea Shea

Botticelli's most famous Renaissance painting shows the goddess Venus, standing nude on a clam shell. Now, an exhibit at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts shows other works, seldom seen outside of Italy.

In Search of a New Home is part of Eric Almanza's series of oil paintings depicting the border wall with Mexico.

Chicano Art Wields A Sharper Political Edge In Post-Election California

6:52pm May 13, 2017

by Rachael Myrow

Artists are responding to Trump administration efforts to peel back civil rights enforcement and crack down on illegal immigration. One scholar says it marks a return to the roots of Chicano art.

Queue Listen Now