Fine Art

Urchin Triptych is one of hundreds of Christopher Marley artworks on display at the Gallery of Amazing Things' "Biophilia" exhibition.

Science
Arts

Oregon Artist Turns Dead Creatures Into Beautiful Compositions

3:00pm January 15, 2018

by Aaron Scott

Christopher Marley only uses specimens that have died from natural causes or been caught as fishing bycatch. Then he freeze-dries them, which is why they seem so alive in his artwork.

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Arts

Russia's Underground Art Finds A Home In The U.S.

7:51am January 13, 2018

by Rick Karr

For 50 years, an American economics professor collected dissident art from the Soviet Union. The abstract art pieces, considered nonconformist by the Soviets, have been donated to Rutgers University.

Secret Ops of the CIA and Secret Aviation Ops of the CIA wall calendars contain paintings depicting declassified spy missions from the agency's past. The original paintings are displayed at CIA headquarters in Virginia.

CIA Calendar Art Offers A Glimpse Into The World Of Spies

7:41am January 13, 2018

by Jay Price

Oil paintings on display at CIA headquarters — and therefore invisible to the public — can now be seen in a collection of wall calendars. They depict declassified missions from the agency's past.

The Carter Burden Gallery in Chelsea only shows works by artists who are at least 60 years old.

This New York Gallery Has An Unusual Age Limit: No Artists Younger Than 60

8:11am January 11, 2018

by Susan Stamberg

Galleries and museums often cool to artists as they get older. Those artists keep working, but they aren't shown or bought. The Carter Burden Gallery aims to change that.

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The High Museum of Art in Atlanta has worked to make diversity a priority. In recent years, the museum has seen an increase in the percentage of nonwhite visitors.

How An Art Museum Is Reaching A More Diverse Audience

6:14am January 07, 2018

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta has undertaken several efforts to increase the proportion of nonwhite visitors. Director Rand Suffolk tells NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro how they did it.

Arts

Christopher Marley's Dead Things

8:21am January 06, 2018

by Aaron Scott

Christopher Marley sees beauty in dead things: snakes, octopuses, bugs. Other people do too — his work sells in high-end shops and has been shown in art and natural history museums.

Since 1970, visitors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City could pay what they wished — or what they were able.

The Met Is Set To Snap Nearly 5 Decades Of Pay-As-You-Wish Tradition

6:41pm January 04, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

Since 1970, New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art has not mandated an admission fee. Come March, that will change for out-of-state visitors — but critics haven't accepted the decision quietly.

Njideka Akunyili Crosby paints in her Los Angeles studio in September 2017.

Arts

MacArthur 'Genius' Paints Nigerian Childhood Alongside Her American Present

5:54pm January 02, 2018

by Karen Michel

Njideka Akunyili Crosby was born in Nigeria and moved to the U.S. when she was 16. Her large-scale paintings reflect her life in both countries.

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Deadline Approaches For $10 Million Reward On Leads To Gardner Museum Paintings

4:49pm December 29, 2017

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Stephen Kurkjian, former investigative reporter for The Boston Globe, and author of the book Master Thieves, about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist in 1990. The museum still hopes to get the artwork back and set a deadline on New Year's Eve for a $10 million reward on leads for the 13 missing paintings, that include works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Degas.

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Artist Andrew Wyeth — pictured on his property in Chadds Ford, Penn. in 1964 — would have turned 100 in July of 2017.

Arts

'Fascinating And Also A Little Bit Uncomfortable': Andrew Wyeth At 100

8:11am December 23, 2017

by Karen Michel

The late American painter created one of the 20th century's most recognizable works in "Christina's World." His centenary puts his distinct mastery, and varied critical reception, into perspective.