Fine Art

Ceramics artist Ron Nagle says his greatest gift is his sense of humor -- "basically because I'm a melancholy person," he says.

Arts

Pottery Winner: An Artist's Dark, Funny Oeuvre Gets Major Show

12:35pm October 24, 2015

by Karen Michel

Ceramics artist Ron Nagle uses unconventional materials and bright colors to make odd, miniature marvels with punderful titles. His work has helped make modern ceramics a star at art museums.

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Arts

Artist Kehinde Wiley Mixes Modern Figures With Old European Art Traditions

6:27am October 20, 2015

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Wiley about his latest exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, "A New Republic." This story originally aired on May 22, 2015, on All Things Considered.

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Science

Using DNA To Authenticate Art

6:28pm October 17, 2015

Scientists are developing a way to prevent forged artwork from entering the market. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Martin Tenniswood about a synthetic DNA that is being used to tag pieces of art.

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Arts

Big Themes, Tiny Frames: An Art Show Writ Small

6:23pm October 15, 2015

This weekend, The Mini Show opens at The Lodge, an emerging gallery on a gritty street in Los Angeles. It'll feature teeny, tiny paintings.

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Shahzia Sikander, pictured here, created the film Parallax (also pictured) to explore the layers of history and change that are remaking parts of the Middle East and South Asia.

Arts

Breaking The Mold: Artist's Modern Miniatures Remix Islamic Art

4:07pm October 14, 2015

by Bilal Qureshi

As an art student, Shahzia Sikander used her region's miniature painting tradition to tell the story of a modern Pakistani woman. Now her work has moved beyond the page into animation and video.

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The hundreds of original bronze postal boxes are still there.

Arts

In Argentina, Where Culture Is 'A Right,' A Free New Arts Center Opens

3:05pm October 14, 2015

by Bob Mondello

Argentina's newest tourist attraction is housed in a repurposed century-old Beaux Arts Central Post Office building. The Centro Cultural Kirchner is one of the largest cultural centers in the world.

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Books
Arts

Sculptor Turns Rain, Ice And Trees Into 'Ephemeral Works'

12:07pm October 09, 2015

British artist Andy Goldsworthy's sculptures melt and decay. "It's not about art," he says. "It's just about life, and the need to understand that a lot of things in life do not last."

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Dmitri Vrubel's painting of the Soviet Union's Leonid Brezhnev and East Germany's Erich Honecker kissing — under a Russian phrase that reads, "My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love" — is a popular part of the East Side Gallery.

Historic Art, Luxury Apartments Battle Over Berlin's Famous Wall

8:59pm October 03, 2015

by Irene Noguchi

A stretch of the old Berlin Wall has stood for decades as an open-air gallery, covered in fine art and graffiti. Bids for luxury developments in the area have artists hitting the streets in protest.

Dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov poses for a portrait at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City in July. The center, a multidisciplinary practice and performance space, opened in 2005.

No Vanity Project: At Art Center, Baryshnikov Tells Artists, 'You're The Boss'

12:23pm September 28, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

You'd think the sign in front of dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov's arts center would have his name in lights — but actually, you can barely see it. He says what happens inside is way more important.

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Of the four sculptures that comprise The Rising Tide, two are businessmen or politicians — including this one with arms folded and eyes shut tight.

Set In Stone But Ever-Changing: Sculptures Reshaped By The Tides

2:25pm September 23, 2015

by NPR Staff

It's tough to see Jason deCaires Taylor's sculptures firsthand — unless you have scuba gear. Most of them rest under the sea. His latest work is fully visible only when the tide of the Thames recedes.

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