GO WEST SAID A SMALL VOICE Gustave Baumann and Dreams of New Mexico

In the 20th century, the works of Gustave Baumann became iconic representations of the American Southwest. He drew upon a wide range of influences, from the German avant-garde to the rich cultural heritage of the Indigenous populations of North America.” This exhibition reveals Baumann in the context of those influences and offers insights into the development of his identity as an artist. […]

A Day and A Half in Tampa

Tampa’s downtown riverfront has bloomed in the past decade or so, with the splendid Riverwalk connecting museums, parks, restaurants and other attractions. Slip on your walking shoes and head out for a day of history, art, terrific food options and people-watching. Rivers were essential to the commercial viability and growth of cities, and from the […]

Cutting Corners with Patrick Dougherty

For 30 years Patrick Dougherty’s enchanting Stickwork sculptures have been sprouting up at museums, botanical gardens, and public spaces around the world. Amazing what you can do with 30,000 pounds of willow! Until recently I’d never seen one, but whenever I’ve read about a Dougherty Stickwork I’ve been tantalized. So it was a delight to […]

Rosa Bonheur: The Most Famous Artist You’ve Never Heard Of …

Édouard Dubufe (French, 1819-1883) Portrait de Marie-Rosalie dite Rosa Bonheur, 1857.

In the 19th-century, during her lifetime Rosa Bonheur was one of the most famous artists in all of Europe and North America. Required to obtain a cross-dressing permit in order to venture into the world of men — for the sake of her art — she took that world by storm! […]

Visualizing 4000 Years of Spanish History

The collection of the Hispanic Society of America reveals the history of Spain and its place in the world, from antiquity to modern times. Unrivaled outside Spain, the scope and quality of the collection is hard to believe, considering that it was largely amassed by a single inspired collector. […]

Art in Context: Not Living in the Moment

For people who lived (and died) in the 14th century — when the Great Plague (aka the Black Death, the Great Mortality) killed roughly half the world’s population — a truly horrible death was not hard to envision. It’s almost impossible for most of us, today, to understand the constant presence of death that was the reality of life for everyone until very recent times. […]