Art Shop: Do Art-Inspired Items Add or Detract from the Work?
So you can’t own your own piece by Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, or Vincent Van Gogh: that seems to be a right reserved for today’s elite. But what if you could own a piece that’s straight out of your favorite painting? In recent years, we’ve seen many different items inspired by famous pieces of art. […]
Dynamic Duo: Klimt & Rodin Take San Francisco
The works of Gustav Klimt, in all their gilded glory, are coming to the Bay Area en masse for the first time. But they won’t be alone. Works by the artist best known as a “Vienna Secessionist” will join many of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s pieces by Rodin, creating a larger exhibition […]
Still Life Paintings: The Original #Foodstagrams
Still life paintings were one of the most popular genres of the 17th century and have only grown in popularity since. The sheer amount of still life paintings produced in the Low Countries (present-day Netherlands, Belgium, etc.) numbers to hundreds of thousands, with many still uncatalogued. Why so many? In addition to serving a quasi-religious […]
Exploring Museums Online with Google Maps: Cheap Summer Fun
Looking to visit a world-class museum this summer with the family, but halted as soon as you saw the airfare prices? We’ve all been there. International, and at this point even domestic, travel comes with a huge price tag, especially for families. Is there a way to have cheap summer fun that also builds up […]
Down to the (Humidifier’s) Wire at The Crocker
You remember humidifiers, right? It turns out that those sometimes-loud machines your parents would put in your room whenever you were overcome with a cold as a kid are critical to helping museums function. Humidifiers and climate-control systems are key to keeping certain works, namely older paintings, in a controlled climate. (Remember, museums have special […]
Plans Approved for Cheech Marin’s Museum of Chicano Art
It’s an unsurprising fact that many celebrities own so much art that they basically have their own mini-museums within their own residence(s). But here’s a fun fact: funnyman Cheech Marin (yes, that Cheech of Cheech and Chong) also owns an astounding collection of Chicano art. And he’s more than ready to share it with the world. […]
Introducing…Art Spots at the Crocker!
Those of us that are familiar with Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum probably already know about the Crocker’s extensive programs for kids. (And, seeing that we’re based in Sacramento, there’s a good chance many of our docents and teachers have already taken advantage of these programs!) From newborns to adults, the Crocker really does make art […]
Art & Language Bloom in “Botanical Shakespeare”
Seems like your college theatre professor was right–there’s a reason Shakespeare in the park is so popular. Aside from the Bard’s seemingly-universal popularity and the attraction of free summer events, there’s another reason: Shakespeare seems to work best in the green spaces, outdoors, where so many of his most famous scenes are set. It’s exactly […]
The Forger Who Fooled the Nazis: Han van Meegeren
If you read last week’s blog post, you’ll know that this week, we promised to give you an updated, full-length version of the story of Han van Meegeren, the famous Dutch forger whose imbeccable forgeries fooled art experts and Nazi officials alike. (If you didn’t, you can still catch last week’s post by clicking here.) […]
Quiz: Which Piece of Art Isn’t a Fake?
Forgery in art is a big deal. Museums’, critics’, and scholars’ reputations have been made or broken on whether or not a certain piece of art is proven to be real or fake. While some fakes are easy to spot, others are much more difficult. Take Han van Meegeren’s fake Vermeers, for example. In 1945, […]