Mattiusi Iyaituk, a gentle small figure steps forward to share a story of a life evaporating as quickly as the snow melts to make way for spring. As much as the South has done everything possible to erradicate the culture of the North, perhaps one of the lasting legacies of the Inuit artists will be to actually help the South. Continue reading
Dr. Gary Vikan, director of the Walters Art Museum, speaking on leadership. Continue reading
“I sit on a rock at the end of the island, peeling off flakes of sunburned nose. Feet dangle in cool water; minnows nibble at toes. Overhead a broad-winged hawk sends a thin whistle…” Poetry by Douglas Wood in Paddle Whispers Continue reading
When least expected, an answer comes forward that goes beyond a country’s claim, international law and suggests there is a global sense of decency when addressing cultural heritage and patrimony. Dr. Gary Vikan, during one of his last public lectures as the director of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland and completely not related to the topic of his lecture on his upcoming book on the Shroud of Turin, was asked, “Should the Elgin Marbles be returned?” Continue reading
“In the transient clouds of early morning, I see only images of my native home; The warm south wind of late April also brings, Remembered fragrance of once familiar flowers … ”
Chinese poet and author, Hsu Yu wrote “Nostalgic Thoughts of Home” while living in Paris in 1937. Continue reading
As world events may loudly or subtly distract others, South Korean artists are taking their place in the art world with steady grace, bold visions and are earning respect in the market. A conversation with London and Paris gallery owners. Continue reading
Are the Brits confused? What a curious gathering of passionate art collectors in Britain today. Imagine the dignified antiquity collectors in the same room as those just as passionate to own – graffiti. Continue reading
Edward Dodwell and Lord Elgin meet again, two hundreds years later. A rarely seen collection of illustrations by Edward Dodwell, a painter and reporter of ancient Greece is currently on display at the British Museum. In his writings, Dodwell tells of “being present when the Parthenon was despoiled of its finest sculpture”. Now, his illustrations are being presented at the British Museum, while the “finest sculpture” is on permanent display – the Parthenon Marbles. Continue reading
Delicious irony when Greek mythology filled with gods for love, wine and harvest is trumped by Biblical parables on theft, sibling rivalry and coveting someone else’s property. Only the absurd can be told in an imaginary tale of a king, his sons and their choices in art. Continue reading
One of my favorite poetry books is Fireflies by Rabindranath Tagore with decorations by Boris Artzybasheff published in 1928. On the opening page is the signature of BaiDzar Shalian, an old family friend who shared her library of treasures.
Tagore is a Bengali poet and winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize of Literature. His poems are magical. Here are a few favorites:
“Your smile, my love, like the smell of a
strange flower,
is simple and inexplicable.”
Fireflies by Tagore Continue reading
9 muses news 