If you live in or have visited a major city over the past year, chances are you've come across some version of the various new "immersive" "Van Gogh" "experiences." Staged by for-profit companies and marketed heavily on Facebook, these "environ

Teaser - SEEN: American Psycho

Oct 21st, 2021 5m 46s

A clip from the newest episode of our SEEN series, a benefit of becoming a patron of the podcast: www.patreon.com/arthistoryhappyhour

The Revolutionary Language of the Black Square

Sep 27th, 2021 46m 11s

Back in February 2015, we discussed the history of 19th century French political satire in response to the tragedy of the mass shooting at the offices of the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo. In the wake of the insurrection at the Capitol in

Two Art Historians Discuss NFTs, Part 2: Cryptoart vs. Conceptualism

Jul 13th, 2021 51m 20s

In this follow-up to our discussion of NFTs and the NFT market, we consider how so-called "cryptoart"--or digital art that is bought and sold with NFTs--relates to the history of Conceptual art, which is often cited by those in the crypto commu

Teaser - SEEN: The Great

Jun 28th, 2021 8m 31s

Please enjoy this clip from our forthcoming episode of SEEN focusing on the Hulu series The Great. Become a Patreon member to get full access to our SEEN series: www.patreon.com/arthistoryhappyhour

(Bonus!) SEEN: Pablo Picasso in Jurassic Park

May 24th, 2021 25m 38s

This is the inaugural episode of our series SEEN, in which we discuss art that appears in movies, TV shows, and the like. For access to future SEEN episodes, become a Patreon subscriber today!

Two Art Historians Talk about NFTs: Part 1

May 18th, 2021 42m 56s

In this two-part series, we explore the recent explosion of interest around NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and digital art.

Reboot!

Apr 9th, 2021 17m 20s

We're back!

Fascist Aesthetics

Sep 12th, 2016 46m 21s

In recent months, the term "fascism" has appeared frequently in the media. Many pundits have argued that the political tactics and rhetoric of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump echo those of fascist leaders like Benito Mussolini an

Fakes and Copies: The Cases of Knoedler and Dafen

Jun 30th, 2016 46m 42s

In 2011, shock waves erupted in the art world when the long-established New York gallery Knoedler & Company announced it was closing. Knoedler had been in major dealer in modern art, handling works by mid-century American masters like Jackson

Memorials to Shattered Myths: An Interview with Harriet F. Senie

May 28th, 2016 44m 30s

In this special Memorial Day Weekend episode, we interview Harriet F. Senie, Professor of Art History and Director of the M.A. program in Art History and Art Museum Studies Program at City College of New York, and co-founder of the organization

Japanese Erotica

Mar 26th, 2016 47m 40s

In today's Valentine's Day-inspired episode, we delve into the history of Japanese erotica, with the help of our friend, Maggie Mustard. Maggie is a PhD Candidate in Art History at Columbia University specializing in Japanese art, and is also t

Conservation and Restoration

Feb 1st, 2016 53m 30s

Chances are you probably remember "Beast Jesus"--the fresco painting in a Spanish church that was lovingly "restored" by a local parishioner in 2012, and soon became the laughing-stock of the internet. In today's episode, we discuss this and th

KITTEHS! (i.e. Cats and Art)

Nov 23rd, 2015 46m 41s

It's our 20th episode, so we decided to talk about two things that are near and dear to us: cats and art. Listen as we discuss four works of art that feature cats as well recent exhibitions of cat imagery, and ultimately try to answer the quest

Dismaland: Art as Politics

Oct 31st, 2015 39m 31s

This past August-September, a seaside town in England hosted a very different kind of holiday attraction: a dystopian theme park by the anonymous street-artist-turned-legit-artist Banksy. Called "Dismaland," the park, erected on the site of a d

Grand Transit: The MTA and Grand Central Terminal

Sep 29th, 2015 46m 48s

Continuing with our recent theme of New York City architectural and cultural gems, today's episode delves into one of the most vital elements of the city's infrastructure: its transportation system. Listen as we discuss the Metropolitan Transit

Turner's Seascapes

Aug 7th, 2015 39m 13s

Joseph Mallord William Turner has been the subject of a number of projects recently, from the 2014 biopic Mr. Turner to the exhibition J. M. W. Turner: Painting Set Free (currently on view at the De Young Museum in San Francisco). For today's e

NYC's Buried Treasures

Jul 8th, 2015 40m 25s

It's that time of year (well, one of those times of year) when tourists flood our city of New York. If you're planning a visit, check out today's episode, in which we discuss some of our favorite less-traveled haunts!

Art Theft and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

May 12th, 2015 34m 5s

On March 18, 1990, two thieves entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and stole 13 objects from the museum's collection. This incident, which has remained largely unsolved, has drawn attention to the problem of art theft in the c

The Seasons

Apr 8th, 2015 39m 9s

Spring has finally sprung in New York City, so we decided to spend an episode discussing how artists have represented the seasons , using four very different examples: the medieval cathedral at Amiens, 16th-century Netherlandish artist Pieter B

Four Updates

Mar 24th, 2015 28m 16s

When we started Art History Today and its podcast, State of the Arts, we wanted to show how art and its history make and inform the news. Because many of our topics are stories that have continued to develop, we're using today's episode to revi

Art and Crisis in the Middle East

Feb 25th, 2015 42m 27s

The rise of organizations like ISIS (or ISIL) has brought attention to the looting and destruction of ancient artifacts in the Middle East. In today's episode, Colette LeRoux and Gina Konstantopoulos join us to discuss the history of looting an

Charlie Hebdo and the Tradition of French Political Satire

Feb 2nd, 2015 34m 2s

In today's episode we discuss the French satirical journal Charlie Hebdo, whose offices in Paris were attacked on January 7th, 2015. Charlie Hebdo is no stranger to controversy, having produced cartoons that have invited criticism and even vio

Art Market Mayhem (with special guest Natasha Degen)

Jan 14th, 2015 47m 44s

On November 12, 2014, the auction house Christie's hosted its annual fall auction of major works of postwar and contemporary art in New York. With sales totaling $852.9 million, the auction now stands as the highest-grossing auction in history,

Thomas Kinkade's Industry of Light

Dec 16th, 2014 32m 58s

In today's episode, we discuss one of the most popular and controversial artists of the last century, Thomas Kinkade (1958–2012). Kinkade's works often depict a pristine, idyllic, timeless past that continues to resonate with viewers. Many in t