In this episode, Sarah and Sarah put on their detective hats to unravel the mysterious meanings behind Benjamin West’s painting, Helen Brought to Paris. Our References: Raphael, John Adams, Charles Willson Peale, Gilbert Stuart Music: Allegro b

Flesh and Stone: Barbara Hepworth’s “Merryn”

Nov 6th, 2012

After a considerable “summer” hiatus, the Art Attack is back! We kick off the new season with a gorgeous piece by Barbara Hepworth. Hepworth is considered to have been one of the first truly abstract sculptors and the piece, entitled Merryn, is

Art Attack at the Movies

Sep 7th, 2012

After visiting Ai WeiWei’s sculpture Fragments, the Sarahs keep the conversation going with a trip to the E Street Cinema for a viewing of the film Never Sorry, by Alison Klayman. The documentary paints a fascinating portrait of the dissident c

Ai WeiWei’s “Fragments”

Aug 8th, 2012

In this episode, the Sarahs visit Ai Weiwei’s sculpture Fragments, at the Sackler Gallery. The sculpture is constructed of pieces of ironwood salvaged from Qing dynasty temples that have been razed in recent years to make way for new developmen

An Arts Role Model

Jul 23rd, 2012

“We never bought anything because we thought it was important,” Mr. Vogel told the New York Times in 1992. “We bought things we liked. It’s not about price. It’s about feeling.”What an absolutely wonderful and inspiring article in the Washin

We Look at it So You Don’t Have To

Jul 19th, 2012

In which a bird lands on a statue. Also, the Sarahs take one for the team, getting to the bottom of exactly why we are so “meh” about this sculpture by Marino Marini. (Or, in Sarah C’s Italian translation, Marino! Marini!) Listen to this episod

The Cafe in the Museum and the Museum in the Cafe

Jun 13th, 2012

In this special episode, we attend the opening of the Tryst Cafe at the Phillips Collection, and use the occasion to check out Brazilian artist Sandra Cinto’s eight panel piece One Day After the Rain, which can be seen in the new space. We also

Want to Buy this Museum?

Jun 11th, 2012

Want to Buy This Museum?The Washington Post today featured an article by David Montgomery on push-back over the proposed sale of the Corcoran’s 1897 beaux arts building on 17th Street NW.Museums today tend to follow a fairly strict set of et

The Street Art That Wasn’t There: “Gadhafi Loves Leeza” by Mr. CRO

May 29th, 2012

In which Sarah C and Sarah D are thwarted in their valiant effort to see some street art. But we have a good conversation about it anyway! The piece is (was) Gadhafi Loves Leeza by Mr. CRO, aka Ray Noland. Noland is a Chicago-based street artis

On a Street in Venice with John Singer Sargent

May 1st, 2012

In which the Sarahs get caught up in the romance of an intimate moment on a Venice street, as captured by John Singer Sargent. The painting is at the National Gallery of Art. Music: Nessun Dorma by Giacomo Puccini, performed by Rafael Villegas

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