Even almost 950 years after its construction was begun, St. Sernin remains a religious structure that awes and inspires the pilgrims who still visit.
Location Country: France
Francis had great reason to emphasize his wealth and magnanimity. For years he had been at war with the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, a gamble that continued to go poorly for the French king.
The Gallery of Francis I at Fontainebleau ...
This mask is a rare document of the Dada movement and an embodiment of the so-called “approximate man.”
Dada’s “Approximate Man”: A Portrait of Tristan ...
Introducing a lavish altarpiece with vibrant images. Exploring the narrative and visual threads that connect its featured stories.
Fit for a duke: Broederlam’s Crucifixion Altarpiece
The most recognizable prehistoric works of art are cave paintings—often located deep within narrow passageways and larger caverns.
Religion: spotlight — Chauvet cave
The fire that engulfed the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris was a terrible tragedy—though not an unusual one.
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris
This portrait of an unnamed woman speaks volumes about slavery, politics, and gender in revolutionary France.
Marie-Guillemine Benoist, Portrait of Madeleine
Delacroix's unusual choice of scenes in these murals bewildered critics for over a century.
Eugène Delacroix, Murals in the Chapel of ...
A century before democracy was tested by social media gone rogue, Hausmann understood the dark side of technology.
Raoul Hausmann, Spirit of the Age: Mechanical ...
Such a tease! This ambiguous portrait plays psychological and optical games with the viewer.
Leonardo, The Mona Lisa
The subject takes control over the outdoor setting, expressing her independence in spite of limitations.
A summer day in Paris: Berthe Morisot’s ...
Picasso was a technically skilled draftsman—so why did he choose to take his forms apart?
Pablo Picasso and the new language of ...
In the suburbs, Parisians escaped the pressures of modern life. Monet painted their sun-drenched pleasures.
How to recognize Monet: The Basin at ...
Renoir wanted to forget everything he knew about how to paint so that he could render light as it really is.
How to recognize Renoir: The Swing
Shown with an architectural plan in his lap, this prince constructed temples to the gods and likenesses of himself.
Seated Gudea holding temple plan
Mary’s swaying hip, elongated neck, and tender touch of the Christ Child all imbue this golden sculpture with grace. A pomegranate signals death.
Humanizing Mary: the Virgin of Jeanne d’Evreux
They wanted an epic Biblical image, or one from a Greek myth. He gave them a painting of a modern-day funeral.
Gustave Courbet, A Burial at Ornans
Glass fills a staggering three quarters of this chapel’s walls. The entire building serves as a reliquary for the crown of thorns.
Sainte-Chapelle, Paris
Artificial? Moi? This genuine portrait of familial affection challenged assumptions about the aristocracy.
Vigée Le Brun, Self-Portrait with her Daughter
Above the entrance to Amiens, animated figures and flowing drapery attest to the increasing naturalism of Gothic sculpture in the 13th century.