After Columbus landed on Hispaniola in 1492, items from the Americas were shipped to Europe where they were perceived as exotic items of wonder and fascination.
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How did cabinets of curiosities become temples to the Enlightenment? Explore the fascinating history of museums.
1. A brief history of the art ...
Art museums and politics have a long and complex relationship; nowhere is this more apparent than the Louvre.
2. Museums and politics: the Louvre, Paris
"It is to kill art to make history of it" — the neutralizing effect of the art museum.
3. Art Museums and (Art) Objects
Just as museums have nurtured artistic creativity, they have also become the target of serious critique from artists themselves.
4. Artists in and against the museum
From privately owned collections to blockbuster exhibitions for the public, museums continue to evolve.
5. The changing social functions of art ...
Far from being neutral, museum are deeply rooted in a thicket of political, sociological, and ideological histories.
6. Looking at Art Museums
Brilliant golden brocades. Psuedo-Arabic. Turbans. Leopards and lions. The Adoration of the Magi speaks to the global flow of goods at this time.
Gentile da Fabriano, Adoration of the Magi ...
Shōsōin repository held nine thousand artifacts from China, Southeast Asia, Iran, and the Middle East—connecting ancient Japan to the cultural trade of the Eurasian continent.
The Shōsōin Repository and its treasure
The first public park in Brazil and a major urban planning commission awarded to an artist of African descent.
Mestre Valentim, Passeio Publico, Rio de Janeiro
De Bry's images of the Americas affirm and assert a sense of European superiority.
Inventing “America,” The Engravings of Theodore de ...
Must all renaissance art history trumpet the achievements of famed artists such as Masaccio, Leonardo and Van Eyck? Can we center other narratives?
Expanding the Renaissance: a new Smarthistory initiative
Once a temple to Zeus, the Great Mosque of Damascus, has survived the Syrian Civil War, and stands as one of the world's most important historic structures.
The Great Mosque of Damascus
What are we to make of an artist who shreds his work right after selling it?
Behind the Banksy Stunt
Reading Assyrian art isn't easy — but it's always worth it.
Assyria vs Elam: The battle of Til ...
Ashurbanipal wasn't just an Assyrian king, he was a propaganda king.
The palace decoration of Ashurbanipal
Migration is central to human experience.
Art about Migration
Rock art is one of the best records of the life of past peoples who lived across the Sahara.
Rock Art in the Green Sahara (Africa)
Drawing attention to the untold stories and silenced voices of women.
Mónica Mayer, The Clothesline
The fire that engulfed the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris was a terrible tragedy—though not an unusual one.