Latest Visual arts News

Book Review: What dangers does art hold? Writer Rachel Cusk explores it in 'Parade'

Jun. 24, 2024 14:31 PM EDT

With her new novel “Parade,” the writer Rachel Cusk returns with a searching look at the pain artists can capture — and inflict. Never centered on a single person or place, the book ushers in a series of painters, sculptors, and other figures each grappling with a transformation in their life...

Chicago's iconic 'Bean' sculpture reopens to tourists after nearly a year of construction

Jun. 23, 2024 14:42 PM EDT

CHICAGO (AP) — One of Chicago's most popular tourist attractions known as “The Bean” reopened to the public Sunday after nearly a year of renovations and construction. Construction started in August last year, and fencing around the iconic sculpture limited closeup access to...

Different versions of 'home' roost at the American Folk Art Museum

Jun. 20, 2024 12:43 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — What does “home” mean? Different things to all of us, of course. A place of love, for some. One fraught with trouble, for others. An elusive concept for too many. “Home isn’t always a place of comfort. Nor is it always a location, or a place....

Swiss museum pulls down works by artists like Monet, van Gogh as origin of Nazi-looted art examined

Jun. 20, 2024 12:25 PM EDT

GENEVA (AP) — A Swiss museum on Thursday pulled down five paintings, including a van Gogh and a Monet, after the foundation that owns them called for a deeper look at their origins following new U.S. guidelines on how to handle artworks once confiscated by the Nazis. The...

Academy Museum Gala picks starry honorees for its fall fundraiser

Jun. 10, 2024 12:02 PM EDT

Rita Moreno and Paul Mescal are getting together with Quentin Tarantino in October. It’s not for a movie (yet). All three are being honored at the glamorous Academy Museum Gala, the organization said Monday. The event is only in its fourth year but has established itself as a...

A Ghana toddler sets a world record as the youngest male artist. His mom says he just loves colors

May. 31, 2024 14:34 PM EDT

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Meet Ace-Liam Ankrah, a Ghana toddler who has set the record as the world's youngest male artist. His mother, Chantelle Kukua Eghan, says it all started by accident when her son, who at the time was 6 months old, discovered her acrylic paints. ...

Movie Review: Muppets creator Jim Henson gets a documentary as exciting as he was

May. 30, 2024 13:19 PM EDT

There are moments when the spark of creation suddenly ignites and history stops. Like when the Wright brothers got a plane to fly. Or when Oreo added double filling. Maybe just as resonant was when Jim Henson cut up his mother’s green coat into odd shapes and added ping-pong balls for eyes. ...

Book Review: Emil Ferris tackles big issues through a small child with a monster obsession

May. 28, 2024 12:18 PM EDT

There are two types of monsters: Ones that simply appear scary and ones that are scary by their cruelty. Karen Reyes is the former, but what does that make her troubled older brother, Deeze? Emil Ferris has finally followed up on her visually stunning, 2017 debut graphic novel with...

Sam Butcher, artist who created Precious Moments figurines of teardrop-eyed children, dies at 85

May. 23, 2024 16:13 PM EDT

CARTHAGE, Mo. (AP) — Sam Butcher, the artist who created the Precious Moments figurines depicting angelic teardrop-eyed children, has died. He was 85. The company said in a Facebook post that he died early Monday surrounded by family. It said his life's mission was “to share...

Spanish police recover fourth of 5 Francis Bacon paintings stolen in Madrid in 2015

May. 23, 2024 06:09 AM EDT

MADRID (AP) — Spanish police say they have recovered the fourth of five paintings by Irish-born painter Francis Bacon that were stolen from a Madrid apartment in 2015. A police statement Thursday said the 1989 painting of a man's head, titled on the back as “Study for Portrait of...