Art and Museums
British Museum's Celtic Exhibit: A 700 AD Brooch of Silver, Gold and Amber Belonging to 'Melbrigda'
The British Museum, in partnership with National Museums Scotland, has staged the first British exhibition in 40 years on the Celts. The exhibition tells the story of the different peoples who have used or been given the name 'Celts' through the art objects that they made, including intricately decorated jewelery, highly stylized objects of religious devotion, and the decorative arts of the late 19th century which were inspired by the past. more »
Rings At the Cloisters: Declarations of Status, Expressions of identity and Protective Talismans
Treasures and Talismans: Rings from the Griffin Collection on display at The Cloisters — a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of the Middle Ages. The collection is named after the mythical creature that was part lion and part eagle. In medieval lore, the griffin was often a guardian of treasure and was known for seeking out gold in rocks — hence its fitting use for this private collection of precious gold rings. more »
Van Gogh and Nature, the Serious Artist, Not the Mythic 'Tortured Painter' of Film and Fiction
Over the course of his short but intense working life, Van Gogh studied and depicted nature in all its forms — from the minutiae of insects and birds' nests to the most sweeping of panoramic landscapes — creating a body of work that revolutionized the representation of the natural world at the end of the nineteenth century. more »
An Elegant Society: Adam Buck, Artist in the Age of Jane Austen
Well-known to collectors and Jane Austen enthusiasts, Irish artist Adam Buck (1759–1833) was one of Regency England's most sought-after portrait painters. He worked in Ireland for twenty years, becoming an accomplished miniaturist; but moved to London in 1795 and immediately gained a roster of star clients including the Duke of York and his scandalous mistress, Mary Anne Clarke. more »