I’ve got a great interview for you today— this time, I’m featuring a conversation with Julia Voss on her fascinating book, Hilma af Klint, a Biography, which was released recently in its English translation.
All in BONUS
Curious Callback: Jennifer Higgie's "The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution, and Resilience: Five Hundred Years of Women's Self Portraits"
Last year, I enjoyed a fantastic live conversation on Fireside with author and art critic Jennifer Higgie about her latest book, The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution, and Resilience: Five Hundred Years of Women's Self Portraits. I love this book and gobbled it up in a day— I meant it when I said that I really love this book!— and I adored talking all things women artists with Jennifer. It only feels right to revisit her book, and our conversation, in connection with our current season about women artists. I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I do.
Author Interview: Paul Fisher's "The Grand Affair: John Singer Sargent in His World"
Welcome to a bonus episode of ArtCurious featuring my interview with Paul Fisher about his latest book, The Grand Affair: John Singer Sargent in His World.
Author Interview: Hugh Eakin's "Picasso's War"
We’re back on ArtCurious with another great bonus interview episode for you today. Today’s episode features a conversation about Picasso’s War, a recent book by journalist Hugh Eakin. Today we think of New York as the center of the twentieth century art world, but it took three determined men, two world wars, and one singular artist to secure the city’s cultural prominence. Pablo Picasso was the most influential and perplexing artist of his age, and the turning points of his career and salient facets of his private life have intrigued the world for decades. However, the tremendous feat of winning support for his art in the U.S. has long been overlooked—until now.
Author Interview: Gabrielle Selz's "Light on Fire: The Art and Life of Sam Francis"
We’re back on ArtCurious with another great interview episode for you today. Today’s episode features a conversation about Light on Fire, the first comprehensive biography of the life and work of the abstract artist Sam Francis by award-winning author Gabrielle Selz.
Author Interview: Eden Collinsworth's "What the Ermine Saw: The Extraordinary Journey of Leonardo da Vinci's Most Mysterious Portrait"
I’ve got a great interview for you today— this time, I’m featuring a conversation with Eden Collinsworth on her fascinating book, What the Ermine Saw: The Extraordinary Journey of Leonardo da Vinci's Most Mysterious Portrait. This extraordinary work of narrative non-fiction traces the remarkable history of Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic portrait: The Woman with an Ermine, from its original creation, including the fascinating story of its subject, Cecilia Gallerani, and on to its mysterious disappearance for 250 years after which it emerged in the hands of an aristocratic Polish family. Now on display in Krakow, the painting was exiled in Paris, and kept hidden from the Nazis by a brave housekeeper. These defining moments in history comprise a portrait of Europe’s past as vivid and complex as the painting itself.
The magic of Collinsworth’s book is the powerful combination of research-based non-fiction— reminiscent of Walter Isaacson (Leonardo da Vinci) and Mary Gabriel (Ninth Street Women)— with a character-driven narrative that will keep readers glued to the page until the very end. Perfect for fans of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch or Céline Sciamma’s film Portrait of a Lady on Fire, What the Ermine Saw pulls back the curtain on the fascinating history behind the astonishing portrait.
Author Interview: Ruth Millington's "Muse"
We’re back on ArtCurious with another great interview episode for you today. I recently enjoyed a conversation with the acclaimed art historian, critic, and author Ruth Millington, all about her new book, Muse: Uncovering the Hidden Figures Behind Art History’s Masterpieces . Muse follows the fascinating true stories of thirty incredible muses—and their roles in some of the world’s most iconic artworks.
Author Interview: Kevin Townley's "Look, Look, Look, Look, Look Again: Buddhist Wisdom Reflected in 26 Artists"
Want a cool, fun, and funny book about art? How about one about Buddhism? Just want a great read? You’ve got all of it covered with Look, Look, Look, Look, Look Again: Buddhist Wisdom Reflected in 26 Artists. In this book, Kevin Townley Kevin leads you to, invites you in, and sometimes springs upon you, the perennial wisdom in the worlds of artists from Artemisia to Hilma af Klint to Marilyn Minter. (All 26 artists are women.) This book is a mad riot of interconnections: art, Buddhism, mandala principle, spiritual pursuits, growing up goth in the 90s, the theories of Marshall McLuhan, and a mongoose–to name but a few. Listen to our latest interview on ArtCurious, wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
Author Interview: John Higgs's "William Blake vs. The World"
What a great conversation I had recently with John Higgs about his new book, William Blake vs the World! Poet, artist, and visionary, William Blake is an archetypal misunderstood genius. His life passed without recognition, and he worked without reward, often mocked, dismissed and misinterpreted. Yet from his ignoble end in a pauper’s grave, Blake now occupies a unique position as an artist who unites and attracts people from all corners of society—a rare inclusive symbol of human identity.
Blake famously experienced visions, and it is these that shaped his attitude toward politics, sex, religion, society, and art. Thanks to the work of neuroscientists and psychologists, we are now in a better position to understand what was happening inside that remarkable mind and gain a deeper appreciation of his brilliance. His timeless work, we will find, has never been more relevant.
Author Interview: Barbara Bloemink's "Florine Stettheimer: A Biography"
Recently I interviewed art historian, curator, and museum director Barbara Bloemink, who shared the backstory of one of the most fascinating artists of the early 20th century: American artist Florine Stettheimer. Listen to this bonus episode of "ArtCurious" wherever you find your podcasts.