Episode #104: Bits of "Breaking Barriers": St. Catherine of Bologna (Season 12, Episode 5)

Today: Artist-nuns are not rare: just look at the example of the famed Hildegard von Bingen, long praised as one of the first-known female artists. Today, we’re uncovering the story--and the myth--behind St. Catherine of Bologna, a mystical member of the Poor Clares whose artistic talents may (or not!) have been exaggerated. From Breaking Barriers: Women of Renaissance Europe, please enjoy “St. Catherine of Bologna: The Patron Saint of Artists.”

Episode #103: Bits of "Breaking Barriers": Marietta Robusti (Season 12, Episode 4)

Today: Lots of women artists have gotten a head-start in their careers thanks to their families. Fathers, in particular, often led their remarkable daughters to find great success in the arts, and Marietta Robusti was no exception: her dear old dad was none other than Tintoretto, a Venetian master. But did Tintoretto’s adoration of his daughter hold her back from achieving greater heights? From Breaking Barriers: Women of Renaissance Europe, please enjoy “Marietta Robusti: Like Father, Like Daughter.”

Episode #101: Bits of "Breaking Barriers": Fede Galizia (Season 12, Episode 2)

Today: She might not have had the backing of royal patrons or the fancy aristocratic connections that Levina Teerlinc and Sofonisba Anguissola had, but Fede Galizia still did well for herself with commissions. And she was an innovator, to boot, often noted as the first-known Italian artist to have completed a still life painting at a time where the genre was not yet fashionable From Breaking Barriers: Women of Renaissance Europe, please enjoy “Fede Galizia: Early Still-Life Adopter.”

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.