Art History

November 27, 2025

Leonardo da Vinci’s Largest Collection of Drawings and Writings is Now Completely Digitized

When listing the world’s most prominent “Renaissance men,” Leonardo da Vinci would appear near, if not at, the top. He succeeded in or at least dabbled in fields as disparate as engineering, anatomy, cartography, painting, astronomy, and even paleontology. Perhaps nothing demonstrates the breadth of his abilities better than his notebooks, the largest of which has been digitized in its entirety by the Visual Agency, in collaboration with Milan’s Biblioteca Ambrosiana and Mondadori Portfolio.

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October 10, 2025

Monet’s Venetian Cityscapes Are Coming to the Brooklyn Museum

In 1908, Claude Monet paid his first—and only—visit to Venice, at the encouragement of his wife Alice. At first, he was reluctant to leave his home in Giverny, but it didn’t take long for him to recognize and ultimately treasure Venice’s singular cityscape. It was there that Monet produced his last new works to ever be shown publicly during his lifetime, and it was there that he renewed his technical, thematic, and artistic skills.

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September 23, 2025

Rediscovered Picasso Painting Heads To Auction After 80 Years of Hiding in a Private Collection

After more than 80 years in a private collection, a painting by Pablo Picasso will finally see the light of day. Next month, Lucien Paris will auction off Buste de femme au chapeau à fleurs (Dora Maar), originally painted by the renowned artist in 1943 and purchased by a collector only a few months later in 1944. Lucien Paris estimates that the work is worth €8 million (about $9.45 million)

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August 11, 2025

How a Man Born Into Slavery Became an Art History Legend

By the time the Union army arrived in Dallas County, Ala., in 1865, Bill Traylor had already been enslaved for about 12 years, ever since he was born on a cotton plantation around 1853. After his emancipation, Traylor spent the majority of his life as a tenant farmer near Montgomery, until he picked up drawing in 1939.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.