Art History

February 14, 2025

Infrared Technology Reveals Secret Portrait Hidden Beneath Picasso Painting

Painted in the fall of 1901, when Pablo Picasso was just 19 years old, Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto is one of the very first artworks from the painter’s Blue Period. The 124-year-old painting features Picasso’s friend and fellow Spanish artist Mateau Fernández de Soto, rendered in a monochromatic color palette that reflects Picasso’s low mood at that time.

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December 31, 2024

All These Books, Films, and Artworks Are Entering the Public Domain in 2025

Every January 1 is Public Domain Day, as the copyright on many works of art expires and they are released onto the public domain. With this, they become free to enjoy, share, and reuse for any purpose by anyone. In 2025, this includes works published in 1929 for the United States, as well as creations by artists who passed away in 1954 for countries with a copyright term of “life plus 70 years.

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December 16, 2024

Rare Caravaggio Painting Emerges and Is Publicly Displayed for the First Time Ever

Michelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio, has had a profound impact upon Baroque art. Throughout his short yet storied life (he died in 1610 at the age of 38), he produced some of art history’s most vivid paintings, each demonstrating a masterful command over light, movement, and emotion. Caravaggio, however, was not known for painting portraits. This fact is what makes the first-ever display of his portrait of Maffeo Barberini so incredible.

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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.