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Art

A Survey of the World’s Biggest Artworks

By Marina Galperina on

Perhaps you heard that Christo recently revived his plan to build the biggest artwork of all time? Before the passing of his partner in love and art Jeanne-Claude, the duo began to scheme about a work of massive magnitude. Constructed from 410,000 variously-hued oil barrels, the proposed beast would tower around 492 feet high and glow golden in the sunlight. And now, it might actually be happening in, where else, but Abu Dhabi. That will make all those orange-draped bridges, umbrella-dabbed fields, and purple-wrapped islands look pretty wimpy, won’t it? On that ambitious note, we’ve hauled in a few artworks known for their size. Not all of them are particularly aesthetically appealing, but damn, they’re big! But is bigger necessarily better? You decide. Spoiler: We’re a little biased. … Read More

Design

12 Famous Artists Who Dabbled in Design

By Claire Cottrell on

If ever we needed a healthy dose of inspiration, it’s late on a Thursday afternoon when that unbearable yearning for the weekend descends on us and everyone else. It’s a time when we usually find ourselves poking around the Internet, carefully considering which creative endeavor to pursue in anticipation of our hallowed free time.

The eternally inspiring design duo Charles and Ray Eames never put their talents in a box. Quite the opposite, their work crossed boundaries and disciplines. They made major contributions to architecture and design, but also dabbled in fine art and film, among other things. In honor of never limiting your dormant creative self, we’ve taken a look at world famous artists who also expressed their vision in a seemingly unexpected format: furniture. From Salvador Dalí’s stunning designs to a practical, playful hammock by the American sculptor who invented the mobile, Alexander Calder, click through and be inspired by artists who refused to be pigeonholed. … Read More

Pop Culture

Famous Artworks Transformed into Sandwiches

By Alison Nastasi on

Artists Brittany Powell and Tae Kitakata were studio mates in art school and wanted to keep in touch — creatively speaking — after graduation. They started Low-Commitment Projects as a way to ” … share concepts and schemes without a huge outlay of time, energy, or money.” They alternate posting these quick “sketches” on their blog every Monday. We fell in love with Powell’s sandwich creations, in which she transformed famous works of art by Jackson Pollock, Damien Hirst, and many more — turning the iconic images into tasty sandwiches. It’s a simple, but brilliant concept that captures the spirit of each artist’s expression. Get hungry past the break, and take a closer look. … Read More

Art

Relevant Trees in Art History

By Marina Galperina on

Got your holiday pine yet? This post is dedicated to all those tree martyrs that are annually chopped down, thrust into our homes, and garlanded with festive objects so we can celebrate Christmas, the Russian New Year, or a revived Pagan ritual. Though trees get special attention at this time of year, they are something of a powerful theme for many artists. Let’s take at tour of the arboreal obsessions and notable tree cameos in art history, with a few contemporary takes thrown in to spice things up. Our journey begins with the most perfect mulberry tree in the world… according to Van Gogh. … Read More

Art

Preview MoMA PS1's Epic 'September 11' Show

By Rozalia Jovanovic on

Paying tribute to the tenth anniversary of 9/11, MoMA PS1 presents September 11, a group exhibit that explores the far-reaching consequences of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Inspired by the dearth of representation in the cultural discourse of the attacks, Peter Eleey, who is the head curator at MoMA PS1, has assembled 71 works by artists dead and alive including Diane Arbus, William Eggleston, Christo, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono, a selection that avoids images of the event itself or art made in direct response it.

Some of the work is more direct, like Ellsworth Kelly’s collage Ground Zero, which shows a mocked up page of The New York Times with a green geometrical shape over a picture of Ground Zero. Other pieces were created before the attacks, like Alex Katz’s 10:00 AM, which shows a serene body water with a reflection that now appears haunting. “I’m interested in how we read things into these images,” Eleey has said about how 9/11 has influenced the way we see our environment. “After the attacks, we continued to see the towers everywhere.” Click through to see some of the works in the show. … Read More

Art

Christo Called “Eco-Terrorist” Over Arkansas River Art Project

By Sam Schlinkert on

Christo Javacheff, the artist best known for draping entire buildings and New York’s Central Park in fabric, has run into opposition over his next project. Over the River, a work that would cover a 42-mile stretch of the Arkansas River in Colorado, is being called eco-terrorism by Rags Over the Arkansas River (ROAR), the main group fighting against the artist. Christo, 75, has already spent $7 million and 18 years on the project. … Read More

Art

RIP: Female Half of Art Duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude Dies at 74

By Kelsey Keith on

Artist Jeanne-Claude (née Denat de Guillebo) died in New York Wednesday evening of complications from a brain aneurysm. Along with her husband and artistic partner Christo, whom she met in 1958, she undertook an international series of large-scale outdoor installations, modifying landscapes with industrial strength cloth ballooned, wrapped, and tied. In a tale that legends are made of, the pair were born on the same date, the 13th of June in 1935, and allegedly in the same hour. Of note is the fact that all of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s projects are self-financed — meaning a pretty significant initial outlay for, say, 1.076 million square feet of aluminum-coated fabric to cover the entire façade of the Reichstag in Berlin. In honor of Jeanne-Claude’s legacy in the realm of environmental art, we’ve compiled a visual primer of the duo’s oeuvre after the… Read More