Plunder and the Musée Napoléon
Wayne Sandholtz, author of Prohibiting Plunder, examines the Napoleonic practice of seizing art from conquered territories and the appointing a specialist for this very purpose.
On Ants
An excerpt from The Lives of Ants.
Bridges, and What They Can Teach Us
Professor David Blockely on the lessons he believes the wider world can learn from bridge-building.
Two Heads Are Not Always Better Than One: Labour’s Poster attacking David Cameron
James Hall, author of The Sinister Side, on the left-right symbolism in one of the Labour Party’s new election posters.
The Role of the Stage
An excerpt from Paul Woodruff’s book The Necessity of Theater.
Ursula von Rydingsvard
An excerpt about Ursula von Rydingsvard.
On High Art
John Carey has been at various points in his life a soldier, a barman, a television critic, a beekeeper, a printmaker, and a professor of literature at Oxford. He is the Chief Book Reviewer for The Sunday Times in London. His book, What Good are the Arts? offers a delightfully skeptical look at the claims […]
Editing and Framing in Robert Bresson’s Films
An excerpt from Robert Bresson: A Passion for Film.
The Origins of Tintin
An excerpt from Herge: The Man Who Created Tintin.
The Blue Dress
Place of the Year 2009
15 years ago Albie Sachs was appointed by Nelson Mandela to South Africa’s first Constitutional Court. Here he talks about one of the most important buildings in the post-apartheid era and the artwork that makes its visitors pause.
What is Art?
Roger Scruton argues that there are universal standards by which to judge art.
Why Republicans Shouldn’t “dance”
Jennifer Fisher looks at Tom DeLay’s appearance on “Dancing with the Stars”.
The Peak-Performance Myth
How can you perform your best?
Humorous Quotations
Quotes to bring a smile to your face.
On Hammerstein and Sondheim
How Hammerstein mentored Sondheim.
The Glamour of Princess Diana
An excerpt from Glamour: A History by Stephen Gundle, discussing the glamour of Diana, Princess of Wales