This is ArtCurious News this Week, our new short-form Friday roundup of my favorite art history updates and interesting news tidbits. Today is July 29, 2022, and this week is all about archaeology.
Episode #99: Cherchez La Femme, or The Woman Behind the Art--Gertrude Stein (Season 11, Episode 8)
There’s a phrase in the French language that goes, “Cherchez la femme.” In translation, it means “find the woman,” or “look for the woman,” and typically it’s derogatory, a phrase used as an explanation for the reasons why a man may be behaving badly. Cherchez la femme, some say, meaning that “woman troubles” are assumed to be at the core of any man’s real problems. But I like the idea of appropriating the phrase “cherchez la femme” to mean that we’re going to look for the women who made things right in art history, who bolstered and brought attention to some big-name artists.
In season 11 of ArtCurious, we’re highlighting the lives and work of the women who supported some of the world’s favorite artists. Today, for our season finale, we’re discussing Gertrude Stein, a writer and art collector whose world-famous Paris salon was a meeting place for several giants of Modernism: Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Suzanne Valadon, and many more.
This is ArtCurious News this Week, our new short-form Friday roundup of my favorite art history updates and interesting news tidbits. Today is July 15, 2022.
Episode #98: Cherchez La Femme, or The Woman Behind the Art--Rose Valland (Season 11, Episode 7)
In season 11 of ArtCurious, we’re highlighting the lives and work of the women who supported some of the world’s favorite artists. Today, I am so excited to share with you the life of Rose Valland, a great World War Two hero who personally helped save thousands of works of art from being destroyed or lost forever.
Hi there, everyone. It’s Jennifer, your friendly art history podcast purveyor. And I wanted to try something new this summer. I’m going to be releasing short-form, super-casual episodes every Friday to share some of my favorite art history updates and interesting news tidbits. This is in addition to the ArtCurious episodes you know and love and gets you up to date on the latest goings-on in the realm of art history. So let me be your guide to this week in Art History.
Episode #97: Cherchez La Femme, or The Woman Behind the Art--Anna Whistler (Season 11, Episode 6)
In Season 11 of ArtCurious, we’re highlighting the lives and work of the women who supported some of the world’s favorite artists. Today, you know her face, but you might not know her name, or much about her life—meet Anna Whistler, the mother of American painter James Abbott McNeill Whistler.
Author Interview: Kevin Townley's "Look, Look, Look, Look, Look Again: Buddhist Wisdom Reflected in 26 Artists"
Want a cool, fun, and funny book about art? How about one about Buddhism? Just want a great read? You’ve got all of it covered with Look, Look, Look, Look, Look Again: Buddhist Wisdom Reflected in 26 Artists. In this book, Kevin Townley Kevin leads you to, invites you in, and sometimes springs upon you, the perennial wisdom in the worlds of artists from Artemisia to Hilma af Klint to Marilyn Minter. (All 26 artists are women.) This book is a mad riot of interconnections: art, Buddhism, mandala principle, spiritual pursuits, growing up goth in the 90s, the theories of Marshall McLuhan, and a mongoose–to name but a few. Listen to our latest interview on ArtCurious, wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
Episode #96: Cherchez La Femme, or The Woman Behind the Art--Johanna Van Gogh (Season 11, Episode 5)
There’s a phrase in the French language that goes, “Cherchez la femme.” In translation, it means “find the woman,” or “look for the woman,” and typically it’s derogatory, a phrase used as an explanation for the reasons why a man may be behaving badly. Cherchez la femme, some say, meaning that “woman troubles” are assumed to be at the core of any man’s real problems. But I like the idea of appropriating the phrase “cherchez la femme” to mean that we’re going to look for the women who made things right in art history, who bolstered and brought attention to some big-name artists.
Welcome to season 11 of ArtCurious, where we’re highlighting the lives and work of the women who supported some of the world’s favorite artists. Today, I am so excited to share with you the life of Jo van Gogh-Bonger, the woman who single-handedly made Vincent van Gogh, her brother-in-law, a household name.
Episode #95: Cherchez La Femme, or The Woman Behind the Art-- Gala Dalí (Season 11, Episode 4)
There’s a phrase in the French language that goes, “Cherchez la femme.” In translation, it means “find the woman,” or “look for the woman,” and typically it’s derogatory, a phrase used as an explanation for the reasons why a man may be behaving badly. Cherchez la femme, some say, meaning that “woman troubles” are assumed to be at the core of any man’s real problems. But I like the idea of appropriating the phrase “cherchez la femme” to mean that we’re going to look for the women who made things right in art history, who bolstered and brought attention to some big-name artists.
Welcome to season 11 of ArtCurious, where we’re highlighting the lives and work of the women who supported some of the world’s favorite artists. Today, we’re getting to know Gala Dalí, the notorious wife, muse, and unflappable supporter of the most iconic Surrealist in history.
Author Interview: John Higgs's "William Blake vs. The World"
What a great conversation I had recently with John Higgs about his new book, William Blake vs the World! Poet, artist, and visionary, William Blake is an archetypal misunderstood genius. His life passed without recognition, and he worked without reward, often mocked, dismissed and misinterpreted. Yet from his ignoble end in a pauper’s grave, Blake now occupies a unique position as an artist who unites and attracts people from all corners of society—a rare inclusive symbol of human identity.
Blake famously experienced visions, and it is these that shaped his attitude toward politics, sex, religion, society, and art. Thanks to the work of neuroscientists and psychologists, we are now in a better position to understand what was happening inside that remarkable mind and gain a deeper appreciation of his brilliance. His timeless work, we will find, has never been more relevant.
Episode #94: Cherchez La Femme, or The Woman Behind the Art--Elizabeth Siddal (Season 11, Episode 3)
Welcome to season 11 of ArtCurious, where we’re highlighting the lives and work of the women who supported some of the world’s favorite artists. Today, we’re getting to know Elizabeth Siddal, 19th century muse and model—and poet and an artist in her own right.
BONUS: A Little Curious #11--The Cone Sisters
A Little Curious provides you with short and sweet bonus content about art history in between our normal episodes, and a couple of times in the middle of Season 11, I’ll pop in here to share some shorter stories about some other amazing women who worked to spread the love of art. I had a long list of ladies whom I wanted to showcase in this season, but I ultimately chose eight of them for my full episodes, but now I get the chance to give you a little peek into the lives of a few others.
So today, it’s time to get a little curious about Claribel and Etta Cone.
Episode #93: Cherchez La Femme, or The Woman Behind the Art--Berthe Weill (Season 11, Episode 2)
Welcome to season 11 of ArtCurious, where we’re highlighting the lives and work of the women who supported some of the world’s favorite artists. Today, meet Berthe Weill, an art dealer who made many artists famous, including some of the biggest names of the 20th century.
Episode #92: Cherchez La Femme, or The Woman Behind the Art--Dolores Olmedo (Season 11, Episode 1)
There’s a phrase in the French language that goes, “Cherchez la femme.” In translation, it means “find the woman,” or “look for the woman,” and typically it’s derogatory, a phrase used as an explanation for the reasons why a man may be behaving badly. Cherchez la femme, some say, meaning that “woman troubles” are assumed to be at the core of any man’s real problems. But I like the idea of appropriating the phrase “cherchez la femme” to mean that we’re going to look for the women who made things right in art history, who bolstered and brought attention to some big-name artists. And Dolores Olmedo is a great person to get us started.
Welcome to season 11 of ArtCurious, where we’re highlighting the lives and work of the women who supported some of the world’s favorite artists. Today, meet Dolores Olmedo, a philanthropist and art collector who became one of the most influential supporters of Mexican Modernists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.
Author Interview: Barbara Bloemink's "Florine Stettheimer: A Biography"
Recently I interviewed art historian, curator, and museum director Barbara Bloemink, who shared the backstory of one of the most fascinating artists of the early 20th century: American artist Florine Stettheimer. Listen to this bonus episode of "ArtCurious" wherever you find your podcasts.
Hi listeners! If you’re into art and into movies, then I’ve got a special treat for you. I recently featured on a bonus episode, “The Pickup Shot,” for the Subgenre podcast, hosted by Josh Dasal (and truth be told, if the name wasn’t a dead giveaway: he’s my husband). In this episode, we chat about all the art in one of the artsiest films of the past two decades, The Thomas Crown Affair, from 1999.
Author Interview: Claudia Fontaine Chidester's "Trusted Eye"
I recently had the good fortune to chat with Claudia Fontaine Chidester, whose latest book, Trusted Eye: Post-World War II Adventures of a Fearless Art Advocate, is available now. Trusted Eye is a compelling narrative of an American wife and mother finding her place amid the rubble of war-torn Germany. Listen now to our interview, wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
Live on Fireside: Lilianne Milgrom's "L'Origine"
Did you miss our LIVE bonus show on Fireside, the interactive storytelling platform? Don’t worry— you can catch the replay on Fireside, or enjoy the bonus audio here. In this conversation from January 2022, I spoke with Lilianne Milgrom, a Paris-born, internationally acclaimed artist and award-winning author. She holds two degrees from Melbourne University and an associate degree from the Academy of Art in San Francisco. She exhibits her artwork around the world and is the recipient of multiple awards and residencies. In 2011, she became the first authorized copyist of Gustave Courbet’s controversial painting L’Origine du Monde (The Origin of the World) which hangs in the Orsay Museum in Paris. Milgrom spent a decade researching and writing L’Origine, her debut novel, all about Courbet’s incredible painting—as well as Milgrom’s own personal experience of copying the work. L’Origine has snagged no less than six literary honors, including the Publishers Weekly 2021 US book award for Best Adult Fiction.
Live on Fireside: Jeffrey H. Jackson's "Paper Bullets"
Did you miss our LIVE bonus show on Fireside, the interactive storytelling platform? Don’t worry— you can catch the replay on Fireside, or enjoy the bonus audio here. In this conversation from early January, I spoke with professor Jeffrey H. Jackson to discuss his latest book, Paper Bullets, about the incredible artists Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore--two women who risked their lives to defy the Nazis. It’s an awesome real-life tale of using subversive tactics to disrupt Hitler’s crew--and you’re not going to want to miss it. I hope you enjoy listening in as much as I enjoyed recording this ep.