Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth Oil on canvas The Museum of Modern Art, New York City Christina’s World is the most famous work by American painter Andrew Wyeth, and one of the best-known American paintings of the 20th century. Painted in 1948, this tempera work is displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It depicts Christina Olson, who had an undiagnosed muscular deterioration that paralyzed her lower body—likely Polio. She was a strong and independent woman who did not let anything stop … Continue reading →

Left: Spring Flowers, 1911 Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, (January 8, 1836,Dronrijp, the Netherlands – June 25, 1912 Wiesbaden, Germany) was one of the most renowned painters of late nineteenth-century Britain. Born in Dronrijp, the Netherlands, and trained at the Academy of Antwerp, Belgium, he settled in England in 1870 and spent the rest of his life there. A classical-subject painter, he became famous for his depictions of the luxury and decadence of the Roman Empire, with languorous figures set in fabulous marbled interiors or against a … Continue reading →

Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) Austrian Art Nouveau Painter Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I 1907 – Oil and gold on canvas This painting was recently purchased by the cosmetics magnate Ronald S. Lauder for $135 million, the highest sum ever paid for a painting. Lauder is the founder of the Neue Galerie, a tiny museum at Fifth Avenue and 86th Street in New York City, devoted entirely to German and Austrian fine and decorative arts. Ronald S. Lauder quote : “This is our Mona Lisa” About Gustav … Continue reading →

An Auburn Beauty, 1895 John William Godward Oil on canvas John William Godward(9 August 1861 – 13 December 1922) was an English painter from the end of the Pre-Raphaelite/Neo-Classicist era. He was a protégé of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema but his style of painting fell out of favour with the arrival of painters like Picasso. He committed suicide at the age of 61 and is said to have written in his suicide note that “the world was not big enough” for him and a Picasso. His … Continue reading →