Art News

In this episode of Anatomy of an Artwork, discover the inspiration behind a masterpiece from Paul Ranson’s mature period. A member of a group of artists known as ‘Les Nabis’ (‘the prophets’ in Hebrew), Ranson was influenced by Japanese woodcut prints, Paul Gauguin’s Tahitian works, the Art Nouveau movement, as well as a childhood tragedy. Find out how all these come together to form ‘Nu se coiffant au bord de l'étang.’

Step inside Claude Monet’s Venice and experience how the water, buildings and light wowed the great master as he painted from his gondola.

Artist Mario Klingemann’s groundbreaking piece of Artificial Intelligence (AI) generates a never-ending real-time stream of original art.

Today at auction, Swann offers the opportunity to own iconic and historic works, some at bargain prices. In a wide-ranging auction of nearly 500 lots, there are vintage posters from around the world and across genres.

Discover the sophisticated iconography and elegant naturalism of Michaelina Wautier's "Garland of Flowers."

What looks to be an antique medicine chest stuffed with sticks and seeds is, it turns out, an object that bridges the divide between science and religion. Many Victorians wanted to stick to their Christian faith, even as Mary Anning unearthed damning fossils and Charles Darwin published his theory of natural selection, so they hedged their bets, as it were, becoming amateur naturalists—quaintly pasting seaweed and flowers into albums—while remaining loyal to their Sunday School stories.

This January, Sotheby’s celebrates trailblazing female artists from the 16th through the 19th century with The Female Triumphant, a group of exceptional works of art that will be offered in our Masters Week sales. In spite of extraordinary obstacles, talented artists such as Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, Fede Galizia, and Michaelina Wautier paved the way for future generations of artists everywhere.

This January, Sotheby’s celebrates trailblazing female artists from the 16th through the 19th century with The Female Triumphant, a group of masterworks offered across our Masters Week sales. In spite of institutional obstacles, talented women like Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, Fede Galizia, and Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau paved the way for future generations of artists everywhere. In this episode of Expert Voices, Old Master Paintings Specialist Calvine Harvey recounts the story of how Vigée Le Brun, the personal painter to Queen Marie Antoinette, used her royal connections to paint a striking portrait a visiting Indian ambassador.

The 19th-century Quaker artist Edward Hicks painted some of American folk art’s most cherished works. In this film, Christie's Specialist Sallie Glover explains how, in a series of works featuring animals and children, he reconciled creative impulses with religious beliefs.

In this episode of Anatomy of an Artwork, immerse yourself in the heavenly details of Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael’s A Banquet of the Gods. Comprising nearly 50 elegantly posed figures, this intricate painting is a paradigm of Dutch Mannerist art.