colonialism

 Benjamin West, The Battle of La Hogue, c. 1778. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
History Painting: An Art Genre or the Manipulation of Truth?
Much as the late nineteenth-century American myth of Manifest Destiny was used to justify westward expansion, many history paintings worked to shape and uphold stories of superiority and inferiority…
Frans Francken the Younger, Kunst- und Raritätenkammer (Chamber of Art and Curiosities), 1636. Oil on panel.
The Cabinet of Curiosities & Colonialism
Although such collections were kept by a wide range of groups and individuals—from Tsars to churches and apothecaries to scientific academies—a new wave of scholars have taken particular interest in…
"The fallen Christopher Columbus statue outside the Minnesota State Capitol after a group led by American Indian Movement members tore it down in St. Paul, Minnesota, on June 10, 2020." 
What’s the Deal with Christopher Columbus Monuments?

On October 12, 1492, Spanish ships waded into the Caribbean after a three-month-long journey. Led by Italian…

Grace Zimiga, Sundance Star, 1968-1980. Cotton, muslin, and thread, 61.1 x 88.8 in. (155.3 x 225.7 cm.), National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C.
Evolving Perspectives on Quilts as Folk Art

Folk art reflects the stories of survival and heritage among often underrepresented peoples. Its distinction as being a separate entity from fine art was…

detail view of April Bey, detail view of You Told Harpo to Beat Me, 2022. Woven tapestry with hand-sewn fabric and sequins, Chinese knockoff pearls. 80 x 60 inches. 
Thriving on Atlantica: April Bey & her Speculative Futurism
April Bey’s practice is grounded in the fundamental truth that systems and attitudes don’t need to be the way they are. Through both her striking aesthetic and her conceptual approach, Bey breaks…
Tanya Aguiñiga, Extraño 15, 2021. Ice-dyed cotton rope, synthetic hair, flax.
Standouts at Armory’s Focus 2022: “Landscape Undone”
The Focus part of the Armory Fair 2022 is a reflection of the galleries devoted to those communities. Acevedo-Yates extended a personal invite to the galleries she loves (and there were some…
- Summary: Illustration shows the rulers of "Russia," "Germany," "Italy," "Austria," "France," and "England," as chickens trying to hatch a large egg labeled "China." A chicken labeled "Japan" stands in the background with Uncle Sam, also as a chicken, perched on a fence in the rear.
The Boxer Rebellion & Artwork’s Spread of Gross Stereotype
Following a trend that started in the late 1800s, Western photographers were sent abroad to create images of foreign countries. Such photographs, oftentimes created through an imperialist and…
Vicente Albán, Noble Woman with Her Black Slave (detail), c. 1783.
“Archive of the World”: The Complex Dynamics of Spanish America at LACMA
"This exhibition and its accompanying publication vividly exemplify our desire to advance new art historical scholarship by displaying materials that tell a more inclusive story of human creativity…
Qaumajuq Center
Qaumajuq Center Sets Tone for the Decolonization of Collections
Here, hundreds of miles south of the Canadian Arctic and Nunangat (the Canadian Inuit homeland territories), is the world’s largest collection of contemporary Inuit artworks.
Samuel Scott, Wager's Action off Cartagena, 28 May 1708, before 1772. Oil on canvas 33.9 x 8.9 in. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London.
The Global Battle for the San José—The Holy Grail of Shipwrecks
The Spanish Galleon San José, which sank off the coast of Colombia in 1708, was rediscovered by Colombian officials in 2015 near Cartagena. For years, the San José was called the “holy grail of…
Unknown, Slave-Made “Colonoware” Vessel, 1700–1800. Earthenware. Charleston County, South Carolina.
Revolutionary Pottery: Colonoware Undermining the British Empire 
Before revolutionaries dumped tea in the Boston Harbor or fought Redcoats at Lexington and Concord, early Americans protested British imperialism via utilitarian earthenware bowls, jars, and pots…
Detail of Portrait of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz at the age of 25, Inscription in Latin: Ætatis sua 25.
Colnaghi Presents Discovering Viceregal Latin American Treasures
This summer, Colnaghi gallery presents a major survey of Latin American art from the Viceregal period, assembled in collaboration with Jaime Eguiguren, the world’s preeminent expert on viceregal art.
Unknown, America, between 1575 - 1610. america shown in front of violence and canablism.
The Four Continents as Allegories Explained
The allegorical manifestation of "the four continents" is a visual staple of Western art from the colonial period and the eighteenth-century in particular. Used to uphold the idea of European…