We celebrate the period as a golden age of cultural rebirth. But two new books argue that the Renaissance, as we imagine it, ...

A stolen glance across a crowded room, a shadowy figure slipping through a doorway, a lover hidden behind a curtain—adultery has long been a drama of secrecy. From Renaissance masterpieces to tabloid ...

Many of us still believe that art historians may observe artworks closely, formally analyze, read relevant texts from the work’s milieu and timeframe, and then formulate arguments about style ...

Benvenuto Cellini (1500-71) woke one morning and noticed something odd floating over his head: a halo. It had begun appearing there, he said, while he was in a prison cell down the street from the ...

Cangrande della Scala (1291-1329), ruler of Verona, Vicenza and Padua. Created around 1600, this portrait exemplifies the Renaissance fascination with illustrious individuals and their lasting ...

In the modern art market, aesthetics alone are not enough. Artists who fail to communicate a clear message or concept risk their work being seen as superficial or decorative.

Tate Modern announced its global ambitions in 2001 with “ Century City, ” its first major loan exhibition, which remapped the story of 20th-century art as a decade-by-decade grand tour ...