Painter Romaine Brooks Challenged Conventions In Shades Of Gray

Artist June Leaf, Still Moving Fast At 86
June Leaf sculpts, paints and draws and she’s been doing it for most of her 86 years. Now she’s got a retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.

For Many Art Dealers, ‘Selling’ Is A Dirty Word (But Not For Young Collectors)
Older collectors often want to keep their art forever, which is good for an artist’s long-term career. But younger collectors are more commercially driven, and that can have ripple effects.

What Wisdom Can We Gain From Nature?
South African writer and conservationist Boyd Varty has spent his entire life among wild animals. He describes how he discovers “new old ways” by observing the natural world.

Copycake: When Food Art Ideas Get Swiped
Caitlin Freeman made a name for herself selling modern art-inspired pastries at the SFMOMA. The museum’s cafe just reopened with a new caterer — whose desserts look suspiciously familiar.

Chicago’s Fine Arts Building Has 10 Floors But Innumerable Stories
On a prime block of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue stands the Fine Arts Building. Producer and violinist David Schulman takes us on an audio tour with the people who know the building the best.

The Mellon Family And The Start Of The National Gallery Of Art
Philanthropist and art collector Paul Mellon gave the gift of art to the American people. The National Gallery of Art in Washington is honoring that gift as part of its 75th anniversary celebration.

‘Art Bastard’: A Rebel With A Canvas
Robert Cenedella established himself in the 1960s as the anti-Warhol. A new documentary goes through his years fighting against the New York art establishment by being, well, what the title says.

U.S. Agency Tries Radical Rehab Technique On Aging Government Buildings
Love them or hate them, modernist buildings of the 1960s and ’70s are beginning to need renovation, and the U.S. General Services Administration is trying something unusual — putting a 32-story office tower under glass. The double wall exterior will not only save energy but protect the inhabitants from a bomb blast. NPR explores whether the repairs are worth the $120 million and if the outer wall will ruin the original architecture design.

You Gonna Finish That? What We Can Learn From Artworks In Progress
Nearly 200 great works of unfinished art are now on display at The Met Breuer Museum in Manhattan. Spanning six centuries, the works offer a glimpse into the creative process — from Titian to Warhol.

O’Keeffe Museum Acquires Rarely-Seen Work By The Famed Artist
An atmospheric image of barns in Lake George, N.Y., is joining the collection at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, N.M. The painting reveals a lesser-known genre of the artist’s work.

London Flower Show Hopes You Will Get Into The Garden, Too
Handmade poppies and take-home tips are hallmarks of this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. The Royal Horticultural Society wants to use the show to promote the benefits of digging in the dirt.

How Can We Design For A Better Experience?
The designer behind the iPod and the Nest thermostat explains why design is in the details, and why designers often get those details wrong.

How Do Buildings Make Us Feel?
Architect Marc Kushner explains why architecture tends to swing drastically between traditional and experimental styles — and why the future of building design is going to be different.

How Do You “Design” Trust Between Strangers?
When a stranger shows up at an AirBnB rental, what ensures that all goes well? Careful design of the website that brought them together, says Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb.

Are The Best Designers Rebels?
Design critic Alice Rawsthorn explains why some of the greatest designers tend to be outsiders. She celebrates the innovations of unwitting designers like Florence Nightingale — and Blackbeard.

What Can Today’s Designers Learn From Nature?
Science writer Janine Benyus believes innovators should look to nature when solving a design problem. She says the natural world is full of ideas for making things waterproof, solar-powered and more.

A Peek Into The CIA Art Gallery Reveals [REDACTED]
There’s a private art gallery at CIA headquarters — who knew? Museum director Toni Hiley says the agency has a young workforce and the collection of art and artifacts helps them learn from the past.

Why An Art Historian Took NYPD Officers To The Met
Art historian Amy Herman took officers from the New York Police Department to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and used art to show them how to look closer at their own cases.

Too Much Technology Can Spoil Your Warhol Experience
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has reopened after a three-year closure. Like a growing number of museums, it hopes new tech doesn’t get in the way of looking at the art.

Revamped San Francisco Museum Merges Modern Art With Interactive Tech
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art re-opened this weekend with groundbreaking interactive technology meant to enhance the experience of looking at art. But can there be too much tech in a museum?

Student Art Project Gets Mighty High Appraisal
Antique dealer Alvin Barr was surprised when a piece of pottery he owned was appraised at as much as $50,000 on Antiques Roadshow. So too was the pot’s creator, Betsy Soule.

Mrs. Obama Saves The Cardigan: ‘The Obama Effect’ In Fashion
In fashion, most first ladies have worshiped at the altar of “The Suit.” Michelle Obama transformed American fashion by favoring dresses, moderately-priced brands, and simple basics like the cardigan.

VIDEO: The Taliban Hated Her Art, But She Became An Artist Anyway
Sughra Hussainy, a 27-year-old artist from Afghanistan, never imagined her talent in traditional Persian calligraphy would take her around the world.

The Case Of The 3 Monkeys Is Tearing Twitter In Two
Is it one monkey, hearing, seeing and speaking no evil? Or is it three separate monkeys, each displaying but a single virtue? Twitter icon @jonnysun asked his followers and caused a minor uproar.

Psychedelic Font: How Wes Wilson Turned Hippie Era Turmoil Into Art
It’s been 50 years since artist Wes Wilson invented the psychedelic font that was popular in the ’60 and ’70s. Wilson talks about how he made a name for himself designing psychedelic concert posters.

Market Grows For Fashionable But Modest Clothing
A Turkish fashion mogul has teamed up with the Islamic Fashion and Design Council to present the first Modest Fashion Week in Istanbul. Renee Montagne talks to Melanie Elturk, CEO of Haute Hijab.

’70s High School Art Project Mistakenly Valued At $50K On ‘Antiques Roadshow’
A grotesque vase covered in multiple faces: late 19th century, Picasso-inspired Mid-Atlantic art worth five figures? Well, maybe not.

More Than A Mistress: Madame De Pompadour Was A Minister Of The Arts
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, may be best known as King Louis XV’s chief mistress. But she was also a well-educated tastemaker, a patron of the arts and an artist in her own right.

Senegal’s Biggest Art Biennial Returns With Contemporary Exhibits
African artists are convening in Dakar, Senegal for the Dak’Art biennale. The month-long event showcases the latest developments in visual arts.

A ‘Relentless’ Sports Photographer Explains How He Got His Shots
Neil Leifer is behind some of the defining sports images of the last 60 years. In his book Relentless, he describes the special mix of luck and skill that helped him capture those memorable moments.

When It Comes To Prom Dresses, Teen Blogger Knows What’s In Style
It’s prom season! And that means dresses — lots of dresses. Justina Sharp has been blogging about fashion since she was 13 years old, and she tells NPR’s Rachel Martin what’s trending this year.

Mother-Son Tag Team Design A Line Of Clothes For Kids With Disabilities
Tommy Hilfiger recently added a clothing line for kids with disabilities. Fashion designer Mindy Scheier and son Oliver talk about Scheier’s nonprofit Runway of Dreams and how the concept came about.

Artist J.M.W. Turner To Be Featured On U.K. £20, Ousting Economist Adam Smith
Following a national nomination process for a visual artist to honor, the U.K. has announced the new face of the £20 bill. He’s known for landscapes, seascapes and innovative depiction of light.

Don’t Know Much About History
This game recalls descriptions of historical events from the perspective of someone who wasn’t really paying attention in school.

Photos: Why Everyone In Mali Wanted To Pose For The Late, Great Sidibe
His death marks the end of a remarkable era in African and world photography.

Panama Papers Provide Rare Glimpse Inside Famously Opaque Art Market
The leaked documents tell the backstory of a groundbreaking Christie’s auction, and the purchase of a painting one man claims was seized from his grandfather during World War II.

Gardens Don’t Tend Themselves: Portraits Of The People Behind LA’s Luxury
Behind every gleaming bathroom or expertly manicured lawn is a person tasked with its upkeep. These workers are the stars of Ramiro Gomez’s art — he’s a former nanny and the son of Mexican immigrants.

To Access Her Big, Boxy Muse, Photographer Set Her Sights On Allen Ginsberg
From a bland suburban upbringing, Elsa Dorfman emerged into a creative life inspired by her 6-foot Polaroid camera. And the famed Beat poet turned out to be the key to that astounding metamorphosis.

A ‘New’ Rembrandt: From The Frontiers Of AI And Not The Artist’s Atelier
A newly unveiled portrait bearing all the hallmarks of the Dutch master is actually the result of 18 months of analysis of 346 of his paintings, plus 150 gigabytes of digitally rendered graphics.

Unraveled: The Mystery Of The Secret Street Artist In Boston
Someone has been using Lego blocks to repair the corner of a crumbling brick building in Boston. Reporter Tovia Smith set out to investigate who this person is and what else he has been up to.

Reality Show ‘DIY Permits’ Follows Less Glamorous Side Of Home Renovations
There are plenty of TV shows about home makeovers, but now a new show is focusing on the less glamorous side of renovations: getting the permits.

Renowned Iraqi-British Architect Zaha Hadid Dies At 65
Architect Zaha Hadid died on Thursday at age 65. She was the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s highest honor.

Renowned Architect Zaha Hadid Dies At 65
Hadid was first famous for spectacular designs that were never built — but later proved her ideas worked in the real world, not just on paper. She was the first woman to win the Pritzker prize.

For 19th Century French Artists, ‘Noir’ Was The New Black
After the Industrial Revolution, artists started getting creative with some newly available black materials. An exhibit at LA’s Getty museum celebrates their exploration of the shadows.

DIY Artists Paint The Town Strange, With Some Help From George R.R. Martin
The art market is booming in Santa Fe, N.M., but the highbrow scene leaves some artists feeling out of place. So, one collective made a space of their own — with a big boost from the fantasy author.

Sound Sculptor Harry Bertoia Created Musical, Meditative Art
Designer and sculptor Harry Bertoia spent the final decades of his life creating mesmerizing “sonambient” music out of big metal objects. An 11-CD collection of his recordings has just been reissued.

With Just Pencil And Paper, A Patient Found Escape Inside State Hospital No. 3
In 1970, a teenager found a hand-made album in a pile of trash. Inside were 283 extraordinary drawings made on mental hospital stationary. The Electric Pencil tells the artist’s story.

Artisanal Plastic: Japan’s Fake Food Is A Real Art
Intricately crafted replicas of all sorts of dishes and drink — cakes, sushi and even beer — are ubiquitous window displays in Japan. A new book visually explores the culture ofNearly Eternal food.