Fine Art

Nicolas Poussin’s “Landscape with a Calm,” 1650–51.

What T.J. Clark Sees  What T.J. Clark Sees 

His art criticism reaches rarified heights—combining style, rigor, and politics like almost no one else.

Oct 22, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Graffiti reading “Gaza” in Berlin’s diverse Neukölln neighborhood.

How Germany Silenced Its Artists to Support Israel How Germany Silenced Its Artists to Support Israel

As Israel intensified its genocide in Gaza, Germany ramped up its long-simmering war on dissent, silencing Palestine solidarity while bolstering its own far right.

Sep 30, 2025 / Feature / Nikki Columbus

Ben Shahn, 1965.

How Should We Remember the Art of Ben Shahn? How Should We Remember the Art of Ben Shahn?

Caught between his political and aesthetic commitments, the painter, photographer, and illustrator has suffered the fate of misapprehension.

Sep 29, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Pujan Karambeigi

How Did Republican Fashion Go From Blazers to Belligerence?

How Did Republican Fashion Go From Blazers to Belligerence? How Did Republican Fashion Go From Blazers to Belligerence?

Trump and his cronies’ style reflects a platform where grievance is currency and performance is power.

Sep 10, 2025 / Feature / Derek Guy

Trump Wants to Make Art Into a Tool of the State

Trump Wants to Make Art Into a Tool of the State Trump Wants to Make Art Into a Tool of the State

In ordering a review of the Smithsonian, the White House wants to use its power to remake our culture—or to reinvigorate a strain in the culture that has been dormant for a long t...

Aug 22, 2025 / Barry Schwabsky

Lorna Simpson’s “For Beryl Wright,” 2021.

The Art and Genius of Lorna Simpson The Art and Genius of Lorna Simpson

A new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art tracks what has changed and what has remained the same in the artist’s work.

Aug 18, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Rachel Hunter Himes

Gaza

Gaza Gaza

“Never Again.”

Aug 11, 2025 / OppArt / Burton Silverman©

The exterior of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, 2025.

The Damage Being Done to the Museums in the Nation’s Capital The Damage Being Done to the Museums in the Nation’s Capital

Our art critic visits the Smithsonian American Art Museum to get a closer look at the Trump administration’s attack on DC arts institutions.

Jul 14, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution

Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution

The people have the power.

Jun 19, 2025 / OppArt / India Tresselt

These Dis-United States

These Dis-United States These Dis-United States

The country and the nation: Fifty writers and artists report on the states of our dis-union.

Jun 10, 2025 / Feature / Various Contributors

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