Is the account of this shofar credible? Holocaust historians say it definitely could be. “The impossible was possible, both to the bad and the good.” – The New York Times
Category: visual
What Have We Trained Artificial Intelligence To Think When It Sees Our Faces?
Hint: It’s just as racist, sexist, fatphobic, and all of the other problems as any human – but more so, because it’s been trained by a LOT of problematic human data. – The New York Times
The Oldest Spinning Top Is About 5,500 Years Old [VIDEO]
Apparently, we can’t stop being fascinated with the momentary feel that perpetual motion could happen, if only we spun perfectly. – Aeon
Think Museums Are Becoming More Inclusive? The Data Say No
“These findings challenge one of the most compelling narratives to have emerged within the art world in recent years: that of progressive change, with once-marginalized artists being granted more equitable representation within art institutions. Our research shows that, at least when it comes to gender parity, this story is a myth.” – artnet
Women’s Place In The Art World: What’s Changed In The Past Ten Years? (An Investigation)
“To examine the evolving representation of work by female artists in American museums and the global auction market over the past decade, we not only delved into data, but also conducted extensive interviews.” This seven-part package includes data visualization, methodology, examinations of museums and the marketplace, interview excerpts, case studies, and a look at the difficulties facing working mothers. – artnet
France And Italy Have Finally Stopped Fighting Over The Loan Of Leonardos
“Italy and France are set to sign an agreement to exchange works by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, burying a spat triggered by Italy’s former populist government. The deal … will result in Italian museums lending works by Leonardo to the Louvre, in Paris, for an exhibition in October to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death. In return, France will lend Italy paintings by Raphael for events marking 500 years since his death next year.” – The Guardian
Walter Gropius, The Great Survivor/Modernist
“It was a balancing act of extraordinary deftness that only someone with strong self-discipline and steely ambition could pull off. Yet history has not dealt kindly with Gropius, especially after Tom Wolfe’s ignorant anti-Modernist diatribe From Bauhaus to Our House (1981), which mercilessly lampooned him as the chief perpetrator of a hopelessly inhumane mode of architecture and an insufferable prig to boot.” – New York Review of Books
The Exhibition That Made, And Almost Wrecked, Francis Bacon’s Career
His 1970 solo show at the Grand Palais in Paris meant to establish Bacon in the very highest echelons of living painters — even, he hoped, as a peer to Picasso. Then his erstwhile lover, the subject of many of the works on display, killed himself in their hotel room just before the show’s opening. – The Guardian
A New Library In Queens Is Terrific. So Why Can’t New York Build More Like This?
“Compact, at 22,000 square feet and 82 feet high, the library is among the finest and most uplifting public buildings New York has produced so far this century. It also cost something north of $40 million and took forever to complete. So it raises the question: Why can’t New York build more things like this, faster and cheaper?” – The New York Times
For The Second Time, Thieves Try And Fail To Steal An Anselm Kiefer Sculpture
Two burglars cut through a fence at the artist’s Paris property and tried to take apart one of his sculptures made from the now-removed old lead roof of Cologne Cathedral, probably to sell the metal; they were scared away by a security guard. (In 2016, thieves tried to steal another Kiefer sculpture at his suburban Paris warehouse; they didn’t cart it away, but they did serious damage.) – Yahoo! (AFP)