Podcast Episodes

Re-Air: A Reporter Goes Undercover in the Art World

The contemporary art world is nothing if not confusing. It is simultaneously deeply frivolous, and takes itself way too seriously. Its business dealings combine total mystification with conspicuous c…

Published on 1 year ago

What Is Orphism, History's Most Enigmatic Art Movement?

In the early 1900s, art movements within the then-burgeoning category of modern art were exploding in multiple directions, and among them was a strand called Orphism.

What was it? In some ways, it is …

Published on 1 year, 1 month ago

A Famous Novelist's Alternate Art World

As a novelist, Jonathan Lethem is basically a genre all his own. His books mash up literary fiction and pulp into disorienting but engaging combinations, for which he’s won both a MacArthur Grant and…

Published on 1 year, 1 month ago

What New Is There to Say About Leonardo da Vinci?

Legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns is famous for his deep dives into topics of American history, ranging from the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin, the Civil War, and the history of base…

Published on 1 year, 1 month ago

Re-Air: The One Word That Explains Art Now

Re-Air from August 15,2024

There’s so much culture now that it can be hard just to keep up, let alone to think about it all as a whole… but that only makes the effort to find perspective more importan…

Published on 1 year, 1 month ago

The Roundup: Van Gogh Soupers Get Jail, Art Market in Flux, Elon Musk's Copycat Problems

We are back this week with our monthly edition of the Art Angle Roundup, where co-hosts Kate Brown and Ben Davis are joined by a guest to parse some of the biggest headlines of the month. This week, …

Published on 1 year, 1 month ago

How Textiles Took Over the Art World

Contemporary art comes in many shapes and forms, but close your eyes and think of what an artist looks like and nine times out of 10, I bet you are still thinking of a painter in front of a canvas. I…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

A Damning Appraisal of Art World Elitism

Few creative works ever managed to get the weird pathologies and unique characters of the art world quite right. But journalist and author Hari Kunzru's newest novel Blue Ruin is definitely one of th…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

The Brooklyn Museum Is Turning 200. What’s Next?

Over the past 200 years, a museum in New York has quietly grown to become one of the city's most esteemed cultural institutions. You might think I'm talking about the Metropolitan Museum of Art or th…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

Is There Anything Miranda July Can't Do?

The filmmaker, artist, and writer Miranda July has worked across such a variety of media over the years, one might say it is almost hard to categorize her work. But there is actually a strong through…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago