One of the most enduring symbols of wealth and status is the country house, especially in England, where the tradition began to flourish during the 15th and 16th centuries. Thanks to increased stability during the Tudor era, stately homes no longer needed to be intensely fortified, giving birth to architectural …...Read More

What does it take to find quietude amidst the chaos of everyday life? For some it may be deep breathing or practicing mindfulness, but for artist Rein Kooyman, moments of peace start with a walk. Kooyman constantly travels back and forth from his Amesterdam studio to France, where he’s hiked …...Read More

Ravenous sharks, two-headed snakes, and alligators that appear overly eager for a snack are notably less frightening in the hands of Lorien Stern. Armed with a bright color palette and exuberant style, the Mojave Desert-based artist creates a bold ceramic menagerie of some of the most menacing creatures on Earth. …...Read More

Yoshiyuki Katayama captures the ineffable qualities of nature and time in her ongoing series Umwelt (previously), which traces myriad relationships between insects and flowering plants. The title takes its name from an ethological concept that uses the German word “umwelt,” usually translated to “self-centered world,” to describe how animals experience …...Read More

“When I start an artwork, I forget I’m in prison,” says Moath al-Alwi, presumably recorded from within Guantánamo Bay in a short documentary. Directed and produced by Dara Kell and Veena Rao for The New York Times Op-Docs series, the film zeroes in on al-Alwi’s elaborate ship sculptures, complete with …...Read More

Along the Seine in the thicket of Roumare Forest, an installation of thirteen striking sculptures celebrates France’s woodland heritage and ongoing preservation efforts. The handful of selected works, chosen from an open call that received more than 300 applications from 33 different countries, highlights both local artists and international creatives. …...Read More

Visit the rural villages of Doaba, in India’s Punjab state, and you’ll likely encounter enormous sculptures of airplanes, tanks, and soccer players perched atop homes. The regional custom began in the late 1970s with Indian citizens who had immigrated to other parts of the world but kept residences in their …...Read More

A herd of elephants has arrived in Newport, Rhode Island, on the first leg of their 3,500-mile journey across the U.S. Jointly organized by two nonprofits, Elephant Family and CoExistence, the monumental public work draws attention to the relationships between people and wildlife, particularly as the human population grows and …...Read More

Laura Ellen Bacon transforms hundreds of pounds of willow branches into amorphous, oscillating forms. Ascending upward along the side of a building, wrapping around abbey columns, and situated in the English countryside as if manifested out of thin air, each monumental structure commands its environment. The Derbyshire-based artist has worked …...Read More

One of the most iconic figures of the 1980s Pop Art movement, Keith Haring (previously) is best known for his playful pictograms like “Radiant Baby” or “Barking Dog,” motifs that frequently appeared in compositions amid boldly outlined dancing figures, flying saucers, gender symbols, angels, crosses, and pyramids. His energetic surfaces …...Read More