I’ve got a great interview for you today— this time, I’m featuring a conversation with Julia Voss on her fascinating book, Hilma af Klint, a Biography, which was released recently in its English translation.
All in BONUS
Curious Callback: Jennifer Higgie's "The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution, and Resilience: Five Hundred Years of Women's Self Portraits"
Last year, I enjoyed a fantastic live conversation on Fireside with author and art critic Jennifer Higgie about her latest book, The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution, and Resilience: Five Hundred Years of Women's Self Portraits. I love this book and gobbled it up in a day— I meant it when I said that I really love this book!— and I adored talking all things women artists with Jennifer. It only feels right to revisit her book, and our conversation, in connection with our current season about women artists. I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I do.
Author Interview: Paul Fisher's "The Grand Affair: John Singer Sargent in His World"
Welcome to a bonus episode of ArtCurious featuring my interview with Paul Fisher about his latest book, The Grand Affair: John Singer Sargent in His World.
Author Interview: Hugh Eakin's "Picasso's War"
We’re back on ArtCurious with another great bonus interview episode for you today. Today’s episode features a conversation about Picasso’s War, a recent book by journalist Hugh Eakin. Today we think of New York as the center of the twentieth century art world, but it took three determined men, two world wars, and one singular artist to secure the city’s cultural prominence. Pablo Picasso was the most influential and perplexing artist of his age, and the turning points of his career and salient facets of his private life have intrigued the world for decades. However, the tremendous feat of winning support for his art in the U.S. has long been overlooked—until now.
Author Interview: Gabrielle Selz's "Light on Fire: The Art and Life of Sam Francis"
We’re back on ArtCurious with another great interview episode for you today. Today’s episode features a conversation about Light on Fire, the first comprehensive biography of the life and work of the abstract artist Sam Francis by award-winning author Gabrielle Selz.
Author Interview: Eden Collinsworth's "What the Ermine Saw: The Extraordinary Journey of Leonardo da Vinci's Most Mysterious Portrait"
I’ve got a great interview for you today— this time, I’m featuring a conversation with Eden Collinsworth on her fascinating book, What the Ermine Saw: The Extraordinary Journey of Leonardo da Vinci's Most Mysterious Portrait. This extraordinary work of narrative non-fiction traces the remarkable history of Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic portrait: The Woman with an Ermine, from its original creation, including the fascinating story of its subject, Cecilia Gallerani, and on to its mysterious disappearance for 250 years after which it emerged in the hands of an aristocratic Polish family. Now on display in Krakow, the painting was exiled in Paris, and kept hidden from the Nazis by a brave housekeeper. These defining moments in history comprise a portrait of Europe’s past as vivid and complex as the painting itself.
The magic of Collinsworth’s book is the powerful combination of research-based non-fiction— reminiscent of Walter Isaacson (Leonardo da Vinci) and Mary Gabriel (Ninth Street Women)— with a character-driven narrative that will keep readers glued to the page until the very end. Perfect for fans of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch or Céline Sciamma’s film Portrait of a Lady on Fire, What the Ermine Saw pulls back the curtain on the fascinating history behind the astonishing portrait.
Author Interview: Ruth Millington's "Muse"
We’re back on ArtCurious with another great interview episode for you today. I recently enjoyed a conversation with the acclaimed art historian, critic, and author Ruth Millington, all about her new book, Muse: Uncovering the Hidden Figures Behind Art History’s Masterpieces . Muse follows the fascinating true stories of thirty incredible muses—and their roles in some of the world’s most iconic artworks.
Author Interview: Kevin Townley's "Look, Look, Look, Look, Look Again: Buddhist Wisdom Reflected in 26 Artists"
Want a cool, fun, and funny book about art? How about one about Buddhism? Just want a great read? You’ve got all of it covered with Look, Look, Look, Look, Look Again: Buddhist Wisdom Reflected in 26 Artists. In this book, Kevin Townley Kevin leads you to, invites you in, and sometimes springs upon you, the perennial wisdom in the worlds of artists from Artemisia to Hilma af Klint to Marilyn Minter. (All 26 artists are women.) This book is a mad riot of interconnections: art, Buddhism, mandala principle, spiritual pursuits, growing up goth in the 90s, the theories of Marshall McLuhan, and a mongoose–to name but a few. Listen to our latest interview on ArtCurious, wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
Author Interview: John Higgs's "William Blake vs. The World"
What a great conversation I had recently with John Higgs about his new book, William Blake vs the World! Poet, artist, and visionary, William Blake is an archetypal misunderstood genius. His life passed without recognition, and he worked without reward, often mocked, dismissed and misinterpreted. Yet from his ignoble end in a pauper’s grave, Blake now occupies a unique position as an artist who unites and attracts people from all corners of society—a rare inclusive symbol of human identity.
Blake famously experienced visions, and it is these that shaped his attitude toward politics, sex, religion, society, and art. Thanks to the work of neuroscientists and psychologists, we are now in a better position to understand what was happening inside that remarkable mind and gain a deeper appreciation of his brilliance. His timeless work, we will find, has never been more relevant.
Author Interview: Barbara Bloemink's "Florine Stettheimer: A Biography"
Recently I interviewed art historian, curator, and museum director Barbara Bloemink, who shared the backstory of one of the most fascinating artists of the early 20th century: American artist Florine Stettheimer. Listen to this bonus episode of "ArtCurious" wherever you find your podcasts.
Hi listeners! If you’re into art and into movies, then I’ve got a special treat for you. I recently featured on a bonus episode, “The Pickup Shot,” for the Subgenre podcast, hosted by Josh Dasal (and truth be told, if the name wasn’t a dead giveaway: he’s my husband). In this episode, we chat about all the art in one of the artsiest films of the past two decades, The Thomas Crown Affair, from 1999.
Author Interview: Claudia Fontaine Chidester's "Trusted Eye"
I recently had the good fortune to chat with Claudia Fontaine Chidester, whose latest book, Trusted Eye: Post-World War II Adventures of a Fearless Art Advocate, is available now. Trusted Eye is a compelling narrative of an American wife and mother finding her place amid the rubble of war-torn Germany. Listen now to our interview, wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
Live on Fireside: Lilianne Milgrom's "L'Origine"
Did you miss our LIVE bonus show on Fireside, the interactive storytelling platform? Don’t worry— you can catch the replay on Fireside, or enjoy the bonus audio here. In this conversation from January 2022, I spoke with Lilianne Milgrom, a Paris-born, internationally acclaimed artist and award-winning author. She holds two degrees from Melbourne University and an associate degree from the Academy of Art in San Francisco. She exhibits her artwork around the world and is the recipient of multiple awards and residencies. In 2011, she became the first authorized copyist of Gustave Courbet’s controversial painting L’Origine du Monde (The Origin of the World) which hangs in the Orsay Museum in Paris. Milgrom spent a decade researching and writing L’Origine, her debut novel, all about Courbet’s incredible painting—as well as Milgrom’s own personal experience of copying the work. L’Origine has snagged no less than six literary honors, including the Publishers Weekly 2021 US book award for Best Adult Fiction.
Live on Fireside: Jeffrey H. Jackson's "Paper Bullets"
Did you miss our LIVE bonus show on Fireside, the interactive storytelling platform? Don’t worry— you can catch the replay on Fireside, or enjoy the bonus audio here. In this conversation from early January, I spoke with professor Jeffrey H. Jackson to discuss his latest book, Paper Bullets, about the incredible artists Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore--two women who risked their lives to defy the Nazis. It’s an awesome real-life tale of using subversive tactics to disrupt Hitler’s crew--and you’re not going to want to miss it. I hope you enjoy listening in as much as I enjoyed recording this ep.
BONUS: Interview with Author Ina Cole, "From the Sculptor's Studio"
Hello, ArtCurious folks! I have a special treat for you today: a written interview with author Ina Cole, regarding her recent book, From the Sculptor’s Studio: Conversations with Twenty Seminal Artists. Ina and I wanted to do this as a traditional audio interview or Fireside chat, but ultimately decided to go old-school— which makes this a wonderful ArtCurious first! I very much enjoyed her answers to my questions—which helps us understand the processes of contemporary British sculpture artists. Being a curator of contemporary art myself, I’ve long celebrated one of the benefits of working with contemporary artists: being able to speak with them, pick their brains, ask them to fully describe their works (as much as I’d like to do the same with Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, unfortunately that’s not possible!). Please enjoy the following conversation with Ina Cole, and seek out From the Sculptor’s Studio wherever you can.
Live on Fireside: Laura Morelli's "The Stolen Lady"
Did you miss our LIVE bonus show on Fireside, the interactive storytelling platform? Don’t worry— you can catch the replay on Fireside, or enjoy the bonus audio here. In this conversation from early December, I spoke with Laura Morelli, a USA Today bestselling author and art historian who writes amazing historical novels involving the art world. We discussed her background in art history, how she writes and structures her novels, and get into some of the nitty gritty on her latest book, The Stolen Lady, a book about the Mona Lisa that takes place in both the Italian Renaissance and in france during WWII. It is not only a fascinating and engrossing read, but the conversation with Laura herself was absolutely lovely, too--and I hope you enjoy listening in.
BONUS: "Curious Talk" with Jennifer and Josh Dasal
Welcome to a session of “Curious Talk,” a bonus episode recording between ArtCurious host Jennifer Dasal and her fellow podcaster/producer husband, Josh Dasal (Subgenre). It’s a chance to get a deep dive on the many goings-on, behind the scenes, with both ArtCurious and Jennifer. Topics include: Jennifer’s big career pivot; how the show comes together; some hints about upcoming episodes; traveling with Jennifer; and how podcasts sustain themselves financially. Come for the chatter, stay for the questions about… dinner? (And hopefully we’ll do these discussions more than once every three or four years.)
Live on Fireside: Jennifer Higgie's "The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution, and Resilience: Five Hundred Years of Women's Self Portraits"
Did you miss our LIVE bonus show on Fireside, the interactive storytelling platform? Don’t worry— you can catch the replay on Fireside, or enjoy the bonus audio here. On our November 1 live event, I had the great pleasure of speaking with author and art critic Jennifer Higgie about her latest book, The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution, and Resilience: Five Hundred Years of Women's Self Portraits. I love this book and gobbled it up in a day— I meant it when I said that I really love this book!— and I adored talking all things women artists with Jennifer.
Live on Fireside: Thomas Negovan's Le Pater: Alphonse Mucha's Symbolist Masterpiece and the Lineage of Mysticism
On our Oct. 25 live event, I had the great pleasure of speaking with author, artist, and musician Thomas Negovan about his new book, Le Pater: Alphonse Mucha's Symbolist Masterpiece and the Lineage of Mysticism. This gorgeous, swoon-worthy coffee table book uncovers the often-overlooked metaphysical elements of Mucha's Le Pater series and also delves into themes of the Divine Feminine and Mucha's own metaphysical practices.