Art Gallery & Decor

During an excavation in Istanbul’s historic Haydarpaşa train station, archaeologists discovered a semicircular apse—a structure commonly associated with ancient churches—dating to the 3rd century B.C.E. It is the latest find at the site of the ancient port city of Chalcedon by a team led by archaeologist Mehmet Ali Polat. According to the Turkish publication Hurriyet Daily News, which first reported the news, it may be the oldest building excavated at the site so far.

While archaeologists are still unsure of the newly discovered apse’s specific function, they believe the area would have been sacred. In ancient architecture, an apse was often located at the end of an aisle, where a recessed niche could hold the statue of a deity. The building where the apse was discovered could have functioned as a shrine or possibly even a mausoleum.

Chalcedon, also known as Khalkedon, was founded by Megarian Greek colonists on … Read the rest

Sotheby’s will debut its celebrity-driven ‘Contemporary Curated’ series in Hong Kong on June 18^th with Taiwanese singer Jay Chou acting as the influencer. The heart-throb won’t be the only star celebrated in the series. A work by Jean-Michel Basquiat that famously appeared in the background of the New York Times Magazine cover story from 1985 that anointed him as the artist of the “Downtown” generation will lead the evening sale in Hong Kong with a HKD 255 million ($32.8 million) low estimate.

The sale will also mark the last official act of Sotheby’s star specialist, Yuki Terase, who can legitimately claim a significant role in development of the Asia as a driving force in the Contemporary art market. Closing her career at Sotheby’s with Jay Chou, who appeared on ARTnews’s list of 50 collectors under 50 to watch, is a fitting bookend for the woman who brought Western artists … Read the rest

For over seventy years, a lone church tower rising from the middle of a lake seemed to be all that was left of the Italian village of Curon. This strange sight became popular among tourists seeking to create unusual Instagram posts, and even spawned the 2018 novel Resto Qui (I’m Staying Here) by Marco Balzano as well as the Netflix thriller Curon (2020).

The iconic 14th-century steeple was the only visible remnant of a village that once housed roughly 900 people. Curon had been part of Austria until 1919, so the residents, many of them unable to speak Italian, were ill-equipped to fight the plan to unite lakes Resia and Curon—two of three natural basins in the Resia Pass area of the southern Alps—thereby submerging their homes for the sake of producing hydroelectric energy. The construction of the dam was postponed by five years due to World War II; yet … Read the rest

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With a plastic or aluminum head and a sharp metal point, pushpins are essential to any studio, classroom, or office. The humble pushpin, precursor of the thumbtack, was invented and patented in 1900 by Edwin Moore of Newark, New Jersey. Moore’s original pins were made of glass and steel, and he referred to his creation as a “pin with a handle.” After making and selling his invention for several years, Moore founded the Moore Push-Pin company in 1904. Today’s pushpins are useful for affixing studies, bits of inspiration, or memos to a corkboard or wall. But they can be great assistants for specialized projects, too. You can use them to stretch canvases, elevate canvases for drip paintings, or use them as mini grips to hold while tilting a wet … Read the rest

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Water-based markers have bright colors and a smooth application. They are able both to fill in large spaces quickly and to draw fine lines. They also come with a unique problem: Unlike crayons or colored pencils, they can dry out overnight if a cap is left off. When choosing the right markers for your child, it often comes down to balancing quality with affordability. Ahead, we review some top-notch selections that would be excellent additions to any budding artist’s tool box.

ARTNEWS RECOMMENDS
Crayola Ultra Clean Washable Markers
Made by what is arguably the most famous manufacturer of children’s art supplies, these washable markers are ideal for parents and teachers. They are safe for kids ages three and up, and the nontoxic inks wash from a range of surfaces … Read the rest

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In the early 1900s, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky formulated a radium-based paint that glowed in the dark. For many years the radio-luminescent paint was used on things like watch faces so they could be read in the dark. Unfortunately, it was highly hazardous, and von Sochocky’s premature death was likely caused by exposure to the material over his lifetime. Now, glow-in-the-dark ink in items like markers and paint pens contains phosphors like zinc sulfide and strontium aluminate, which slowly radiate the light that they have absorbed (hence the need to “charge” such materials with light). Today’s glowy art tools are safe and nontoxic, freely used by kids and adults alike. Find five of our favorite glow-in-the-dark markers and pens below, for when the light bulb of inspiration switches … Read the rest