Arts + Culture

John Thackara|Essays

A Whole New Cloth: Politics and the Fashion System

In fashion, despite more than 400 eco labels, an incremental ‘do less harm’ approach has addressed the symptoms, but not the principal cause, of our difficulties: an economy based on perpetual growth in a finite world.

John Foster|Accidental Mysteries

Capturing Imagination

The ten most popular galleries from John Foster in 2013.

Rick Poynor|Essays

Martin Sharp: People, Politics and Pop

Martin Sharp rediscovered: drawings and collages from the book People, Politics and Pop: Australians in the Sixties.

Owen Edwards|Essays

For Better or Worse, This Design Endures

Owen Edwards on the enduring qualities of the AK-47.

Adam Harrison Levy|Essays

Designer’s Cookbook: Jake Tilson

Only in the layered, interconnected culinary world of graphic designer, artist, cookbook author Jake Tilson could huevos rancheros eaten in Los Angeles inspire someone to cook Baid Masus, or Baghdad Special Eggs, a 13th-century Arab dish.

Alexandra Lange|Essays

Year of the Women

A year-end wrap-up of my favorite stories. The common theme? Women and the making of design.

John Foster|Accidental Mysteries

From Russia With Doubt

From Russia with Doubt is the true story about brothers Ron and Roger Pollard, two amateur collectors who enjoyed going to flea markets and estate sales, picking up objects, paintings — anything they happened to like.

Observed|Essays

A Sculpture on the Moon

Slate has a fascinating article about artist Paul van Hoeydonck and his three-and-a-half inch scultpure, Fallen Astronaut that was (and still is) exhibited on the moon.

Observed|Essays

Fairy Tale Architecture

A roundup of our holiday Fairy Tale Architecture posts.

Observed|Essays

Painting on Black Velvet

Collector's Weekly has a wonderful homage to the "the paintings the art world loves to hate", those on black velvet.

Adam Harrison Levy|Designer/Artist Cooking Series

Artist’s Cookbook: Joel Meyerowitz

Photographer Joel Meyerowitz's story of marriage and pasta con le sarde.

Rick Poynor|Essays

Martin Sharp: From Satire to Psychedelia

The late Martin Sharp was a visual innovator whose work erased artificial distinctions between applied image-making and fine art.