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Egypt in the 1870s

Egypt has one of the longest histories of any modern country, arising in the tenth millennium BC as one of the world’s first nation states.Considered a cradle of civilisation, Ancient Egypt experienced some of the earliest developments of writing, agriculture, urbanisation, organised religion and central government. Iconic monuments such as the Giza Necropolis and its Great Sphinx, as well the ruins of Memphis, Thebes, Karnak, and the Valley of the Kings, reflect this legacy…

We can enjoy these beautiful sights of ancient Egypt thanks to New York Public Library  that has shared an incredible gallery of over 9,000 photos and illustrations of the Middle East from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century.

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What Happens When You Commission A Magazine From The Gig Economy

Whatever you think of the gig economy—a way to exploit people who don’t know what their talents are worth, or a way to let them monetize their true passions—you’ve got to admit there’s a lot of talent and creativity locked up in it. That’s exactly what Les Jones, a U.K.-based creative director and photographer, wanted to highlight. So he created a magazine commissioned entirely from gigs posted to Fiverr, the popular freelancer marketplace. One year and $1,086 dollars later, it’s now a reality. And honest to god, it rules.

Source: What Happens When You Commission A Magazine From The Gig Economy | Co.Design | business + design

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The legend of Canoe Lake

Canoe Lake receives thousands of visitors each year, but is known for one in particular. I spot his name on a signpost near the picnic tables: Tom Thomson, 1877–1917. ‘Before his death on this lake’, explains the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, ‘he developed a bold new way of depicting our wilderness and [gave] Canadians a unique artistic heritage.’

Source: The legend of Canoe Lake – Apollo Magazine

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Stunning portraits of Native Americans who performed in “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West”-1898

In 1898,  American photographer Gertrude Käsebier watched Buffalo Bill’s Wild West troupe parade past her Fifth Avenue studio in New York City, New York, toward Madison Square Garden.

Her memories of affection and respect for the Lakota people inspired her to send a letter to William “Buffalo Bill” Cody requesting permission to photograph Sioux traveling with the show in her studio.

Cody and Käsebier were similar in their abiding respect for Native American culture and maintained friendships with the Sioux. Cody quickly approved Käsebier’s request and she began her project on Sunday morning, April 14, 1898. Käsebier’s project was purely artistic and her images were not made for commercial purposes and never used in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West program booklets or promotional posters.

Source: Stunning portraits of Native Americans who performed in “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West”-1898

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Modern art was CIA ‘weapon’

For decades in art circles it was either a rumour or a joke, but now it is confirmed as a fact. The Central Intelligence Agency used American modern art – including the works of such artists as Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko – as a weapon in the Cold War. In the manner of a Renaissance prince – except that it acted secretly – the CIA fostered and promoted American Abstract Expressionist painting around the world for more than 20 years.

Source: Modern art was CIA ‘weapon’ | The Independent

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Hyperrealistic Art Using Renaissance Techniques

At first glance, the highly-technical drawings of Emanuele Dascanio look as though they’re photographs—it’s only until you see the Italian artist put pencil to paper that you realize and appreciate the true value of his artistic skill. The large, labor-intensive portraits—some that take up to 780 hours to complete—feature a combination of graphite and charcoal that are expertly rendered to form hyperrealistic compositions.

Source: Artist Spends 100s Hours Drawing Hyperrealistic Art Using Renaissance Techniques

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The Heist that Made the Mona Lisa Famous

On the morning of August 21, 1911, a former museum worker stole Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa from the Louvre in Paris. French authorities conducted a sweeping investigation and interviewed dozens of suspects—including artist Pablo Picasso—but the Renaissance masterpiece remained missing for two years until 1913, when it was finally recovered in Italy. By then, the media circus surrounding the heist had helped make the Mona Lisa one of the world’s most recognizable paintings.

Source: The Heist that Made the Mona Lisa Famous – History in the Headlines

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David Bowie’s Art Collection Up for Sale

This November, David Bowie’s personal art collection will be revealed to the public for the first time. From November 1-10, Sotheby’s will host the exhibition at New Bond Street galleries in London, before selling the pieces at auction on the 10th and 11th. The set of 267 works, including pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Frank Auerbach, Marcel Duchamp, Henry Moore, Graham Sutherland, and Damien Hirst, is expected to fetch more than $13.2 million for Bowie’s family.

Source: David Bowie’s Art Collection Up for Sale | Pitchfork

Related: Inside David Bowie’s Private Collection – Sotheby’s Auction Preview

Related: David Bowie’s Personal Art Collection to Feature in Three Sales

Related: David Bowie’s personal art collection to go on exhibition ahead of auction sale

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The Harvard Library That Protects The World’s Rarest Colors

The history of pigments goes back to prehistoric times, but much of what we know about how they relate to the art world comes from Edward Forbes, a historian and director of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University from 1909 to 1944. Considered the father of art conservation in the United States, Forbes traveled around the world amassing pigments in order to authenticate classical Italian paintings. Over the years, the Forbes Pigment Collection — as his collection came to be known—grew to more than 2,500 different specimens, each with its own layered backstory on its origin, production, and use.

Source: The Harvard Library That Protects The World’s Rarest Colors | Co.Design | business + design

See also: A wall of color, a window to the past