Artsy’s team of editors takes you behind the scenes of the best stories in art.

For the inaugural Artsy Podcast, we talk about Ai Weiwei’s activism surrounding the current refugee crisis in Europe and delve into the issues raised by our recent—and hugely popular—story “Why the World’s Leading Photojournalists Are Ditching Their DSLRs to Shoot on Instagram.”

Read more: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-the-artsy-podcast-no-1-instagram-vs-the-world


No. 1: Instagram vs. The World

Artsy’s team of editors takes you behind the scenes of the best stories in art.

In episode two, our editors take a journey from one pole of the art world to the other, exploring the art market and art history.  

Read more: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-the-artsy-podcast-no-2-art-history-vs-the-art-market

No. 2: Art History vs. the Art Market

Artsy’s team of editors takes you behind the scenes of the best stories in art. 

In this edition: an expanded, in-depth look at our 30 Emerging Artists to Watch This Spring feature published last week. Considering the artists represented are working across mediums (from virtual reality to choreography), located across the globe (with 14 countries represented, to be exact), and representative of multiple generations (with artists in their early twenties to their early forties) we ask what an emerging artist is these days, anyway?

No. 4: What Is an Emerging Artist, Anyway?

This week, we dissect the recent decision to eliminate art history A-level tests for high school students in the U.K. beginning in 2018. The announcement sparked outrage and debate among scholars, critics, and teachers in England—but it also raised bigger questions about how the subject is taught.

Read more: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-the-artsy-podcast-no-14-art-history-in-crisis

No. 14: Art History in Crisis

This week, we take you through the history of the frames market—from the 15th century, when a frame could be more valuable than the painting itself, to the 20th century, when their popularity and price tags dwindled with the rise of modern art.

No. 17: What’s in a Frame?

Artists are turning to GIFs as a new medium, and people are taking notice, with some of their creations being viewed more than 100 million times. On this episode, GIPHY’s community curator Ari Spool joins us to break down the process of curating artist-created GIFs.

Read more: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-artsy-podcast-23-curate-gifs

No. 23: What Does It Mean to Curate GIFs?

The term “white cube” is ubiquitous in today’s art world. But who invented that label? And when did this method of displaying art first appear? On this episode, we trace the evolution of the white cube from the earliest public museums in Europe to 1930s New York.

No. 30: Why the Art World Fell in Love with the White Cube

For the new collector, the proliferation of art fairs, galleries, and online marketplaces can be overwhelming to navigate. 

What’s the right way to break into collecting? (And what are the faux pas to avoid?) How exactly do gallerists determine the price of the work on display? And what’s the best place to buy art?

Bonus: How to Start Collecting Art

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, and on today’s episode we delve into the history of this iconic work. 

Originally created to memorialize the bombing of a defenseless town during the Spanish Civil War, the painting has since become a universal symbol for revolutionary struggles. 

But even with this significant legacy—is Guernica really Picasso’s most important work?

No. 34: Is Guernica Picasso's Most Important Work?

Visitors to this year’s Venice Biennale can stroll through the Pavilion of Shamans—just one example of the increasing presence of shamanism and mysticism in the work of contemporary artists.

This uptick comes amid a reexamination of ideas that were once associated with the countercultural movements of the 1960s and ’70s, including a second look at psychedelics. On this episode, we explore the wider history of shamanic practices across the globe—and how they’ve intersected with the art world throughout the decades.

No. 45: Why Artists Are Turning to Mysticism

Art and finance have long been intertwined. As early as the Italian Renaissance, a Florentine banking family supported Michelangelo and Botticelli in making their masterpieces.

On this episode, we fast-forward a few centuries to 1980s New York City as Jeffrey Deitch explains how he convinced both bankers and art world denizens to buy into Citibank’s new art services department—an innovation that would transform the art market into what we know today.

No. 48: Jeffrey Deitch on Four Decades in a Changing Art World

There are certain artworks that almost everyone in the world knows—the Mona Lisa, Starry Night, The Scream. What most people can’t explain is the reason why these particular paintings are more famous than thousands of other inventive and moving works of art that fill museums worldwide. 

On this special 50th episode, we chart one painting’s rise to fame: The Night Watch (1642), Rembrandt van Rijn’s 17th-century masterwork. It's a centuries-long story that includes, among other things: a devastating bankruptcy, slanderous rumors, a swift rise to fame, and, at one point, Rembrandt’s iconic canvas slashed into ribbons.

To help us answer this question, we enlisted the help of a slew of experts: Rijksmuseum curator Pieter Roelofs, author Derek Thompson, Queen’s University professor Stephanie Dickey, executive vice president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Mariët Westermann, and artist Stefan Kasper.

No. 50: Why Rembrandt’s Night Watch Is So Famous

Who decides how much an artwork is worth? And is that price tag rational? On this episode, we’re joined by economist Don Thompson, whose latest book The Orange Balloon Dog explores the inner workings of the contemporary art market.

From Jeff Koons’s monumental sculpture that set auction records in 2013 to the upcoming sale of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, we discuss how the massive sums paid for artworks are determined across auction houses, art fairs, and private deals.

No. 53: Is the Art Market Irrational?

“I love family photos, but not in the way most people love them. My love for them is like my love for reality TV.” That’s how artist Petra Collins begins her latest book Coming of Age, which hit shelves earlier this week. 

On this episode, we’re joined by Collins and fellow artist Marilyn Minter to discuss both family snapshots and reality television—plus, feminism, horror flicks, and what fashion photography can do that art can’t.

No. 54: Petra Collins and Marilyn Minter Talk Feminism and Horror Flicks

This month on the Artsy Podcast, we’re translating four of our readers’ favorite art-historical stories into audio.

On this episode: how a young Robert Rauschenberg roped the admired Abstract Expressionist Willem de Kooning into his quest to make a drawing using only an eraser.

No. 60: Why Robert Rauschenberg Erased a De Kooning

You can find the Artsy Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, or the podcasting app of your choice. Don’t forget to rate the show and leave us comments; we’d love to hear from you.

This month on the Artsy Podcast, we’re translating four of our readers’ favorite art-historical stories into audio.

On this episode: the dramatic story behind Jackson Pollock’s largest painting, why it’s undoubtedly exaggerated—and why that doesn’t diminished its significance in the famed Abstract Expressionist’s oeuvre.

No. 62: The Myth of Jackson Pollock and the Masterpiece Created in One Night

You can find the Artsy Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, or the podcasting app of your choice. Don’t forget to rate the show and leave us comments; we’d love to hear from you.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve translated a few of our readers’ favorite art-historical stories into audio. On our final special episode: the life of sculptor Camille Claudel, whose career was intertwined—for better or worse—with that icon of 20th-century art, Auguste Rodin.

No. 63: Camille Claudel, the Sculptor Who Inspired Rodin’s Most Sensual Work

In 1936, Dorothea Lange took a photograph that would go on to become one of the most defining images of the Great Depression: Migrant Mother. On this episode, we explore the backstory of this iconic photo—including the fact that it was almost never taken. Plus, what can Migrant Mother tell us about modern-day photojournalism?

No. 66: Why Do Certain Photographs Make History?

Artist Judy Chicago began teaching at Fresno State in 1970, where she founded the nation’s first known feminist art program. On today’s episode, we explore the story of the women artists enrolled in the radical class—and how this little-known project evolved into the now-iconic installation Womanhouse at CalArts in 1972.

No. 67: How Judy Chicago Pioneered the First Feminist Art Program

Almost everything can be “curated” these days—playlists, outfits, gift baskets, even salads. So what does it really mean to be an independent curator? On this episode, we’re joined by curator Jacqueline Mabey to discuss the ups and downs of a career that’s not tied to a single institution.

No. 69: How Independent Curators Power the Art World

“Songs for Sabotage”—the fourth iteration of the New Museum Triennial—opened last week in New York. On this episode, we sat down with exhibition co-curator Gary Carrion-Murayari to discuss the years-long process to assemble a show of this nature. How did they decide which artists define the international cutting edge?

No. 70: Behind the Scenes of the New Museum Triennial

The official portraits of former United States President Barack Obama, painted by Kehinde Wiley, and former First Lady Michelle Obama, by Amy Sherald, were presented at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. earlier this month. Upon unveiling, the portraits became two of the most widely-debated works of contemporary art in years. On this episode, we sat down with curator Eugenie Tsai and writer Antwaun Sargent to discuss the impact and legacy of these two historic portraits.

No. 71: What the Obama Portraits Tell Us about Art and Politics

Picture a cake: It’s circular, maybe rectangular, covered in a layer of single-color frosting. With the help of so-called “cake artists," however, this classic dessert is increasingly breaking the mold. On this episode, we explore the delectable, jaw-dropping world of specialty cakes. From a life-size bust of Willie Nelson to a geometric mousse confection that resembles nothing so much as a work of Op Art, these creations are increasingly sculptural. Plus, we’ll revisit the Supreme Court case that hinges on the question: Can a cake be a work of art?

No. 72: The Delectable, Daring World of Cake Art

On this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into the world of contemporary Cuban art—a topic int with questions of history and politics and culture, both on and off the island. We’re joined from Miami by art collector Jorge Pérez and chief curator of the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Tobias Ostrander, to discuss the institution’s show “On the Horizon” featuring more than 170 works of art.

No. 73: Miami Mega-Collector Jorge Pérez on Why Cuban Art Matters

Nearly three months into 2018, several major milestones of the art market calendar have already come and gone—including the London auctions and the release of the The Art Market | 2018 report earlier this month. Meanwhile, in China, Art Basel in Hong Kong kicked off this week. On this episode, our editors sit down to talk about what early art market signals this year are telling us about the health of the trade and what it could all mean for the future of the industry.

No. 74: The State of the Art Market in 2018 So Far

On this week’s episode, we walk you through an alternative Art History 101 class—one where no question is too embarrassing or obvious to ask. Join us as we demystify some of the art world’s most hard-to-decipher movements (such as Conceptual Art) and dive into the nuances behind seemingly straightforward topics (like the proper way to hang an artwork).

No. 75: Answering The Art History Questions You Never Thought to Ask

For most of us, the following scenarios probably sound familiar: you’re supposed to be focusing on an important task, but instead you’re distracted by Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook; or, you’re in a museum full of art but still find yourself glued to your iPhone. This week on the Artsy Podcast, we tackle the question of how creativity and the arts are being impacted by the digital age. On one hand, we’re constantly fending off distraction; on the other, the internet has created amazing new tools for viewing art and helping artists get their work funded.

No. 76: How Is the Internet Impacting Creativity and the Arts?

The United States House of Representatives is considering expanding the Bank Secrecy Act in order to make galleries and auction houses subject to federal regulation. And the entire art market is buzzing. But the rules of the art market aren’t always written by the government. Last month, the Art Business Conference hosted a panel discussion on Art Basel’s “Art Market Principles and Best Practices,” a set of internal regulations governing the conduct of galleries participating in the fair

This week, we bring you audio of that panel, along with a brief introduction. The discussion was moderated by Artsy Executive Editor Alexander Forbes and featured art advisor Elizabeth Szancer, gallerist Stefania Bortolami, and art lawyer Jo Backer Laird.

No. 77: Exploring the Art Market’s Best (and Worst) Practices

This week, our editors sit down to chat about one of the art world’s most divisive topics: “selfie museums.” We discuss what the rise of the Museum of Ice Cream, and other similar Instagram-friendly institutions, means for the art world and the meaning of the word “museum.” As experiential art continues to explode in popularity, we also discuss whether selfie-driven art is different or similar to selfie museums—even drawing on our own recent experiences visiting one of these Instagram-friendly spaces.

No. 78: Are Selfie Museums an Affront to the Art World?

On this episode, we take stock of the state of the art market. May was a frenzied month for the industry, with the Rockefeller and New York auctions providing key litmus tests about the health of the market. There were some objectively massive sales, including works by Picasso and Modigliani. But with big ticket works selling, why didn’t the action on the salesroom floor feel exciting? And what does that tell us about the role that expectations play when it comes to the art market? 

We also get a firsthand account of the sale that did electrify the art world: the $21.1 million auction of Kerry James Marshall’s Past Times at Sotheby’s. Finally, we look ahead to Art Basel in Basel, which opens to VIPs on June 12th.

No. 79: From Auction Week to Art Basel, What’s Happening in the Art Market

Artsy's team of editors takes you behind the scenes of the art world, talking everything from art history to the latest market news.

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