Starting this week, one of the stars of the museum’s collection—painted by candlelight in the depths of World War II—will be transformed before your eyes, in Gallery 370. Restoring a Masterwork III: Max Beckmann’s Blind Man’s Buff pulls back the curtain on the conservation staff from the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC) as they give the  ...

Men are dressing better, they say. And by “they” I mean women, who notice these things. And why not—they have to be seen with us. Which is why both genders should appreciate Northern Grade @ MIA, an American heritage market peddling limited-edition menswear and accoutrement in the museum from November 21 to January 3. From  ...

For me, Tokyo Story 7: Nightfall (after Hiroshige) by Emily Allchurch evokes very personal feelings of nostalgia and déjà vu. I’ll explain why in just a bit. But first, some context. Allchurch’s piece is from her re-imaginings of Hiroshige’s A Hundred Famous Views of Edo, a series of woodblock prints detailing scenes in Edo (Tokyo)  ...

For me, Tokyo Story 7: Nightfall (after Hiroshige) by Emily Allchurch evokes very personal feelings of nostalgia and déjà vu. I’ll explain why in just a bit. But first, some context. Allchurch’s piece is from her re-imaginings of Hiroshige’s A Hundred Famous Views of Edo, a series of woodblock prints detailing scenes in Edo (Tokyo)  ...

The assumption about Miley Cyrus—the former Hannah Montana good girl turned twerking, toking bad girl—is that she’s trying to grow up (a judgment that’s hard even to write without sounding paternalistic). But more likely it’s us, the audience, who need to grow up. And a lot of famous if mostly dead artists might agree. Take  ...

The assumption about Miley Cyrus—the former Hannah Montana good girl turned twerking, toking bad girl—is that she’s trying to grow up (a judgment that’s hard even to write without sounding paternalistic). But more likely it’s us, the audience, who need to grow up. And a lot of famous if mostly dead artists might agree. Take  ...

When the new Africa galleries at the MIA open to the public on Sunday, November 10, you may wonder where these objects have been all your life. These drums, these masks. Some, in fairness, you never knew: they were recently acquired. Others you just never saw for what they were: objects meant not to be  ...

Artist Sarah Burns has brought an odd feeling of home to the MIA with her MAEP exhibition “midday.” Her sculptures are given plenty of breathing room in the gallery, spaced like strangers at a party, a meditation on vaguely familiar objects taking unfamiliar forms. If you’re curious how someone sees beauty in innocuous items, or  ...

At 16, she was an imperial concubine in the Forbidden City. Soon, in a desperate bid to open China to the outside world, she seized power for herself. Now, a new book claims Cixi, who ruled China as the empress dowager for much of the second half of the 19th century, was the real instigator  ...

The controversy over the Washington Redskins’ name and logo is flaring up again after recent high-profile criticism from sportscaster Bob Costas, Keith Olbermann, and even President Obama. And protestors are seizing the moment: they’ll be at the Metrodome on Thursday when that certain Washington football team plays the Vikings. But a look through the MIA  ...