Ed Ruscha Revisits ‘Some Los Angeles Apartments’

“My pictures are not that interesting nor the subject matter. They are simply a collection of facts.” — Ed Ruscha Fifty years ago, contemporary artist Ed Ruscha publi... Read More

Book Notes

Punk poetics: Richard Hell in his own words

By Sharon Anderson

“Poetry must be made by all and not by one.” — Comte de Lautréamont The ripple effect of an influential life creates plot developments to rival the greatest novels. ... Read More

A & E

The Book and the Binding at the Legion of Honor

By Sharon Anderson

Through May 12, 2013, the Legion of Honor museum will feature the art of book design in the exhibition The Book and the Binding. It features unique selections from the Reva and Dav... Read More

A & E

We have well arrived: The backstory on the end of the Mayan calendar

By Sharon Anderson

If you’re reading this, then the world didn’t come to an end on Dec. 21, 2012. But was that the real story behind the Mayan calendar end date? My cousin sends me letter... Read More

A & E

Sociopolitical art: Ai Weiwei retrospective in Washington D.C.

By Sharon Anderson

“Liberty is about our rights to question everything.” — Ai Weiwei In early 2011, the artist Ai Weiwei was arrested at an airport in Beijing. He was held for months ... Read More

A & E

Flea market find turned stolen goods: The adventures of a Renoir painting

By Sharon Anderson

Treasures are found in the strangest and most unexpected of places, sometimes in our own backyard. That’s what a woman in Virginia discovered recently when she found a box in... Read More

Book Notes

‘I Am a Beautiful Monster,’ by Francis Picabia

By Sharon Anderson

“Picabia has destroyed ‘beauty’ and built his work with the leftovers.” — Tristan Tzara A self-declared poet, painter, idiot, failure, pickpocket, and anti-a... Read More

Book Notes

Meeting Gore Vidal

By Sharon Anderson

Gore Vidal died on July 31, 2012, and much has been written about him since. Some have retold the story of his infamous on-air argument with William F. Buckley Jr., while others ha... Read More

A & E

Lee Miller and Man Ray at the Legion of Honor

By Sharon Anderson

As American expatriates in Paris, Lee Miller and Man Ray lived together from 1929 to 1932 and popularized several photographic techniques, including solarization. Their mutual insp... Read More

A & E

Has public art become endangered?

By Sharon Anderson

The Scream sold at Sotheby’s on May 2, 2012 for $120 million, the highest amount received for any auctioned piece in the history of art. Early estimates predicted that this 1... Read More

Book Notes

‘Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail’ by Cheryl Strayed

Finding herself on the trail

By Sharon Anderson

“What if I forgave myself?” I thought. “What if I forgave myself even though I’d done something I shouldn’t have?” – Cheryl Strayed Cheryl Strayed... Read More

Book Notes

‘Woolgathering’ by Patti Smith enjoys a second life

By Sharon Anderson

Is this a fairy tale? Are the stories true? These were the questions Patti Smith had to answer when Woolgathering was first published in 1992. New Directions recently published an ... Read More

Sharon Anderson