I write about all aspects of art and the art world – from artists, museums, galleries, and the market to museum issues, art history, conservation, and art law. Writing about art has allowed me to tackle virtually any subject I've wanted to, from politics and technology to military history and contemporary culture. It is the perfect beat for anyone who wants to be a generalist in specialist's clothing.
You can find my work in The New Yorker, Town & Country, WSJ., T, The New York Times, Smithsonian, and 1stdibs, among others. I have also written for Slate, The Atlantic, Abu Dhabi's National, Art + Auction, Art in America and many more.
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Latest Work
What Happens When a Commander-in-Chief Becomes a Collector?
Town & Country, Summer 2026
What’s the difference between a collector and a commander-in-chief? As the array of art at the new Obama Presidential Center, opening in June in Chicago, proves, it’s not as clear-cut as you might think.
see piece in print
The Dream of Having It All
Smithsonian, September/October 2025
A close look at the first career-women magazines reveals a portrait of immense creativity and hope
How to Protect Your Art From Natural Disasters: Lessons From the L.A. Wildfires
Robb Report, April 13, 2025
When it comes to protecting your most precious art assets, experts like Karyn Lovegrove share how preparedness is key.
Are the Best Art Exhibits Skipping Galleries Entirely?
Town & Country, December 2024
Why some of this year's must-see shows are happening in very unexpected places.
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Flashback - looking back at old stories
The great British artist David Hockney just died. Here’s a profile from 2009, the year he showed his paintings in New York after a seven-year gap, and a visit to Yorkshire, where he grew up.
David Hockney’s Long Road Home • New York Times, Oct. 15, 2009 • cover, most e-mailed list
• Joan Semmel’s monumental nudes, painted from her point of view, are currently on view in Joan Semmel: In the Flesh, a terrific solo show at New York’s Jewish Museum. Here’s a review I wrote for Art in America when her work first reappeared in New York in a tiny show at Mitchell Algus, then in SoHo. The review pictures Sunlight (1978), the same painting the museum features on its website (they now own it).
Reviews: Joan Semmel at Mitchell Algus • Art in America, November 1999 • lead review
• Last fall was the hundredth anniversary of Surrealism. Here’s a story I wrote 24 years ago, when Surrealism first began making its presence felt in the art world again–plus Slate’s first slide show. (There’s another one linked here and here, about the growing market for Surrealism, and what it can teach us about how art history is created.)
Ceci N'est Pas Surrealism: Even if you don't know Surrealism, it knows you • Slate, February 19, 2002 - plus Slate’s first slide show
Ceci n'est pas Surrealism: A Surrealism Slideshow
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