One night as an 11-year-old in 1965, I watched an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show in the family living room—the CBS sitcom was produced in glorious black and white and ran from ‘61 to ‘66. I was an avid young fan even though I didn’t always understand the story lines, but it was the early ‘60s when “family…
On Dec. 13, 2023, during a ceremony attended by throngs of media reporters, the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Washington, D.C. unveiled a nearly life-size oil painting of Oprah Winfrey. The painting was created by a 37-year-old Black artist from Chicago named Shawn Michael Warren. The newest painting to grace the National Portrait Gallery was commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution,…
On Sunday morning Jan. 28, 2024, two members of the French eco-extremist group Riposte Alimentaire (Food Response), invaded the Musée du Louvre in Paris with ill intent. They made their way to the Salle des Estates room that displays the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Arriving in the room they hurled globs of pumpkin soup on the masterpiece from…
Remember when Hunter Biden had his very first art exhibit? It was at the Milk Studios gallery in Hollywood, California on Oct. 1, 2021. Organized by New York gallerist Georges Bergès, there were those who said buyers would only purchase Hunter’s art to win political favors from Joe Biden. The White House, concerned that talk of cronyism would spread, crafted…
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, How faithfully you blossom! Through summer’s heat and winter’s chill Your leaves are green and blooming still. O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, How faithfully you blossom! The above lyrics are from an 1824 song written by German composer Ernst Anschütz. Over the years his composition O Tannenbaum (in German ‘Tannenbaum’ means fir tree), became closely associated with…
On Nov. 6, 2023, members of the British eco-extremist group Just Stop Oil, attacked a celebrated oil painting hanging in the National Gallery in London. Two vandals wearing Just Stop Oil t-shirts, approached the masterpiece and began pounding it with hammers, shattering its protective glass covering. The artwork, Venus at her Mirror, was created by famed Spanish artist Diego Velázquez…
On Oct. 27, 2003, a dozen members of the French climate-alarmist group Derniere Renovation (Final Renovation), attacked the Pyramid de Louvre, the main entryway to the world famous Louvre Museum in the heart of Paris, France. A vandal from the eco-extremist group climbed the 71 foot glass and metal pyramid using rock climbing gear, then splashed the large diamond shaped…
While visiting Boston, Massachusetts in July, 2023, I visited the city’s Museum of Fine Art (MFA). Strolling through the museum’s Art of the Americas wing I happened upon the Artists of African Descent gallery. I was puzzled by an artwork I found there, an acrylic portrait painting created in the red, black, and green colors favored by black nationalists and…
