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Art & Design NPR explores the visual arts including design, photography, sculpture, and architecture. Interviews, commentary, and audio. Subscribe to the RSS feed.

Art & Design

Monday

How Does Christoph Niemann Make Art Look Effortless? With A Lot Of Work
Christoph Niemann/Sunday Sketching/Courtesy of Abrams

Author Interviews

How Does Christoph Niemann Make Art Look Effortless? With A Lot Of Work

The artist and illustrator says that behind every fun, whimsical sketch there are "100 very boring, unsexy steps." Niemann describes his creative process in his new book Sunday Sketching.

How Does Christoph Niemann Make Art Look Effortless? With A Lot Of Work

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With GPS And Graph Paper, Farmers Find A-maze-ing Ways To Bring In Cash

The theme of Mike's Maze this year is "See America," which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Courtesy of Warner Farm hide caption

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Courtesy of Warner Farm

The Salt

With GPS And Graph Paper, Farmers Find A-maze-ing Ways To Bring In Cash

Using technology and math, farmers are creating elaborate corn maze designs, from replicas of fine art to Internet kitties. Labyrinths help make ends meet — they yield more cash per acre than crops.

Photography Writ Large: The Monumental Art Of Thomas Struth

Struth photographed Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 2011. "They were actually quite nice together," he says of the experience. (Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh, Windsor Castle 2011) Thomas Struth/Promised Gift to the National Gallery of Art from the Collection of Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker hide caption

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Thomas Struth/Promised Gift to the National Gallery of Art from the Collection of Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker

Photography

Photography Writ Large: The Monumental Art Of Thomas Struth

Struth is known for massive pictures of architecture and people looking at art in museums. But a few years ago, a commission to photograph the British royals pushed him out of his comfort zone.

Photography Writ Large: The Monumental Art Of Thomas Struth

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Friday

Art Star Ragnar Kjartansson Moves People To Tears, Over And Over

Ragnar Kjartansson's Woman in E takes place in a circular room built from a gold tinsel curtain. Unlike many of his works, Woman in E features real people, rather than films. Cathy Carver/Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine (New York) and i8 Gallery (Reykjavík) hide caption

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Cathy Carver/Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine (New York) and i8 Gallery (Reykjavík)

Fine Art

Art Star Ragnar Kjartansson Moves People To Tears, Over And Over

The artist's repeating performance films can bring on a sort of catharsis, and people often cry after seeing a few cycles. "He's a huge deal," says one curator. "He's been ... rocking the art world."

Art Star Ragnar Kjartansson Moves People To Tears, Over And Over

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Monday

Out Of This World: How Artists Imagine Planets Yet Unseen

Corot 7b L. Calçada/ESO hide caption

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L. Calçada/ESO

Science

Out Of This World: How Artists Imagine Planets Yet Unseen

When astronomers spot a new planet that's too far away to be seen in detail, they work with artists to depict it. Space artists say they have a lot of freedom, but have to be careful, too.

Out Of This World: How Artists Imagine Planets Yet Unseen

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Saturday

When Cultural Heritage Is At Risk, Italy's Art Police Come To The Rescue

Amatrice's Basilica di San Francesco was among many centuries-old buildings damaged in Italy's Aug. 24 quake. The national police's art squad is documenting damage and salvaging priceless works of art from this and other churches in the region. Italian Carabinieri/AP hide caption

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Italian Carabinieri/AP

Parallels

When Cultural Heritage Is At Risk, Italy's Art Police Come To The Rescue

Over the decades, they've tracked down looted paintings and manuscripts, and rescued artwork after natural disasters. These days, they're salvaging centuries-old works in Italy's Amatrice quake zone.

When Cultural Heritage Is At Risk, Italy's Art Police Come To The Rescue

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Friday

New Head For Jesus Statue That Prompted Double Takes Is Gone

This statue, in Sudbury, Ontario, was apparently vandalized about a year ago. A local artist volunteered to help replace Jesus' missing head, but not everyone appreciates her efforts. Marina von Stackelberg/CBC hide caption

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Marina von Stackelberg/CBC

The Two-Way

New Head For Jesus Statue That Prompted Double Takes Is Gone

Last year, baby Jesus' head went missing from a statue at a church in northern Ontario. A local artist sculpted an attention-getting substitute, but that damaged the statue.

Thursday

Reading Gaol, Where Oscar Wilde Was Imprisoned, Unlocks Its Gates For Art

Artangel co-director James Lingwood has been struck by how much time visitors are spending at the exhibition. Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Fine Art

Reading Gaol, Where Oscar Wilde Was Imprisoned, Unlocks Its Gates For Art

In 1895, Wilde was convicted of homosexual activity and sentenced to two years in prison. Built in the mid-1800s, the facility was operational until 2013. Now, it's hosting an unusual art exhibit.

Reading Gaol, Where Oscar Wilde Was Imprisoned, Unlocks Its Gates For Art

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Sunday

Decades After His Death, Max Beckmann Returns To New York

Self-Portrait in Blue Jacket (1950), by Max Beckmann. The painter had been on his way to see an exhibit featuring this self-portrait at the time of his heart attack. Saint Louis Art Museum, Bequest of Morton D. May(C) 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn hide caption

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Saint Louis Art Museum, Bequest of Morton D. May(C) 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

Fine Art

Decades After His Death, Max Beckmann Returns To New York

On sunny December day in Manhattan, the great German painter had been on his way to an exhibit featuring his latest self-portrait when he died. Now, that painting is back in the city where he left it.

Decades After His Death, Max Beckmann Returns To New York

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Thursday

Artist David Hockney Says The Drive To Create Pictures 'Is Deep Within Us'

In a recent series of photographic drawings, David Hockney, shown above in his studio, plays with the relationship between painting and photography. Richard Schmidt/David Hockney/Abrams Books hide caption

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Richard Schmidt/David Hockney/Abrams Books

Fine Art

Artist David Hockney Says The Drive To Create Pictures 'Is Deep Within Us'

The nearly 80-year-old artist has written a book called A History of Pictures. It's chock-full of art he has loved looking at and includes one painter he credits with inventing Hollywood lighting.

Artist David Hockney Says The Drive To Create Pictures 'Is Deep Within Us'

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Tuesday

For Fashion Designer Christian Siriano, No Size Is Out Of Style

Christian Siriano, seen here in April, says, "Clothes and fashion should be fun and fabulous," not stressful. JP Yim/Getty Images hide caption

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JP Yim/Getty Images

For Fashion Designer Christian Siriano, No Size Is Out Of Style

You could say Siriano is having a moment: He featured five plus-size models at a recent fashion show and dressed stars of all sizes for this year's Emmys.

For Fashion Designer Christian Siriano, No Size Is Out Of Style

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Monday

Replicas Of Artifacts Destroyed By ISIS 'Rising From Destruction' In Rome

People walk past a replica of an ancient statue of a human-headed winged bull from Nimrud, Iraq, destroyed by the Islamic State. It's part of an exhibition called "Rising from Destruction" at Rome's Colosseum. Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

Replicas Of Artifacts Destroyed By ISIS 'Rising From Destruction' In Rome

An exhibit at the Colosseum features life-size reconstructions of ancient works that ISIS damaged or destroyed in Iraq and Syria. "It is a universal heritage," says curator Francesco Rutelli.

Replicas Of Artifacts Destroyed By ISIS 'Rising From Destruction' In Rome

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Saturday

A Photographer Gets Old — Over And Over — In 'The Many Sad Fates'

Toledano on set, being made up for one of his fates. Stephen T. Maing hide caption

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Stephen T. Maing

Photography

A Photographer Gets Old — Over And Over — In 'The Many Sad Fates'

Photographer Phillip Toledano lost both his parents, an aunt and an uncle and began to wonder — what other dark turns did life have in store? He explores the possibilities in a new short film.

A Photographer Gets Old — Over And Over — In 'The Many Sad Fates'

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Friday

Monday

Arts And Craft Beers: Brewers Draw Drinkers' Eyes With Snazzy Tap Handles

AJS made these cone-headed taps for Stevens Point Brewery in Wisconsin. Courtesy of Olivia Locascio Film and Photo hide caption

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Courtesy of Olivia Locascio Film and Photo

The Salt

Arts And Craft Beers: Brewers Draw Drinkers' Eyes With Snazzy Tap Handles

As craft brewers try to make their brews stand out in an increasingly crowded field, they're driving the expansion of a singular business: custom-made beer taps.

Arts And Craft Beers: Brewers Draw Drinkers' Eyes With Snazzy Tap Handles

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