“In contending that aesthetic experience is cognitive, I am emphatically not identifying it with the conceptual, the discursive, the linguistic. Under ‘cognitive’ I include all aspects of knowing and understanding, from perceptual discrimination through pattern recognition and emotive insight to logical inference.” ...
The most unique contribution of sculpture ever to grace a bridge is in the town of Willimantic, Connecticut. Leo Jensen’s huge 3,000-pound frogs sitting atop giant thread spools are symbols of the town’s history. Now they also bring pride, hope, and optimism. Granted, giant amphibians are among the most unlikely sculptures that one might imagine...
The best of art-dealing and art historical scholarship are reinforcing, not antithetical. The eye of the art dealer-scholar comes with the ability to discern true innovation that emerged from particular periods, movements, or styles. There are numerous examples of museum curators joining with gallery owners to mount significant exhibitions. Historically, the exemplar nonpareil is Paul...
![Peter Selz [1919–2019] — Et exaltatum memoriam](https://discoveriesinamericanart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SELZ_Peter-copy.png "Peter Selz [1919–2019] — Et exaltatum memoriam")
Peter Selz was the youngest 100-year-old I ever knew. He remained sharp as a tack. His insatiable visual appetite meant he was constantly digesting images — but he only opined when he sensed an innovative spirit. He was the exemplar of what it means to be an art historian: “It’s a profession from which one...
The Starting Point for Practical Advice. Decades should not have to pass before artists or their heirs consider practical strategies to preserve and promote a life’s work and archive. The Dumpster is not a legacy option. Therefore, the big question looms: To whom can artists or their heirs turn for advice? Discoveries in American Art...
The art world is pretty sophisticated when it comes to establishing authenticity. The first step sees the professional sellers — dealers and auctioneers — engaging a triumvirate of experts who provide stylistic interpretation, provenance, and condition reports. An art historian who is the leading expert on the artist examines the work and anoints it as...
