“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.” ...
One of the most extraordinary rediscoveries in American art in decades is now running through the month of October at the Karin Clarke Gallery. This exhibition does more than justify Tom Blodgett’s claim that he was “the van Gogh in America.” His masterfully executed large “painting-drawings” were selected from his estate collection by artist-curator Craig Spilman, who noted that “He’s one of about...
60 years of Collage in America curated by Peter Hastings Falk As Editor and Chief Curator of Discoveries in American Art I’m proud to announce the new virtual exhibition, It’s Time to Stick Together: 60 years of Collage in America. This early news release alerts you to an advance viewing before the opening on...
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...
Making this puzzle come together At first, I’m a bit overwhelmed staring at 1,000 pieces of this big jigsaw puzzle. They must be reassembled into 19 great paintings, by masters ranging from da Vinci to Kandinsky. The magnitude of the challenge found me daydreaming: What if all those pieces represented museums and galleries in the...
How accidental damage to frames made of corrugated cardboard elicited a $100 million lawsuit. As the expert witness for the defense, I’m pleased that The Art Newspaper recently illuminated the largest “loss in value” claim in art history. Read the full story here. In addition to this 2019 case, Peter Hastings Falk has served as expert witness in...
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...
