Dressing in Black Takes Impeccable Skill

The Difference Between Standing Out and Fading Away Is in the Finer Details

There she was again. I’d been more or less able to avoid her since leaving New York, and I certainly wasn’t expecting her to turn up next to me at a yoga class at the Rancho la Puerta spa in Mexico. But there she was breathing serenely away while I struggled to regain focus.

Who was she? The woman who—simply by wearing all black—makes you feel stupidly ostentatious for wearing anything else. Even in yoga class.

Legs over head, I tried to steal a glance to pinpoint why some women …

By Lauren Goldstein Crowe | May 3, 2016

A Color That Is Anything but Neutral

From Puritan Industrialists to Pro-Slavery Propaganda, Black Has Accumulated Contradictory and Controversial Associations

By Jia-Rui Cook | May 2, 2016

Black may be a color, but it’s not just a color.

Panelists at a lively Zócalo/Getty “Open Art” event at the Getty Museum explored the hue’s often contradictory and controversial associations, …

In the 1990s, Los Angeles Was Both Heaven and Hell

Recalling a Decade of Disasters, Political Mobilization, and Great Art

By Sarah Rothbard | April 29, 2016

The L.A. Riots. The Northridge Earthquake. The AIDS crisis. Proposition 187. Fires. Mudslides. White flight. Recession and joblessness. The departure of the aerospace industry. The departures of the Rams and …

There’s No Law That Says Art Museums Have to Be Pretentious

If Curators Want Their Institutions to Survive and Thrive, Their Exhibitions Should Appeal to Primary Human Themes, Memories, and Desires

By Gregory Rodriguez | April 11, 2016

Three weeks ago, I was traipsing through London’s Victoria and Albert Museum with a friend of mine who has the attention span of a hummingbird. One minute we were admiring …

Elizabeth Taylor Never Appeared in Her Final, Most Intimate Portrait

To Capture the Heart of a Hollywood Legend, Catherine Opie Turned Her Camera Toward the Actress’ Home, Chanel Shoes, and Kitchen Table

March 21, 2016

When they hear the word “portrait,” most people assume they’ll see an image of a human figure. Catherine Opie’s new collection of photographs, 700 Nimes Road, doesn’t quite answer that …

Is Photography a Method of Social Control?

From Mug Shots to Crime Scene Photos, a New Exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Explores How the Camera Casts Suspicion

March 15, 2016

Paris, 1888: An eccentric police officer named Alphonse Bertillon creates a new way of looking at criminals or suspected criminals. Law enforcement has already been dabbling with the relatively new …

When Human Hair Could Braid Two Hearts Together

Before Chocolates Reigned on Valentine’s Day, a Tuft of Your Beloved’s Tresses Was the Most Fashionable Sign of Affection

You Say Blue, I Say Cerulean

Color Dictionaries Gave the World a Common Language—and Names Like ‘Dragons-Blood Red’ and ‘Light Paris Green’

Are Black Dogs Unadoptable?

Rescue Shelters Perpetuate a False Belief that Dark-Coated Animals Are Unwanted

How Iranian Women Turn “Pious Fashion” Into Under-the-Radar Dissent

By Personalizing Headscarves and Painting Their Toes, They Challenge the State's Power to Define Female Morality

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