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New York Times: Where to go in Paris for artistic inspiration


PARIS: From the local parks, with their carefully plotted plantings and neatly clipped trees, to the turrets and spires and bridges along the Seine, Paris certainly can be inspiring.

It’s therefore no surprise that the French capital has proved to be a fertile source of inspiration for artists, from Renoir and van Gogh to Picasso, Man Ray and Modigliani.

When they weren’t wandering the city or holed up in their studios, these artists — as well as countless writers, designers and other creative types — took to Paris’s cafes, bars and brasseries to think, drink and draw.
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New York Times: History and Humor Inspire Victor Ehikhamenor’s Art


LONDON — Victor Ehikhamenor remembers the first time he was called an artist. Born in 1970 in a small village in Edo State in Nigeria, Mr. Ehikhamenor was given a plastic camera when he was 9. Trying to mimic one of his uncles who had emigrated to the United States in the 1960s to study photography, he would line up his friends and pretend to take pictures of them. Read more

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New York Times: What to Know When Selling the Family Silver

LONDON — When a great-uncle dies or an older parent downsizes, having to go through and organize boxes of family heirlooms can feel daunting. If the items include family silver, it can be especially overwhelming.

Finding out what’s worth keeping and what should be donated or sold involves more knowledge and skills than it takes to sort through mementos and photos. But taking the time to gather information about value and provenance could help avoid costly mistakes. Read more

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New York Times: A Polish Artist With Varied Talents

Growing up in Lublin, Poland, Agnieszka Polska had little access to contemporary art. So a visit to the Tate Modern on a trip to London as a teenager, she said, was “a revelation.”

Two decades later, Ms. Polska is an artist and filmmaker whose video works have been featured at institutions like the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and Berlin’s Hamburger Bahnhof, where in 2018 she was awarded the Preis der Nationalgalerie. Read more

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New York Times: What to Do When a Once-Beloved Art Piece Has Lost Its Luster

LONDON — Several years ago, Bari Shaffran and her husband were meandering around Frieze London when they came across the booth of Berlin-based gallery Eigen + Art.

While not avid collectors, the couple had purchased works at art fairs before. One of the gallerists introduced them to Birgit Brenner, an artist featured in their show. The couple bought three of Ms. Brenner’s pieces. Read more

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