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Nathan Smith

Nathan Smith

The Nation

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Last-Minute Literary Gifts for the Art Lover On Your List

There's still time to wrap up a great gift for your art-obsessed family and friends.

10.12.2024 5

Observer

Nathan Smith

Breaking Free from the Bell Jar: Mike Kelley at Tate Modern

Nihilism, that despairing feeling that all is meaningless, fuels much of the work of experimental artist Mike Kelley. For some, seeing his life’s...

30.11.2024 8

Observer

Nathan Smith

Michael Craig-Martin’s Object Lessons at the Royal Academy

In 1973, Michael Craig-Martin set a water glass on a shelf high on a gallery wall. The arrangement was called An Oak Tree and included wall text that...

17.10.2024 4

Observer

Nathan Smith

A London Museum Is Telling Barbie’s Story With Her Stuff

Barbie may only be 11.5” of plastic, but the childhood doll has a remarkable history reflecting—and sometimes questioning—the changing values of...

23.09.2024 20

Observer

Nathan Smith

The Best Celebrity Memoirs of 2024 Are Almost Here

Autobiographies give us a privileged glimpse into remarkable human experiences, and whether their authors recount painful personal trials or chronicle...

19.08.2024 6

Observer

Nathan Smith

The Best New Books to Read On Your Summer Vacation

Many of us are guilty of buying, borrowing or collecting books throughout the year to save for our summer reading. Now, with the warm weather...

23.07.2024 5

Observer

Nathan Smith

London’s National Gallery Presents a History of Violence as Painted By Caravaggio

Italian artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610), famed for his use of chiaroscuro to create vivid emotional intensity, painted...

30.05.2024 30

Observer

Nathan Smith

‘Late Night with the Devil’ And The 10 Best Australian Horror Films

Australian-made horror is flourishing.  Late Night with the Devil , a new film about a possessed girl exorcised on live TV, joins a recent stable...

02.05.2024 10

Observer

Nathan Smith

The Best New Biographies and Memoirs to Read in 2024

A life story can be read for escapist pleasure. But at other times, reading a memoir or biography can be an expansive exercise, opening us up to...

24.04.2024 10

Observer

Nathan Smith

A Tate Modern Retrospective Is Reclaiming Yoko Ono

In 1964, Yoko Ono self-published an anthology of “instructions” entitled Grapefruit. Thank you for signing up! By clicking...

26.03.2024 8

Observer

Nathan Smith

Don’t Miss: Barbara Kruger’s Enduring Prophecies at Serpentine South

Few contemporary artists are as recognizable, or as imitated, as Barbara Kruger. The American artist (1945—), who first rose to fame in the 1980s...

28.02.2024 10

Observer

Nathan Smith

With Little Cultural Cohesion, the 2023 NGV Triennial Still Manages to Delight

A ripe banana taped to a wall. An apocalyptic classroom. A rabble of painting robot dogs. These are the three Rs headlining the latest installment of...

19.12.2023 10

Observer

Nathan Smith

With Little Cultural Cohesion, the 2023 NGV Triennial Still Manages to Delight

A ripe banana taped to a wall. An apocalyptic classroom. A rabble of painting robot dogs. These are the three Rs headlining the latest installment of...

19.12.2023 10

Observer

Nathan Smith

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