art

In 2018 or 2019, a thrift-store shopper paid just $1.50 for a purse because he thought it looked pretty; in a 2026 Antiques Roadshow episode, experts identified it as Cartier Art Deco and valued it at $35,000, with insurance above $100,000

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In 2018 or 2019, a thrift-store shopper paid just $1.50 for a purse because he thought it looked pretty; in a 2026 Antiques Roadshow episode, experts identified it as Cartier Art Deco and valued it at $35,000, with insurance above $100,000

The colourful design was found to be made from precious materials typical of Art Deco jewellery. (Photo: PBS) A man who spent just $1.50 on a clutch bag at a thrift store discovered years later that his inexpensive find was actually a Cartier Art Deco piece valued at about $35,000.The unnamed buyer brought the bright … Read more

In 1968, Jeff McKissack began building Houston’s Orange Show from salvaged materials, creating a unique folk art landmark that opened to the public in 1979

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In 1968, Jeff McKissack began building Houston’s Orange Show from salvaged materials, creating a unique folk art landmark that opened to the public in 1979

In October 1977, William Martin wrote in Texas Monthly that the Orange Show, a folk art site on Munger Street in southeast Houston, was the passion of its creator, Jeff McKissack, then 75. McKissack told William Martin in a Texas Monthly interview, “I work on it every day.” The complex, built from salvaged materials, honours … Read more

An American artist traded a painting and $10 for a 153-acre Connecticut farm in 1882; more than a century later, his home and studios became part of a nationally protected landscape devoted to art

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An American artist traded a painting and $10 for a 153-acre Connecticut farm in 1882; more than a century later, his home and studios became part of a nationally protected landscape devoted to art

Julian Alden Weir/Image: National Park Service A painting that once cost American artist Julian Alden Weir $560 ended up helping him acquire something far more lasting, a 153-acre farm in Connecticut.In July 1882, Weir exchanged the painting and $10 for the Branchville property, a deal that would shape much of the rest of his artistic … Read more

The US has returned 36 ancient Syrian artifacts worth more than $5 million; 13 were seized from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Palmyra stone relief, 14 Roman mosaics were among the objects sent home

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The US has returned 36 ancient Syrian artifacts worth more than $5 million; 13 were seized from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Palmyra stone relief, 14 Roman mosaics were among the objects sent home

The collection also includes 14 mosaics taken from a Roman villa in Syria. Among the other notable pieces is a third-century BCE mosaic section portraying the mythological wedding of Telete and Eros, created from hundreds of tiny pieces of colored stone known as tesserae. Ancient pieces of Syrian history that had traveled far from their … Read more

In 1985, Andy Warhol created digital art on an Amiga computer; nearly 30 years later, researchers recovered 28 never-before-seen images from his floppy disks

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In 1985, Andy Warhol created digital art on an Amiga computer; nearly 30 years later, researchers recovered 28 never-before-seen images from his floppy disks

Warhol used the Amiga to explore how his familiar artistic style could work in a new digital medium. In 1985, Andy Warhol experimented with digital art on an Amiga computer as part of a commission from Commodore International. Nearly 30 years later, researchers recovered 28 previously unseen digital images created by the artist from floppy … Read more

In 1966, a New York art teacher paid under $100 for a thrift-store painting; 60 years later the FCB Cadell work sold for £189,200

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In 1966, a New York art teacher paid under $100 for a thrift-store painting; 60 years later the FCB Cadell work sold for £189,200

The painting depicts Cadell’s north-facing studio on the first floor of his home in Edinburgh In 1966, retired art teacher Helene Plotkin bought a painting for less than $100 at a thrift store in White Plains, New York. She liked the work enough to take it home and display it, but she had no idea … Read more

Eight-time Grammy winner Art Garfunkel says Trump presidency has him considering leaving US: ‘I don’t like America’s position at all’

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Eight-time Grammy winner Art Garfunkel says Trump presidency has him considering leaving US: 'I don't like America's position at all'

Music icon Art Garfunkel/Image: Getty Images Art Garfunkelthe eight-time Grammy-winning singer, says he is considering leaving the United States because of his opposition to President Donald Trump’s administration.“I don’t like America’s position at all,” Garfunkel said in an interview with The Guardian. “I’m not aboard, and I’m thinking of leaving the country, frankly.”The 84-year-old musician … Read more

In 1947, Houston opened a 700-plus-seat Art Deco theater; 79 years later, after demolition was planned, supporters raised $2.8 million toward saving the $7.1 million property

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In 1947, Houston opened a 700-plus-seat Art Deco theater; 79 years later, after demolition was planned, supporters raised $2.8 million toward saving the $7.1 million property

The Garden Oaks Theater opened in 1947 as a 700-plus-seat Art Deco cinema and is now the focus of a preservation effort (Image Credit: Arthouse Houston) For generations of Houston residents, the Garden Oaks Theater was more than a place to watch a movie. Opened in 1947, the Art Deco-style cinema became part of the … Read more

In 2005, carpenter Isaiah Robertson began covering his Niagara Falls home inside and out with brightly painted religious art; after his 2020 death, the house was preserved and is now open for guided tours

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In 2005, carpenter Isaiah Robertson began covering his Niagara Falls home inside and out with brightly painted religious art; after his 2020 death, the house was preserved and is now open for guided tours

Carpenter Isaiah Robertson’s homePhoto: Discoverniagara.org In 2005, Isaiah Henry Robertson, a Jamaican-born carpenter and devout Christian living in Niagara Falls, New York, began transforming his modest house into what he believed was a preparation site for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Convinced that God had told him the world would end in 2014, Robertson … Read more

RANDOM MUSING | How Zohran Mamdani mastered Donald Trump’s ‘Art of the Deal’

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RANDOM MUSING | How Zohran Mamdani mastered Donald Trump's 'Art of the Deal'

President Donald Trump talks after meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Every generation has technological habits that confuse the next. Recording TV shows on a thing called a VCR. Sending free SMSes from a bootleg site. … Read more