Julia Binswanger

Julia Binswanger

Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ, Chicago magazine, Rebellious magazine and PC magazine. 

L'empire des Lumières, René Magritte, 1954

This Surrealist Masterpiece by René Magritte Sold for Over $120 Million

The artist's “L’empire des lumières” sold for a massive $121 million, and experts hope the large number could be a sign of renewal for a struggling art market

This marble tablet weighs 115 pounds and measures two feet tall.

An Ancient Tablet Inscribed With Nine of the Ten Commandments From the Book of Exodus Is for Sale

The marble slab, which dates to between 300 and 500 C.E., is the oldest-known stone tablet inscribed with the Commandments. Nobody recognized its significance until decades after its discovery

Steadfast Stride Toward Justice by artist Basil Watson is the first life-sized depiction of John Lewis in his home state.

New Statue Honoring Civil Rights Activist John Lewis Unveiled in His Home State of Alabama

The life-sized bronze sculpture of the congressman joins statues of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks in the Equal Justice Initiative's Legacy Plaza in Montgomery

This tiny Roman gladiator figurine used to be the handle on a folding knife.

Ancient Roman Gladiators Were Huge Celebrities Who Even Had Their Own Merch

A tiny gladiator figurine was used as a handle on a 2,000-year-old copper folding knife found in an English river, suggesting that popular fascination with the ancient fighters reached the edges of the empire

A crowd of tourists gathers on the main street at Pompeii.

Pompeii Introduces New Limits on Daily Visitors to Protect the Ancient City From Overtourism

A maximum of 20,000 people will be allowed to enter each day in an effort to protect the historic site in Italy, where misbehaving tourists are becoming a persistent problem

First-edition Jane Austen novels in a special display case at her former home

See Rare First-Edition Copies of Jane Austen's Novels at the Cottage Where She Wrote and Revised Them

A new exhibition at the author's home in Chawton, which has never previously displayed all six first-edition books together, is part of preparations for the author's 250th birthday celebrations

The decorative coffin of Lady Chenet-aa, a high-status woman who died some 3,000 years ago

Scientists Are Using CT Scanners to Reveal the Secrets of More Than Two Dozen Ancient Egyptian Mummies

For the first time, researchers were able to see inside the mummies in the Chicago Field Museum's collections. Their findings paint a more comprehensive picture of ancient Egyptian life

Prints from Warhol's Reigning Queens series ahead of a 2021 Christie's sale. These portraits depict the United Kingdom's Elizabeth II and Denmark's Margrethe II.

When Art Thieves Stole Four Andy Warhol Prints, They Didn't Realize Only Two Would Fit in the Getaway Car

The robbers only made away with two of the screen prints, which they swiped from a gallery in the Netherlands. They abandoned the other artworks on the street

Shilo Shiv Suleman's Padma/Lotus is the first piece from an Indian artist to appear at the pyramids of Giza.

To See a Spellbinding Contemporary Art Exhibition, Head to the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids

The 4,500-year-old pyramids of Giza are the backdrop for "Forever Is Now," which features sculptures, installations and immersive artworks that explore the relationship between the past and present

An engraved mirror and beaded jewelry discovered at the ancient family tomb near Luxor

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Egyptian Family Tomb Full of Necklaces, Bracelets and Rings

The 3,800-year-old site near the city of Luxor holds the remains of 11 individuals, who may have been members of the same family. Researchers think the tomb was used for several generations

The Princeton University Art Museum is one of the many prominent institutions tied to Almagià, who graduated from the university in 1973.

A Prominent Italian Dealer Has Been Charged With Trafficking Thousands of Looted Artifacts

The Manhattan district attorney's office has obtained an arrest warrant for Edoardo Almagià, who has been accused of working with looters and dealing stolen artifacts for years

Golconda, René Magritte, 1953

See How René Magritte’s Dreamlike Paintings Evolved Over Four Decades at a New Exhibition in Australia

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is showcasing works full of the Surrealist artist's signature motifs—such as apples, pipes and bowler hats—in addition to lesser-known pieces

Tarlati Altarpiece, Pietro Lorenzetti, circa 1320

See the Breathtaking 14th-Century Sienese Artworks That Helped Set the Italian Renaissance in Motion

This brief chapter of art history is often overlooked. Now, an exhibition in New York City makes a strong argument for the integral role played by four artists in the city of Siena

Still Life Under the Lamp, Pablo Picasso, 1962

See Picasso's Lesser-Known Print Works, Which He Continued Experimenting With Into His 80s

A new exhibition spotlights the Spanish artist's printmaking talents, which he began honing in his 20s. In the decades that followed, he produced thousands of breathtaking creations

Experts have found that the manuscript's paper and ink are consistent with the materials Chopin was using at the time.

You Can Listen to a Lost Chopin Waltz That Hasn't Been Heard for Nearly Two Centuries

The one-minute composition, which dates to the 1830s, was found on a piece of paper about the size of an index card at a museum in New York City

Ai-Da's portrait depicts Alan Turing, a pioneering computer scientist and early figure in A.I. research.

A Portrait of Alan Turing Made by an A.I.-Powered Robot Could Sell for Up to $180,000

Ai-Da creates art using A.I. algorithms, cameras and robotic arms. Her abstract painting will be the first-ever artwork made by a humanoid robot to be sold at Sotheby's

All four Beatles at Abbey Road Studios in London, where they tracked music with the EMI TG12345 console

You Can Buy the Recording Console the Beatles Used to Make Their Iconic Album 'Abbey Road'

After a years-long restoration, the unique device that recorded hits like "Come Together" and "Here Comes the Sun" is now fully functional

Titled Comedian, the banana sculpture has sparked heated debates about the value of art.

Maurizio Cattelan's Perishable Sculpture Drove Some Critics Bananas. Now, It Could Sell for $1.5 Million

The banana duct-taped to a wall was created to be a "reflection on what we value." An upcoming auction may deliver an answer

This etching of a small face may be one of William Blake's earliest engravings.

These Tiny Doodles May Be William Blake's Earliest Engravings, Overlooked for Nearly 250 Years

Using high-res scans, a researcher uncovered scribbled etchings likely made by the British poet and artist while working as a teenage apprentice engraver in the 1770s

Mask, Jackson Pollock, 1941

Before He Created His Vibrant Drip Paintings, Jackson Pollock Took Inspiration From Pablo Picasso

A new exhibition in Paris demonstrates the influence that the Spanish artist had on the young American painter who would help usher in the Abstract Expressionist movement

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