James Hampton poses with his art, photographer unknown James Hampton’s magnum opus was discovered posthumously in a rented garage he had converted into his studio. The installation features over 180 individual found objects, mostly collected from dumpsters on his way home in the early hours after midnight, when he would clock out from his janitor duties at the GSA in Washington DC. The monumental installation, adorned with shimmering foil and various other discarded materials, offers a poignant glimpse into the mystical and mysterious world of a self-taught artist and deeply private individua ..read more

The Palace of Versailles, famously opulent and vast, is often celebrated for its architectural grandeur and the lavish ceremonies that took place within its walls. But at its core, it was essentially a giant overcrowded hotel of horrors for the entire French nobility, who were given their own room and key that symbolised both privilege and entrapment. Beneath the gilded surface, Versailles was not merely a royal residence but a sophisticated mechanism of political control, designed to keep the French nobility on a tight leash and under close surveillance. One might even compare it to the Bate ..read more

1. This Parisian illustrator Lovely work by ..read more

Albert facing a cliff Once upon a time, you could buy a ticket from London to Calcutta for less than the cost of a ticket from Paris to Rome. The year was 1957, baby boomers were still teenagers on the loose and flower power was on the rise. The Albert Travel double decker bus (originally called “Indiaman,”), left from London and took its passengers on a ferry to Belgium, where the trans continental ride began. For a £150 round trip, each passenger would have a place to sleep, eat, read, and live (all on one bus) for 50 days and 20,000 kilometers ..read more

1. This 1930s Art Deco Illustrator (and master of line-drawing) Art Deco Illustrator Charles Perry Weimer creates a powerfully graphic depiction of a 1930s couple in front of a classic Art Deco building with a clock face. This work is particularly relevant in today’s artworld, where few artists can do tight renderings with carefully composed compositions and proper perspective. The emanating white lines from the building’s roof into a black sky give a sense of dynamic energy to the work ..read more

If there is anything that can make a strident music fan salivate in anticipation, it’s the idea of an unreleased track or lost album from a favourite band. It’s like catnip for the musicologist and can become like a biblical quest for a lost chalice of sound for the collector of rare grooves and scrapped singles. There are many reasons why an album or song never sees the light of day. Maybe the record company decided that the world wasn’t quite ready for a 2-hour concept album about a goose (see cult British band Camel’s 1975 album ‘Snow Goose ..read more

There are many reasons to tell the story of Mata Hari – an extravagant icon of femininity, famous burlesque performer, World War I spy, and “collector” of high one standing lovers – her life reads like a harlequin novel. But arguably one of the most curious (and morbid) anecdotes of her life occurred after her death (by execution, no less). As if her missing severed head wasn’t enough to lead with, it has also come to light that the rest of her body, which was entrusted to the Museum of Anatomy in Paris, also disappeared from the archives. So what happened to Mata Hari ..read more

1. Springtime Autochromes, 1900s Found on ..read more

Fancy living in your very own Rapunzel tower less than an hour’s drive from Paris? Our Rapunzel in this case was Anne Boleyn – the first of Henry VIII’s wives to be beheaded – who lived here in her formative years. It used to be much bigger mind you. The 14th century keep is all that’s left of a moated castle that fell to ruin ..read more

© Laura Young We often have a romantic notion of what it might be like to walk into a thrift store and walk out with treasure. But in reality, what happens next can be a roller coaster ride that changes your life forever. In 2018, antiques dealer Laura Young discovered an ancient Roman bust in an Austin Goodwill store and took it home for $35. You might have seen the story when it went viral on the internet ..read more