News & Topics

  The only ceiling Caravaggio ever painted has been hidden for hundreds of years in a villa in Rome. But now, Princess Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi in an effort to “bring more life” into the crumbling Villa Aurora, which she inhabits with her husband Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi, descendent of Popes Gregory XIII and Gregory XV, is on view to the ... Read More »

  In 1792, King Carlos IV of Spain ordered the building of a royal chapel in central Madrid for Saint Anthony of de La Florida. He then commissioned his favorite painter, Goya, to paint the frescos within the chapter depicting the miracles of Saint Anthony of Padua.   It took Goya only four months to complete the frescos, despite suffering ... Read More »

740 Park Avenue has been called the “Richest apartment building in the world” and buying a mansion within its limestone walls is the dream of many aspiring millionaires. The hurdles to became one of the chosen few residents is a strenuous one and if the multimillion dollar price tag isn’t enough to stop you, the difficult co-op board is, turning ... Read More »

  For those whom have never been to L.A., imaginations often conjure scenes of red carpets, Hollywood premieres and shopping on Rodeo Drive a la Pretty Woman (or Entourage, depending on your age). But for those outside “the business” who call L.A. home, it is a very different city; a city with an active music scene and growing art world. ... Read More »

A new study from the University of Freiburg, Germany has revealed that people suffering from clinical depression don’t just feel gray but are seeing gray as well. Studies have shown that the deeper depressed a person is, the less their retina can respond to light, thus graying their vision.   The scientists in the study have related this “graying” effect ... Read More »

  In 1808, a group of Ethiopian seamen were visiting New York and attended the First Baptist Church in the City of New York for Sunday services. Disgusted by the segregation they were subjected to they, along with allied African American parishioners, left in protest. The new congregation they began together was called the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Abyssinian being the ... Read More »

In 1997, Fuji Rock was held at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan. Now, 13 years on, the festival is still rocking but is held nowhere near Mount Fuji. Currently the festival takes place in Naeba, a winter ski resort up in forested mountains, making it one of the most scenic of all the summer fests. Because of the ... Read More »

The fight to save the hill depicted in Francisco de Goya’s painting La Pradera de San Isidro is on in Madrid. The hill known as San Francisco cornisa is a green ridge from which Goya painted the Madrid skyline, depicted in the painting, as seen in 1788.   Last year, Madrid’s city hall granted the Catholic Church permission to build ... Read More »