Exploring Nuremberg Germany               Nuremburg, Germany is actually three Nurembergs, all occupying the same space: Old Nuremberg with its fortress castle and ramparts; quotidian Nuremberg, a modest, somewhat nondescript city; and the Rally Grounds, a vast...

Celebrating National Historic Preservation Month

  Celebrating National Historic Preservation Month May is National Historic Preservation Month. To celebrate, the Preservation Alliance asked 31 historic preservation leaders in Philadelphia to name a building that has inspired them and why. Below is what Nancy...

Faking Photos at the National Archives

            On January 18, 2020 The National Archives and Records Center issued a press release apologizing for displaying a photo of protesters at the 2017 Women’s March that obscured references critical to President Trump. The apology explained the image wasn’t...

What is a Fake, a Forgery, or a Fraud?

Fakes, forgeries, and frauds are the curse of museums and the plague of art collectors.  Fakes destroy reputations, bankrupt galleries, and menace panels of experts who authenticate artworks. The value of a painting can soar to hundreds of millions of dollars or crash...

The Matisse makes it home, but where are the rest?

The International New York Times reported that a painting entitled “Femme Assise,” or “Seated Woman/Woman Sitting in an Armchair” was returned to its rightful owner. Seventy years after its disappearance, and after a lengthy legal battle, the painting was finally...