VERVE 27

09/01/2026

Around 1873, shortly after moving to Argenteuil, Monet had a boat built with a small wooden cabin on deck, just enough room, in his words, to set up his easel. He got the idea from his friend and fellow painter Charles-François Daubigny, who had built a similar floating studio years earlier, nicknamed Le Botin, to paint scenes along the Seine, Oise, and Marne rivers.

The boat gave Monet access to views no one could paint from shore, sailboats gliding past, reflections shifting on the water, riverbanks from angles only reachable by drifting alongside them. He worked from it regularly at Argenteuil throughout the 1870s, and his friend Édouard Manet even painted him at work aboard it in 1874, with his wife Camille seated nearby.

Monet later brought the same boat with him to Giverny, mooring it near his water garden and using it well into his later years. He painted the boat itself several times, including a well-known 1876 canvas titled The Studio Boat, now held at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.

The original boat no longer survives, but full-scale replicas have been built for exhibitions, including the one shown here, giving visitors a sense of the cramped, floating workspace where some of Monet's river scenes were painted.

08/28/2026

Yayoi Kusama (1929 to 2026) ❣️

Yayoi Kusma was one of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, making significant contributions to the Minimalist and Pop Art movements. Since the 1950s, Kusama created a multitude of hypnotic works that emphasize the negative spaces formed by dots or holes, earning her recognition as the “polka dot queen.” She utilized these repeating patterns across many forms, including painting, drawing, sculpture, film, performance, and immersive installation.

The artist lived openly about her struggles with mental health but continued to find purpose through her work: “I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day, and the only method I have found that relieves my illness is to keep creating art.”

Artwork credit: Yayoi Kusama, Puzzle (with case), 2009 (based on Yayoi Kusama, “Self-Portrait,” 2008); Published by RxArt; Photo courtesy of RxArt

[Image description: A finished puzzle based on a self-portrait of Yayoi Kusama.]

08/28/2026

The pioneering Japanese artist talked openly about how her mental health and neurodivergence informed her creativity, paving the way for the likes of Turner prize winner Nnena Kalu

08/27/2026

Sharing a tribute to legendary artist Yayoi Kusama, who has died aged 97 ❤️

Kusama emerged as a major female Japanese avant-garde artist in the male-dominated New York art scene of the 1950s and 1960s. Her signature polka dots, infinite patterns and immersive environments have profoundly influenced contemporary art, while her bold visual language has crossed into fashion, interiors, furniture and product design.

Pictured is a mannequin of Kusama alongside pieces from her Louis Vuitton collection, featured in our 2013 Shad Thames exhibition, Designs of the Year. The collection saw the artist transform everything from bags to dresses with her signature psychedelic red and white spots.

📸 Luke Hayes

08/25/2026

08/22/2026

08/19/2026

Impressionism is turning 150 and Normandy is going all in. From May 29 to September 27, 2026, a large scale festival across Normandy and Paris will mark 150 years since the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874. This is where the movement that reshaped modern art began.

Normandy was not just a backdrop. It was the catalyst. Monet painted Impression, Sunrise in Le Havre. Artists set up easels along the Seine, on the cliffs of Étretat, and in the countryside chasing light that shifted by the minute. That light became the signature of Impressionism.

The 2026 festival brings together museums, restored artist studios, and cultural institutions across northern France. You will be able to visit places depicted in famous paintings, see curated exhibitions built around iconic works, and trace how the movement evolved between Normandy and Paris.

If you already plan to see Giverny or Rouen Cathedral, this anniversary adds real context. You are not just ticking off sights. You are walking through the origin story of modern art. And 2026 will be the year to do it properly.

08/17/2026

Peace, mud, and a generation finding its voice—on this day, the Woodstock Music & Art Fair opened on Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York. Marking the 57th anniversary, we remember how a planned ticketed show became a free, colossal gathering when crowds overwhelmed fences and roads. Nearly half a million people braved shortages, storms, and knee-deep mud to hear Hendrix, Joplin, the Who, and dozens more—turning a weekend into a cultural touchstone of protest, community, and possibility during a year rocked by war and upheaval.

Here’s a detail many miss: the town of Woodstock is 40 miles away. After the original venue fell through just weeks before showtime, organizers scrambled to Bethel—securing Yasgur’s dairy pasture and racing county deadlines to build the stage and wire sound towers in days. Despite traffic jams so severe performers had to be flown in by helicopter, the festival stayed remarkably peaceful, helping to redefine the power of youth culture, live music, and grassroots logistics in America.

#1969