The Easel | Art journalism

7th April 2026

‘New Humans’ and the Strange End of Contemporary Art as We Know It

Ben Davis | artnet news | 19th March 2026

The New Museum’s post-renovation show frames our current moment as one of “existential questioning”. Are we being replaced by algorithms or robots? Will our future be better with yet more technology or perhaps less? Many writers wonder what forms the new art will take but this sort of questioning surely isn’t new. It’s exactly what modernism was about. This writer offers up his description of the new art to come – “works that uniquely activate your sense of being a body in physical space with others”.

1st April 2026

Raphael at the Met, Review: A Must-See Show the ‘Greatest Influencer’

Alex Greenberger | MSN | 26th April 2026

Critics don’t really review this show, they simply murmur reverences After apprenticing in Urbino and an uneventful stay in Florence, Raphael found fame in Papal Rome. His paintings, alongside drawings, tapestries and architecture, had “remarkable narrative force” and conveyed “an earthbound humanity that was [previously] missing”. Says the curator, he was fully the equal of Leonardo and Michelangelo.. Vasari, writing in 1550, said “nature created [Raphael] as a gift to the world”. Sounds about right.

da Vinci Leonardo humanism Michelangelo New York Raphael Renaissance USA

Older links

What People Say About The Easel

Romas Tauras

Every issue contains some gems. It’s the most anticipated newsletter I receive because it not only finds some excellent art writing but also helps give me a sense of broader trends in the art world....

The Easel

2021-03-05T07:31:27+11:00

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/romas-tauras/

Robert Cottrell

The Easel is one of the world’s great newsletters, a model of taste and intelligence; and Andrew Bailey is one of the world’s most discerning editors.

former deputy editor of The Economist and a senior journalist for the Financial Times

The Easel

2020-06-10T22:33:45+10:00

former deputy editor of The Economist and a senior journalist for the Financial Times

The Easel is one of the world’s great newsletters, a model of taste and intelligence; and Andrew Bailey is one of the world’s most discerning editors.

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/robert-cottrell/

Love this Compilation

Simply love this compilation, possibly the best out there online.

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel

2020-06-14T21:06:54+10:00

Easel subscriber, August 2019

Simply love this compilation, possibly the best out there online.

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/love-this-compilation/

In-depth Reading

Really enjoy the newsletter. Look forward to it. Almost always something in it I save for in-depth reading.

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel

2020-06-14T21:04:49+10:00

Easel subscriber, August 2019

Really enjoy the newsletter. Look forward to it. Almost always something in it I save for in-depth reading.

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/in-depth-reading/

Wide Range of Topics

I live on the remote island of Fair Isle … the wide range [of topics] is good for me.

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel

2020-06-10T23:09:01+10:00

Easel subscriber, August 2019

I live on the remote island of Fair Isle … the wide range [of topics] is good for me.

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/wide-range-of-topics/

Well-curated

I think that The Easel is one of the truly fine aggregation sites, as is. To use current trendy parlance, it's well-curated

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel

2020-06-10T23:08:02+10:00

Easel subscriber, August 2019

I think that The Easel is one of the truly fine aggregation sites, as is. To use current trendy parlance, it's well-curated

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/well-curated/

Terrific Content & Links

The content and links to other sources terrific. The one para description helps me select the articles of most interest.

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel

2020-06-10T22:56:56+10:00

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The content and links to other sources terrific. The one para description helps me select the articles of most interest.

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/terrific-content-links/

The Week’s Best Art-writing

The Easel is my go-to for the week’s best art-writing. Always accessible, The Easel is a great resource for collectors looking for a deeper understanding of art and ideas.

Gallery Director, London and New York

The Easel

2020-06-10T22:55:33+10:00

Gallery Director, London and New York

The Easel is my go-to for the week’s best art-writing. Always accessible, The Easel is a great resource for collectors looking for a deeper understanding of art and ideas.

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/the-weeks-best-art-writing/

Smart, Surprising, Engaging & Accessible

Always smart, surprising, engaging, and accessible, The Easel brilliantly curates the art world, pointing us towards those ‘ironic points of light’ that are still able to give us needed hope in this strange world we now inhabit.

David Scott Kastan, Yale University. Author of On Color

The Easel

2020-06-10T22:43:36+10:00

David Scott Kastan, Yale University. Author of On Color

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/smart-surprising-engaging-and-accessible/

Succinct & So Well Edited

The Easel is lovely and succinct and so well edited. It is the only bulletin/newsletter I have elected to keep receiving as there are so many ut there. Thank you!

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel

2020-06-10T22:35:09+10:00

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel is lovely and succinct and so well edited. It is the only bulletin/newsletter I have elected to keep receiving as there are so many ut there. Thank you!

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/succinct-and-so-well-edited/

The Easel