The Object

Free tickets are now available for the next live taping of The Object podcast on Sunday, November 15, at 2 p.m. in the historic Pillsbury Auditorium at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. With special musical guest Chastity Brown, 'Wait Wait Don't Tell Me'-style quizzes and prizes, curator conversation, music, and of course storytelling—all about the art and artists of the Harlem Renaissance on roug...

Free tickets are now available for the next live taping of The Object podcast on Sunday, November 15, at 2 p.m. in the historic Pillsbury Auditorium at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. With special musical guest Chastity Brown, 'Wait Wait Don't Tell Me'-style quizzes and prizes, curator conversation, music, and of course storytelling—all about the art and artists of the Harlem Renaissance on roug...

In 1950, Robert Doisneau takes one of the most iconic photographs of Paris—a young couple kissing on the street—that eventually becomes a global symbol of romance, spontaneity, joie de vivre. But the real story is only now coming to light, a story about the world as it is and the world as we wish it to be. You can see the photograph in question here , in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute...

It is easily the most familiar painting in all of the Americas—Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Virgin Mary in a shawl of stars, against a blazing sunburst. As seen on candles, keychains, sugar skulls, even skateboards. And every year, millions of believers come to see the original, in Mexico City. But what is the story behind this literally iconic image, a story still unfolding some 500 years after con...

When Frida Kahlo dies, in 1954, she is soon forgotten. And then, suddenly, she is everywhere: on magnets, puzzles, underwear, flip-flops. How did this remarkable artist become an international icon, an emoji, a figure of fervid devotion? And what does she mean to those who believe? You can see Yasumasa Morimura's "An Inner Dialogue with Frida Kahlo," mentioned in the show, here in the collection o...

BIG NEWS: Our next FREE live taping of The Object podcast will be Sunday, November 15, at 2 p.m. in the historic Pillsbury Auditorium of the Minneapolis Institute of Art with special musical guest Chastity Brown! Featuring quizzes and prizes, curator conversation, music, and of course storytelling, all about the artists of the Harlem Renaissance on roughly its 100th anniversary. Explore the electr...

Every year, thousands of artists compete to get their work in front of millions of hot, bothered, blood-sugar-spiked visitors at the Minnesota State Fair. It's a tradition that goes back almost to the very beginning of the fair—and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, whose influence permeates the Fine Arts Building like the scent of so many Pronto Pups. Here, how the unnatural marriage of art and gl...

Back when The Odyssey was written down, some 2,700 years ago, the greatest thing you could do in life was to die. A glorious death in battle was the path to immortality for, well, mortals. An idea that resurfaces throughout history until fairly recently—when it meets its match in a war of many deaths and little glory. Whether you've seen the new Odyssey film with Matt Damon or not, this episode wi...

Even when horses were transportation, they were also transportive, inspiring poetry and art and sometimes war. Here, in the Year of the Horse, we recount the incredible saga of the so-called Celestial Horse, a breed from central Asia that seemed to represent everything good about this world and the next, driving a Chinese emperor mad with envy and sending tens of thousands of men to their doom. A...

Santiago Rusiñol is a newly married heir to a Barcelona textile fortune when he decides to become an artist in Paris instead, in the 1880s, influencing Picasso and inventing a new vocabulary for modern art. But when he comes across an idyllic seaside village back in Spain, he starts to paint an ideal life, including a quiet, summery patio you’d want to move into and never leave. And then he paints...

It is one of the greatest artworks of the Italian Renaissance, and for the better part of a century it was rolled up in storage. A tapestry—the art form of popes, kings, and emperors—bigger than any painting that has ever come to America from 16th-century Italy. Made in the famous Medici gardens where the Renaissance was nurtured. Hidden away at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Until now. A story...

Journalist Eric Kelsey was already familiar with "Sonja," the enigmatic portrait sometimes called the German Mona Lisa: a woman in black with short hair and cigarettes, sitting in a cafe. An iconic image of free-spirited Weimar Berlin almost since it was painted by Christian Schad in 1928. Then he realized who she really was.  Kelsey has now spent years researching his connection to "Sonja" and th...

This electrifying, sold-out live show of The Object podcast was recorded May 21, 2026, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art with host Tim Gihring and very special musical guests from the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers with Philip Brunelle conducting and playing the virginal (we had the same question; you'll have to listen to find out). It's a celebration of the 555th birthday of Albrecht Dürer , wit...

Simeon Solomon—bold, dashing, and openly gay—is a rising star in the Victorian art world when a scandal in 1873 supposedly forces him into obscurity, a cautionary tale for fans like Oscar Wilde. But the truth is more complicated and only now coming to light, revealing the fate of this forgotten figure as both more tragic and more inspiring. You can see an “allegorical self-portrait” here , from th...

In the 1940s, an heir to the Pillsbury flour fortune acquires an ancient Chinese bronze vessel, thousands of years old, in the form of an extremely charming owl. An instant visitor favorite at the Minneapolis Institute of Art—until, a couple of years ago, it falls from its perch. A story of the things we carry through time, what survives and what does not, and the recent miraculous resurrection of...

When World War II begins, Lee Miller is one of the most sought-after women in the world—a celebrated model, an irresistible muse, and an emerging photographer in her own right. So why does she trade the high life for the front line, risking everything to become the only female photojournalist allowed in combat? You can see photographs of Lee Miller in her modeling days—and photographs taken by Mil...

In the early 1930s, Max Beckmann is the biggest thing in Germany, the übermensch of art with his larger-than-life paintings and ego to match, peering over a champagne glass at the beautiful free spirits in the cabarets. But when Hitler takes over, Beckmann is in his crosshairs, forced to choose between creative freedom and the country he loves. An epic story of war and resilience, the sweep of his...

It is the stuff of legend: Claude Monet discovers Japanese art in the late 1800s, something clicks, and he goes on to become the most famous artist in the world. But one of his greatest influences on the other side of the earth is a mystery, the artist behind the “great wave” and hundreds of other iconic images. The artist who calls himself Hokusai (at least for a time)—and won't be nearly as luck...

It's the Season 8 premiere! Claude Monet, by the 1900s, is the most famous artist in the world, a singular genius (if not exactly genial). But there is another Monet: Blanche Hoschedé Monet. The only artist Claude Monet takes under his wing—and almost completely forgotten, until now. A story of what it means to be an artist, and what happens when your story is not your own. You can see Hoschedé Mo...

New season begins March 16! Now, an encore episode that was our most popular story a few seasons ago. About a woman who was once of the most recognizable  in the world, her long copper hair filling painting after painting, even if few people knew her name: Fanny Cornforth. Model, muse, and mistress to the most influential artists of the Victorian era, who she still had to fight for everything she...

Season 8 of The Object begins March 16! All-new episodes, bonus content, and more about the almost famous, the nearly lost, and more surprising true stories at the intersection of art and history. Subscribe now so you never miss an episode! Now, enjoy the second in our bonus series of Fireside Stories: The incredible, fast, and forgotten life of painter Bob Thompson. The original Basquiat, seeming...

This rollicking, sold-out live show of The Object podcast was recorded February 7, 2026, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art with host Tim Gihring and musical guest jeremy messersmith. It's our Valentine's show, with quizzes, storytelling, and curator conversation all about the gods in—and often out of—love.  Messersmith, a NPR Tiny Desk alum whose new song F••• This has become a viral hit, perfor...

One month to go until the new season of The Object premieres! Subscribe so you don't miss it, and in the meantime enjoy bonus and encore episodes like this one from early in The Object archives. William Edmondson is a middle-aged laborer in Nashville, Tennessee, at the height of the Great Depression, when God tells him to carve a tombstone. Soon, he's the first African American artist to have a so...

Free tickets are going fast for the next live taping of The Object podcast with special guest jeremy messersmith on February 7 in Mia’s historic Pillsbury Auditorium. A Valentine's show with jeremy performing live, storytelling, and "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" style quizzes, all about the art of love. It’s The Object LIVE!—everything you love about the podcast, live on stage. Reserve your free ticke...

Free tickets are going fast for our next live taping of The Object podcast with special guest musician Jeremy Messersmith , quizzes, and storytelling—all about the art of love. February 7 at 2PM in the historic Pillsbury Auditorium at our home museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Art. A place to come together in love, beauty, and reflection. Get tickets and details at the Tickets page at Artsmia.o...