5 d. ago Media mogul's horror kidnap and death after being buried alive in a box

In 1987, a media heir was buried in a plywood box before he suffocated and died when his kidnappers failed to make contact with his wealthy family for a $1m ransom

Events

3 w. ago The Guardian view on art and health: the masterpiece can cure the body as well as the soul | Editorial

From a Van Gogh self-portrait to Gauguin’s dreamscapes, new studies show that seeing original art can calm stress and boost healthIn an era characterised by burnout and doomscrolling, a therapeutic alternative is hanging on a gallery wall. When volunteers at London’s Courtauld Gallery stood before Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait With Bandaged Ear, Manet’s Bar at the Folies-Bergère, and Gauguin’s Te Rerioa, their stress and inflammation levels dropped compared with those of volunteers viewing reproductions. Science suggests that original art is a medicine that one can view rather than swallow.That art can lift spirits is well known. But that it calms the body is novel. A study by King’s College London asked participants to look at masterworks by 19th-century post-impressionists – Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet and Gauguin – while strapped to sensors. Half the group saw the originals in the gallery, half viewed copies in a lab. The results were clear: going to art galleries is good f...

Politics

3 w. ago NYC’s Met is sued by heirs of Jewish family claiming museum’s Van Gogh painting was looted by Nazis

The painting has had several owners since the Nazi’s confiscated it from a Jewish family, a lawsuit claims

Politics

3 w. ago NYC’s Met is sued by Jewish family claiming museum’s Van Gogh painting was looted by Nazis

The painting has had several owners since the Nazi’s confiscated it from a Jewish family, a lawsuit claims

Politics

4 w. ago Picture of health: going to art galleries can improve wellbeing, study reveals

Viewing original works of art can relieve stress, cut heart disease risk and boost immune system, first study of its kind findsEnjoying original works of art in a gallery can relieve stress, reduce the risk of heart disease and boost your immune system, according to the first study of its kind.Researchers measured the physiological responses of participants while viewing masterpieces by world-renowned artists including Manet, Van Gogh and Gauguin in a gallery. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Looking at art in galleries can provide immediate stress relief, study finds

The findings suggest art does not just move people emotionally, but can also calm the body.

Politics