NB! · Art · Observations · Reportage · Humour

Penny-pinching, 2024 edition: the Blazar contemporary art fair now charges for carrier bags, though we must be grateful that Sellotape and bubble wrap are still provided free of charge

Figurine of a coachman in a green coat driving three horses, with two men in bicorn hats seated in the sleigh under a fur rug.

Art · People · Humour

Napoleon and his general in a Russian troika on a 20th-century Thuringian figurine group

Napoleon's Flight from Russia. It is curious that, according to the artist's conception, Napoleon and his general are speeding along in a Russian troika driven by a Russian coachman. Thuringia, 20th century

NB! · Art · Observations · People · Humour

Frédéric Bazille's Portrait of Renoir as a Reminder That All Our Beloved Old Men Were Once Young, and Perhaps Sat in an Armchair With Their Feet Up

Art · Mores · Paris · People · Pop Culture · Humour

In 1980 Dalí sent Yoko Ono a dry blade of grass for 10,000 dollars instead of a hair

How Salvador Dalí Sold Yoko Ono a Blade of Grass for $10,000. Some episodes from the life of Salvador Dalí, for all their plausibility, may seem entirely apocryphal: a kind of definition of Surrealism itself. Yoko Ono and Salvador Dalí first met in 1969, when Ono and John Lennon

Monarchies · Observations · Mores · Humour

Harry reportedly ready to return to royal duties if William apologises to him

More than four years have passed since Harold and Meghan left the royal family. Have you noticed how quiet and peaceful it has become? No grubby sensations, no vulgar scandals and, above all, it turns out that the institution of the British monarchy, with a history of more than a

Art · Humour

Vulcan Forging Arrows for Cupid

Vulcan Forging Arrows for Cupid. Alessandro Tiarini, 1620s–1630s. Wicked little Cupid wants to be certain that every one of his arrows is lethally sharp. Careful!