Susan Stamberg

Turner appears in a new production of The Year of Magical Thinking, based on Didion's 2005 memoir. In one year, Didion's daughter fell into a coma and her husband of 40 years had a fatal heart attack.

The nearly 80-year-old artist has written a book called A History of Pictures. It's chock-full of art he has loved looking at and includes one painter he credits with inventing Hollywood lighting.

Some 700 Barbie dolls are visiting Paris this summer. They span almost six decades of pretty, plastic history, including Malibu Barbie, astronaut Barbie, and, of course, Royal Canadian Mountie Barbie.

A wealthy American living in Paris, Brooks had the freedom to paint whatever and however she wanted. In a subtle but powerful palette, she depicted androgynous women and melancholy nudes.

A really old French dress has sold for more than $150,000. The brocade gown is an exquisite example of the loose-fitting dresses that women — fed up with restrictive bodices — embraced in the 1700s.

Chase taught some of America's greatest artists, including Georgia O'Keeffe and Edward Hopper. On the centennial of the great teacher's death, a new exhibit in Washington, D.C., celebrates his life.

Philanthropist and collector Paul Mellon gave the gift of art to the American people. The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. is honoring that gift as part of its 75th anniversary celebration.

Philanthropist and art collector Paul Mellon gave the gift of art to the American people. The National Gallery of Art in Washington is honoring that gift as part of its 75th anniversary celebration.

Nearly 200 great works of unfinished art are now on display at The Met Breuer Museum in Manhattan. Spanning six centuries, the works offer a glimpse into the creative process — from Titian to Warhol.

The new exhibition features the likes of Billie Holiday and other jazz greats, from the 1920s to today. Photos, papers, video and scores are on display and will travel to Los Angeles later this year.

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, may be best known as King Louis XV's chief mistress. But she was also a well-educated tastemaker, a patron of the arts and an artist in her own right.

In a new biography called Her Again, author Michael Schulman says that at 14, Streep decided to reinvent herself — and before she was an Oscar winner, she was homecoming queen.

Behind every gleaming bathroom or expertly manicured lawn is a person tasked with its upkeep. These workers are the stars of Ramiro Gomez's art — he's a former nanny and the son of Mexican immigrants.

After the Industrial Revolution, artists started getting creative with some newly available black materials. An exhibit at LA's Getty museum celebrates their exploration of the shadows.

The Motion Picture and Television Fund is home to 200-plus residents who once worked on screen, behind cameras and in production rooms and secretarial pools.

All sorts of laws govern the use of children in movies, and studio teachers like Lois Yaroshefsky are in charge of enforcing them. As Jungle Book director Jon Favreau puts it, "Lois is the boss."

Contemporary art isn't easy, and the new museum's creators wanted first-time visitors to feel welcome. So The Broad's guards act as friendly ambassadors — ready to engage with visitors about the art.

This dramatic home — which you might recognize from The Big Lebowski — clings to the side of a canyon above Los Angeles. It's being given to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Rebecca Campbell's portrait series documents the female artists who go unnoticed or underrepresented. "I made it so that they didn't disappear," she says.

The First Folio is the first printed collection of all of Shakespeare's plays, assembled by two of his buddies after he died. Without it, plays like Macbeth and Twelfth Night might not have survived.