Tag Archives: University of Chicago

History: “Aztec Art And The Fragility Of Empire” (Art Institute Chicago)

Aztec art drew on the Mesoamerican past, citing works from the ancient cities of Teotihuacan and Tula to lend authority and legitimacy to the new empire. But this engagement with the past also provoked reflection on the inevitable end of empire and the cyclicality of time, themes that resonate as the five hundredth anniversary of the Spanish invasion of Mexico unfolds this year. In this illustrated lecture, Claudia Brittenham, University of Chicago, discusses how Aztec art reflects this engagement with this historical past. This lecture delivered on October 31, 2019, was generously sponsored by the Boshell Foundation Lecture Fund.

Video Profiles: 92-Year Old Collector And Academic Herbert Lust (Sotheby’s)

Looking back on nearly a century-long life, Herbert Lust can’t help but feel lucky. He has one of the finest collections of works by artists including Alberto Giacometti, Robert Indiana and Hans Bellmer, among others. But he didn’t just collect these influential artists — he learned from them, challenged them and perhaps most importantly, he had the chance to befriend them. In this episode of A Life Less Ordinary, Lust recounts a life of eccentric curiosity, from his youth in rural Indiana to his career as an investment banker and eventually to his status as one of the leading collectors of art in New York. The close relationships he formed with artists would transform the way Lust perceived and collected art, and today offer us a rare, intimate view into the minds of 20th century icons.

History & Politics: “Why Some Nations Prosper And Others Fail” (Big Brains Podcast, James Robinson)

From the University of Chicago:

Big Brains PodcastIt’s a simple question to ask, but seems impossible to answer: What causes one nation to succeed and another to fail? What exactly are the origins of global inequality?

The Narrow Corridor James RobinsonThere are few people who have spent more time trying to answer this question than Prof. James Robinson. Robinson’ first book, Why Nations Fail, was an international best-seller. It laid out in clear and stark terms what the origins of prosperity and poverty really are. Now, he’s written a sequel, The Narrow Corridor, which further explains what ingredients you need to create a prosperous nation.

To read more: https://news.uchicago.edu/big-brains-podcast-why-some-nations-prosper-and-others-fail-james-robinson?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UChicago_News_Dec_5_2019

Science Profiles: 97-Year Old Professor John B. Goodenough Becomes Oldest Nobel Prize Winner In Chemistry

From a UChicago News online article:

Univ of Chicago Professor John Goodenough Wins 2019 Nobel Prize in ChemistryThree-quarters of a century later, at age 97, Goodenough will become the oldest person to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. At a Dec. 10 ceremony in Sweden, he will be honored for pioneering breakthroughs that led to the widespread use of the lithium-ion battery—and helping spark the wireless revolution. The descendants of his batteries now power modern smartphones and hold the potential to one day sustainably harvest solar and wind power.

John B. Goodenough can still remember, word for word, what a University of Chicago professor told him when he arrived on campus following World War II: “I don’t understand you veterans,” said John A. Simpson, a new UChicago instructor who had just helped achieve the first nuclear reaction. “Don’t you know that anyone who has ever done anything significant in physics had already done it by the time he was your age—and you want to begin?”

To read more: http://news.uchicago.edu/story/uchicago-nobel-how-john-goodenough-sparked-wireless-revolution?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UChicago_News_Dec_3_2019