The remains of a sixth-century Byzantine church dedicated to an unnamed “glorious martyr” with elaborate mosaics, a rare crypt and a large collection of lamps were unveiled in central Israel on Wednesday. The complex, which spans over a third of an acre, was found during salvage excavations ahead of the construction of a new neighbourhood for the city Bet Shemesh, west of Jerusalem. The mosaics in the church depict themes from nature, such as leaves, birds and fruit, as well as geometrical elements, with imported capitals topping pillars, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority, which carried out the excavation. Most of the construction of the church began during the reign of Emperor Justinian, who ruled between 527-565, with a chapel added later under Emperor Tiberius II Constantine, with rare financial support from him, the IAA said in a statement. An underground burial chamber with two separate

From 23 October 2019 to 16 February 2020, the Städel Museum is devoting an extensive exhibition to the painter Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890). It focuses on the creation of the “legend of Van Gogh” around 1900 as well as his significance to modern art in Germany. Featuring 50 of his key works, it is the most comprehensive presentation in Germany to include works by the painter for nearly 20 years. MAKING VAN GOGH addresses the special role that gallery owners, museums, private collectors and art critics played in Germany in the early twentieth century for the posthumous reception of Van Gogh as the “father of modern art”. Just less than 15 years after his death, in this country Van Gogh was perceived as one of the most important precursor of modern painting. Van Gogh’s life and

When you think of insects, art may not be the first word that comes to mind. Where many see nuisance pests and recoil, artist Jennifer Angus looks deeper and embraces their natural beauty — the rainbow colors of their giant wings and exoskeleton, the wispiness of an antenna, the jagged design of their legs. In her eyes, insects are not to be feared, but celebrated. Angus, one of the top contemporary installation artists in the country, hopes her latest project at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg will rekindle a sense of discovery and respect for the importance and beauty of what she calls the “six-legged kingdom.” ‘The Grasshopper and the Ant’ and Other Stories, as told by Jennifer Angus, on view through January 5, 2020, creates a wondrous environment where thousands of exotic, brilliantly-colored insects reign in the nearly 7,000-square-foot gallery space within the MFA’s Hough Wing.