Nina Siegal

Amsterdam

Freelance Writer at Freelance

Culture Writer at The New York Times

Culture writer for The New York Times from Amsterdam. Author of three novels and a forthcoming nonfiction book. Mom, dog owner, kickboxer

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Articles

Can Shoplifting Be Justified? This Artist Wants You to Decide.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Nina Siegal

Dries Verhoeven has constructed a replica grocery store for his latest provocative performance. Between two aisles of a grocery store, a woman is having a destructive meltdown. She opens a jar of applesauce, spits in it and returns it to the shelf. She squirts a tube of mayonnaise onto the floor, then smears tomato sauce from a container on her chest. Climbing the shelves, she recites a soliloquy on the joys of shoplifting. "Why call it stealing?" she says, with surprising calm.
'The Art Spy,' by Michelle Young

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Nina Siegal

In "The Art Spy," Michelle Young shines new light on the heroic French curator Rose Valland. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. THE ART SPY: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland, by Michelle YoungIn 1980, while living in Belgium, the historian Lynn H.
Fenix, a Museum of Migration, Opens in Rotterdam

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Nina Siegal

A new institution in the harbor of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, combines art and artifacts to underscore that migrant journeys are part of a universal human experience. More than a century ago, millions of people trying to escape poverty, persecution or war in Europe boarded ships in the harbor of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for a trans-Atlantic journey to a new life.
The Spy in the Jeu de Paume | Nina Siegal

1 month ago | nybooks.com | Nina Siegal

The word “resistance” is in heavy rotation these days, but it’s difficult to pin down its meaning in the current political landscape. For Americans of the last generation, however, it generally referred to the heroic French Resistance, which fought fascism during World War II by means of espionage and sabotage. This Resistance was not a single unified movement.
A Rarely Seen Angel With a Lesson From History

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Nina Siegal

Paul Klee's "Angelus Novus," which inspired Walter Benjamin, Laurie Anderson and Wim Wenders, will go on show to commemorate the 80th anniversary of World War II's end. The angel is kept in a state of darkness, because it is delicate and vulnerable to light. The subject of a century of philosophical debate, and the inspiration for works of poetry, theater, music and film, the angel, called "Angelus Novus," is a powerfully enigmatic figure.
Van Gogh or not?

2 months ago | thestar.com.my | Nina Siegal

STUART Pivar, a 94-year-old chemical engineer in New York, has spent a lifetime collecting art and antiques. His collection of around 300 pieces includes works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jackson Pollock, Edgar Degas – and a portrait of himself by his friend Andy Warhol.
Hiding 'Girl With a Pearl Earring' From the Nazis

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Nina Siegal

At first it went to a bomb shelter in the basement of a museum, then an art bunker built into the dunes on the North Sea in the Netherlands. Toward the end of the war it was hidden in a secured cave in Maastricht, a Dutch city near the Belgian border.
Van Gogh or faux? Weeding out fakes is starting to take a toll

Mar 28, 2025 | nzherald.co.nz | Nina Siegal

The sign Vincent on the back of the canvas of the Auvers, 1890, part of Stuart Pivar's collection. Photo / Peter Fisher, The New York TimesAttributing a work to the artist generally requires authentication by the Van Gogh Museum, but lawsuits and an influx of requests have made it reassess that role. Stuart Pivar, a 94-year-old chemical engineer who lives in New York, has been collecting art and antiques since he was a child.
When the Wild Child Egon Schiele Grew Up

Mar 26, 2025 | nytimes.com | Nina Siegal

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. On Oct. 27, 1918, Egon Schiele sketched his wife, Edith, pregnant and feverish in bed. She died from influenza the next day. He died three days later. Edith, 25, and Egon Schiele, 28, were two of an estimated 50 million victims of the flu pandemic that began sweeping through Europe that year.
Van Gogh or Faux? Weeding Out Fakes Is Starting to Take a Toll.

Mar 24, 2025 | rethinking65.com | Nina Siegal

Stuart Pivar, a 94-year-old chemical engineer who lives in New York, has been collecting art and antiques since he was a child. He estimates he has picked up about 300 pieces over the years, including a portrait of himself by his friend Andy Warhol and paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jackson Pollock and Edgar Degas. Pivar is also convinced that he owns an unsung masterpiece by Vincent van Gogh, a large landscape titled “Auvers, 1890” that is signed “Vincent” on the back.