This report from the BBC sounds more like science fiction than fact but it is true. Einstein's brain has been stored in jars and on slides since his death sixty years ago. Apparently a young pathologist saved the material and it remains in his possession. He claims to be writing a scientific paper about it although to date no evidence of writing or publication can be seen. Einstein himself, according to his son, wanted to be cremated with no public attention focused on his brain after his death. The brain was divided into 240 blocks, small pieces of which were sent to eminent physicians. The only response came from the U. S. Army, who wanted to compete with the Russians in examining the brains of geniuses. Curiously there was apparently no clear physical evidence of superiority in the physical brain. It makes for a fascinating story.

Cliff Garten is one of those artists with mega-sized visions and the technical ability to pull it off. Each of his large-scale public installations is accompanied by prints, but the beauty of the light-infused landscape projects is what really makes him stand out. He has written, "Sculpture defines our interaction and movement by creating energy between things, generating interest in public activity, reframing our private lives and creating a sense of place within public and private realms." You might want to spend some time on this site - there is much to be seen.

If you love the ocean as much as I do, then you will appreciate the glass creations of Marsha Blaker and Paul DeSomma. I have watched their work evolve over the years at fairs and exhibitions and I can attest to the exquisite craftsmanship that they have developed. The artists trap bubbles within the blown glass and then add white foam for details.

Three amateur spelunkers (read lovers of exploring caves as a hobby) stumbled upon a cave in Southern France and discovered a site with drawings and paintings dating back some 36,000 years. Concerned that an influx of tourists to view the world's oldest prehistoric art would damage the site, the French have come up with an ingenious solution. They are now selling tickets to a huge undertaking: they took six thouand digital photos and superimposed them upon computer-generated cave walls. Although roughly 1/2 the size of the original site, the replica faithfully reproduces the artwork, including paw prints and red ochre palm prints. Due to open to the public this month, the exhibition has already generated 40,000 ticket sales.

A rare opportunity to see many of Rembrandt's later works is now being offered at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. At a time when the artist was suffering personal hardships and financial ruin, Rembrandt produced some of his most intimate and innovative portraits. Beset by ruin and loss, after a brilliant start to his career, Rembrandt was forced to sell his house and his art collection in order to survive. Commissions were withdrawn, purchased paintings were rejected, and public institutions reviled the artist as he painted some of his greatest masterpieces.

By now you may have guessed that I have a spot in my heart for glass. Here Niyoko Ikuta uses sheets of laminated glass in spiraling shapes. Ikuta has been working in glass since 1980 and his professionalism is evident.

"America is Hard to See" is the title of the inaugural exhibition at the new Whitney Museum of Art. The show covers four floors with 600 artworks created during a span of 100 years. Some names are more familiar than others, but this site gives you a good overview of the exhibit.

Following the death of his wife and collaborator Jeanne Claude, Christo has just produced his first major installation since "The Gates" was shown in New York City in 2005. Titled "The Floating Piers", Christo's newest public art connects two of Italy's islands with the mainland, using shimmering yellow nylon. Included in the installation are 200,000 high-density polyethylene cubes floating on the lake.

Don't let the headlines mislead you: the Museum of Modern Art in New York City has embraced the future in a courageous way that few other museums can claim. First they bought a 3D printed dress composed of 18,000 parts that took 14 months to fabricate. Now their newest show, "Bjork: Retrospective", has generated negative reviews, like these: from Michael D. Chilton of Art Tomorrow: This show is basically what happens when you interbreed a Chuck E. Cheese franchise, a dead swan, a party of elves breakdancing atop a volcano, and Klaus Biesenbach's growing collection of Lady Gaga's underwear"; and from Ben Harris of Art Now: an oozing stain of disgrace-juice slowly dribbling down a once-proud face. On the other hand, Scott Indrisek on Bloun Art Info calls it a masterpiece. What's the problem? Upon entering the exhibit, you have to watch a video ad for Volkswagon's 2015 Jetta. The curator decided to require all visitors to wear a molded-plastic Bjork mask (apparently to erase any sense of self), while the sound track in the entryway is a mashup of Bjork clearing her throat. The ultra far-out technology utilized throughout the exhibition can be unnerving, if it works. But it sounds gutsy indeed, ground-breaking, and certainly worthy of a major museum trying to educate the public rather than pander to the boring and safe. If I lived anywhere near there, I would definitely go.

If you have visited the Digital Giraffe studio, then you have seen an unusual digital sculpture called The Gungulus. Carved in China, the sculpture turns color from pale pink to deep red when it gets wet. At this site you can see photographs of reddish sandstone from the Danxia region in Gansu province showing what happens to sandstone that has been eroded.

The Tate London is featuring the work of Sonia Delaunay, including paintings, textiles and clothes. Delaunay was part of the Paris avant-garde during the first half of the 20th century, with a career spanning some sixty years. This is the first major retrospective of her work.

New York artist Lisa Yuskavage has been painting renaissance-style portraits of women, frequently nude and set against landscapes or deeply-saturated color backgrounds. Now she has turned her attention to men, showing them with shaggy hair, sometimes nude, definitely eerie. Yuskavage says she has been working with a technique called "cangiantismo". Used by Michelangelo, the technique involves painting important figures like saints in glowing colors against bland backgrounds. (click on the double arrows at the bottom of the painting to see it enlarged). More of her paintings can be see at the David Zwirner website, where you can click on Survey:Selected Works for additional pieces.

c. Corinne Whitaker 2015