The Cult of the Amateur, Revived
Just what makes a dilettante?

Someone who simply appreciates art,
or who appreciates it superficially?

At the Getty Villa this fall, you can find out from the men who coined the term. And even more about why the word evolved into a jibe after they left the scene.

So, a group of high society-types getting together to commission and examine artwork in stuffy old drawing rooms? Nothing interesting or new, you say. But look a little further at “The Society of the Dilettanti.”

During a time when sowing one’s oats on a post-graduate “Grand Tour” of Europe was considered a necessary part of education for society folk, there arose a group of party boy art patrons whose continental antics became so storied and salacious, today’s generation of celebu-tantes could hardly imagine.

In 1734, a group of overly educated and presumably very board, idly rich London men, who’d become friends on their European tours, created a secret brotherhood – the Society of the Dilettanti, named after the Italian word for “delight.” They dedicated themselves to celebrating “Grecian Taste and Roman Spirit,” becoming known for their true love of culture, at the same time as their true love for wine, women and song. more

Shang-Higher
World's Tallest Hotel Opens in China

We've hit the post-Olympic period, and it's rough.

No more feats of godlike human endurance; no more Misty and Kerri on your HD 24/7. But even though Beijing's time has come and gone, Nadal and Federer will be heading back to the PRC—to Shanghai, China's newest "It" city.

While much has been made of Beijing's renaissance, Shanghai has undergone a transformation of its own, starting with an ever-climbing skyline. The 1,600-foot Shanghai World Financial Center, the tallest building in China ... more