Few architectural landmarks possess the cultural and spiritual significance of Notre-Dame de Paris. Nearly destroyed by the devastating 2019 fire and reopened in 2024, the cathedral continues to captivate visitors with its layered history and symbolism. Among its most recognizable features are the famous gargoyles—mysterious stone figures commonly associated with monsters, yet deeply rooted in medieval religious thought and architectural design.

In the 1920s and 1930s, a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan transformed into the epicenter of one of the most powerful cultural movements in American history. The Harlem Renaissance was vibrant, diverse, and deeply influential, spanning literature, visual art, and music. Because of its richness and complexity, there is no single, simple answer to the question, “What was the Harlem Renaissance?”—it must be understood through its many interconnected forms of expression.

The recently published catalog “Russian Icons: The Oleg Kushnirskiy Collection” serves as an excellent starting point for serious scholarly inquiry into late Russian iconography. The presented collection is distinctive from both aesthetic and religious perspectives, as it focuses on the 17th to early 20th centuries of Russian icon painting—periods often underrepresented in institutional collections.