Leading the revival of realism in the visual arts, the Art Renewal Center® (ARC), a 501(c)(3), non-profit, educational foundation, hosts the largest online museum dedicated to representational art and includes works by the old masters, 19th century, and 21st Century Artists as well as articles, letters and other online resources. The ARC is the foremost and only vetting service for representational art schools ensuring that the teaching curricula and quality of teacher and student work meet our strict standards to become ARC ApprovedR. The ARC also runs the ARC Salon Competition, which is the largest and most prestigious competition in the world for realist artists painting, sculpting and drawing today with eleven categories and thousands of works competing, culminating in a live exhibition of many of the winning works. The ARC works with other ARC Allied OrganizationsTM, artist groups, museums, and publications to become a central news hub for the 21st Century Representational Art Movement. Read the ARC Philosophy written by ARC Chairman, Frederick C. Ross, to learn why ARC is so passionately dedicated to representational art.
Most Recent Blog
Venice and the Ottoman Empire Published on 7 July, 2025
Between 1400 and 1800, Venice—an astonishing city built on hundreds of small islands off the coast of northeast Italy—stood at the crossroads of a vast trade network connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe. To maintain its status as an international emporium, with markets full of spices, ceramics, metalwork, textiles, and other goods, Venice acquired overseas territories to its east and cultivated close ties with the Ottomans, whose empire became the wealthiest and most powerful in the Eastern Mediterranean after their conquest of Constantinople in 1453 and widespread expansion in the sixteenth century.
This ambitious cross-cultural exhibition about the Republic of Venice (697–1797) and the Ottoman Empire (ca. 1299–1922) explores a major chapter in world history. Featuring more than 150 works of art, the exhibition draws from the vast and varied collections of seven Venetian museums.
The exhibition is on view until September 1, 2025 at the Frist Art Museum, 919 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203.
To learn more, click here.
For more events, visit the ARC Calendar.
The ARC Museum is the largest online museum dedicated completely to realist art work. It contains tens of thousands of images by thousands of artists and includes works by 19th century and old master artists through our general search pages, as well as 21st century realist works by our ARC Affiliated ArtistsSM.
Our news section consists of two parts, the first being our News Blog where we post daily to keep our viewers informed on relevant topics about realist art and the second is our Events Calendar which is an interactive calendar listing of all the exciting realist art events taking place around the world including: exhibitions, lectures, open houses, competitions, artist demonstrations, video and podcast releases, publication releases, enrollment dates and more. The calendar can also be viewed in three ways, as a calendar, a general listing, or as a world map.
As a non-profit educational foundation, education is one of our primary goals. Here is where you can find our ARC ApprovedR School listing, ARChives where we have our articles, letters and more, The Da Vinci Initiative which focuses on skill-based learning in K-12 classrooms, artist interviews, artist demonstrations, podcasts, self help books and more.
Find out more about the ARC and its staff. Learn about our mission and ARC philosophy. Find information on ARC Allied Organizations and how to contact us.
View the results of past and current ARC competitions or submit your entries here. The ARC holds two types of competitions. The ARC Scholarship Competition, held every May, gives thousands of dollars in direct financial aid to students attending ARC ApprovedR Schools. The International ARC Salon, the most prestigious realist art competition in the Americas and perhaps the world, offers over $100,000 in cash awards and International recognition through partnerships with prestigious magazines, galleries, museum exhibitions, and a strong online presence.
Help support the ARC by purchasing fine art prints, books, DVDs, or more. Here you will also find information on image usage and advertising rates.
🎂 Born on this day
- Baron Heinrich von Angeli (1840-1925)
- Armando Menocal (1863-1942)
💀 Died on this day
- Tom Thomson (1877-1917)
- Paul Albert Steck (1866-1924)
- Yelena Kiselyova (1878-1974)
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