The Voice of Portugal July 23 | The birth date of Amália Rodrigues, Portugal’s Greatest Fadista — the Portuguese term for fado singer. With her deep, melancholic voice, she brought the feeling of 'saudade' — an untranslatable Portuguese longing — to stages…
Dutch Master of the Golden Age. July 15 | The birthday of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), one of the most famous painters the Netherlands has ever produced. He rose to become the most important painter of the Dutch Golden Age. His work…
Master of Gold and the Viennese Fin de Siècle July 14 | Today is the birthday of Gustav Klimt. With gold leaf, ornate patterns, and an unmistakable fascination with women, he created work that more than a hundred years later…
An iconic Mexican artist July 6 | The birthday of Frida Kahlo (1907–1954), one of the most recognizable female artists of the twentieth century. With her brightly colored self-portraits, her connection to Mexican folk culture, and her turbulent life alongside…
A Revolutionary Anarchist June 27 | The birth date of Emma Goldman, one of the most influential political activists of the twentieth century. Throughout her life, she turned the established order upside down. Her ideas on freedom, equality, and individual…
A forgotten genius with a poetic voice. June 19 | The birthday of Nick Drake (1948-1974) — one of the most acclaimed and at the same time most misunderstood musicians of the twentieth century. His three studio albums — released between 1969 and 1972…
The elegant 'Dame en Noir' of French chanson. June 9 | The birthday of Barbara (1930–1997) —the absolute pinnacle of the French chanson tradition. Her dark and intense stage presence made her a legend. Her biography follows. The digital…
Global star | Resistance heroine | Civil rights activist June 3 | The birthday of Josephine Baker (1906 – 1975) One of the most extraordinary women of the twentieth century. Born into poverty in St. Louis, Missouri, she rose to become the most celebrated entertainer…
Picasso of jazz. May 26 | Birthday of Miles Davis (1926–1991), one of the greatest musicians in the history of jazz and twentieth-century music. In his fifty-year career, he went through several musical revolutions: bebop, cool jazz, hard…
Prima ballerina assoluta. May 18: Birthday of Margot Fonteyn (1919–1991), one of the greatest ballerinas of the twentieth century — and much more than that. She was a cultural icon who managed to connect ballet with a broad international audience.…