Notes on Portraiture and Sport

Washington Exhibits: Blake Gopnik,"Powerful Acts of Portrayal," Washington Post, 9 July, reviews Facing East: Portraits from Asia, an exhibit of millenia of Asian portraiture at Washington's Sackler Gallery that runs through 4 September. Holland Cotter,"When Venice Shook the World," NYTimes, 7 July, reviews Bellini, Giorgione, Titian and the Renaissance of Venetian Painting, an exhibit at Washington's National Gallery of Art that runs through 17 September.

When the Derby was Black: Between 1875 and 1896, 12 of 22 Kentucky Derby winning jockeys were African Americans. After 1903, none were. Gerald Early's"Blinkers On: A Biography of the Last Black Jockey to Win the Derby," BookForum, Summer, reviews Joe Drape, Black Maestro: The Epic Life of an American Legend. Thanks to Arts & Letters Daily for the tip.

Historical Slimsuits: Slate and I celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the bikini this week. See: Julia Turner,"A Brief History of the Bikini: How the Tiny Swimsuit Conquered America," Slate, 5 July; and Bryan Curtis,"The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: An Intellectual History," Slate, 16 February 2005.

Finally, Monty Python's Philosophical Football: The Greek Allstars take on the German Obscurantists. Thanks to Scott Eric Kaufman at Acephalous for the tip.