Here's a small picture of Jennifer Rubell's sculpture series "Nutcrackers," and there's a lightly NSFW video of the nutcrackers in action after the jump.

More photos are here.

These nutcrackers are, like in the ballet, also a bit like a little girl's dream come to life. They remind me of Suzanne. I think I already wrote about Suzanne. Suzanne was a mannequin that I got for Christmas one year because I wanted a big doll. She was really frightening in the end. 

ALL OF THE MASCARAS, $32 (were $45, $133 value) Now retire to your laBOR-a-tory and don't come out until you've figured out which one is The Best.

Another Tuesday, another look back at some twisted ancient curses featuring eight-pointed stars covering people's genitals. "An eight-point star covers the deity's genitals and snakes project out of its head," reads the description of the first curse tablet, on which the text apparently reads, in part, "Crush, kill Fistus the senator … May Fistus dilute, languish, sink and may all his limbs dissolve." The second one is more aimed at crushing and destroying souls, hearts, and livers.

No word on whether the curses worked, but it's something to give a whirl at home. No, never curse anyone.

"Well, this is probably cheating but I would take my computer — with Internet access — and … have access to millions of art objects and written material about them on the Web. Yes, definitely cheating…" —The Association of Art Historians asked cheater Frances Follin (check out what time her day starts!) and seven others 10 questions about their field, including which piece of art they'd take to a desert island. Sharon Hecker played by the rules and said the Mona Lisa. Hm.

"Munch made four versions of “The Scream.” Three are now in Norwegian museums; the one that sold on Wednesday, a pastel on board from 1895, was the only one still in private hands. It was sold by Petter Olsen, a Norwegian businessman and shipping heir whose father was a friend, neighbor and patron of the artist."

Four versions, eh? Lesson: cut those annoying friends of your parents' some slack. Edvard Munch was a violently psychotic alcoholic who had to undergo electroshock therapy, but it was softened a bit by his resemblance to Paul Newman. (If only they'd known this in the 1880s!) The version of "The Scream" [...]

"Down goes Marie Malchodi, 48, who attended but never graduated from Brown, down to the library’s subterranean warrens, where she works as a “book conservation technician.” She sweeps her long dark hair into a bun, pierces it with a paint brush and starts her day, caring for ancient books and ephemera that are sensitive to the touch." —Today, The New York Times has a beautiful little story about a beautiful little thing Marie found hiding in a book.

Look at all that old junk!