Why these all-white paintings are in museums and mine aren’t

Why do all-white paintings sell for millions of dollars and end up in museums? Help us make more ambitious videos by joining the Vox Video Lab. It gets you exclusive perks, like livestream Q&As with all the Vox creators, a badge that levels up over time, and video extras bringing you closer to our work! Learn more at So-called “white paintings“ are in museums all across the world and Robert Ryman’s all-white painting “Bridge“ sold for a record $20.6 million at a Christie’s auction in 2015. How are these seemingly plain white paintings considered art and why is it that not anyone can pick up a tube of white paint and make one? We talk to Elisabeth Sherman, an assistant curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York about why there is much more to these paintings than meets the eye, and while you could have painted on of these priceless pieces of art, you didn’t. is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what’s really driving the events in the headlines. Check out to get up to speed on everything from Kurdistan to the Kim Kardashian app. Check out our full video catalog: Follow Vox on Twitter: Or on Facebook: