Painting

Creation of the Birds, 1957, by Remedios Varo, is one of more than 60 works featured in a new Chicago exhibition about the Surrealist.

How Remedios Varo Became One of the 'Witches' of Surrealism

In Mexico City, the Spanish-born artist created dreamlike works that drew on magic, mysticism and more

Wispy gold interneurons and astrocyte cells surround large cortical neurons in this painting of the brain’s inner circuitry.

See Seven Stunning Gold Paintings Inspired by the Brain

Artist Greg Dunn creates breathtaking renderings of neurons and their surrounding anatomy

Wendy Red Star (Apsáalooke/Crow), Four Seasons series: Summer, 2006, archival pigment print, edition 27, 23 x 26 inches

These Artists Are Redefining the American West

A new Smithsonian American Art Museum show surveys the work of Black, Asian American, Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and Latinx artists who have lived in the region

The "1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions" exhibition is on display at the National Portrait Gallery through February 25, 2024.

How the War of 1898 Changed History Forever—in the United States and Beyond

When the nascent naval power invaded Puerto Rico, three artists captured the moment, each explaining its significance in their own way

Researchers uncovered this image of a woman under The Fifth Season (1943) using infrared reflectography.

A Mysterious Portrait Was Discovered Beneath a René Magritte Painting

Researchers found the image using infrared reflectography, and they think it may depict the artist's wife, Georgette

From his home in Ontario, Samuel Peralta displays a sample gold NanoFiche—similar to the smaller, nickel-based NanoFiche that will be traveling to the lunar surface.

The Lunar Codex Will Archive the Work of 30,000 Artists—on the Moon

A series of time capsules will honor and preserve contemporary art from around the globe

Frida Kahlo's Diego on My Mind (Self-Portrait as Tehuana) (1943)

Follow Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Through Post-Revolution Mexico

The famous couple's artistic and political legacies are at the center of a new exhibition in Australia

Robert Houle. Red is Beautiful, 1970. Acrylic on canvas, 45.5 x 61 cm. Canadian Museum of History.

Making Strong Points Through Vivid Color Has Been Artist Robert Houle's Life Work

The first major retrospective of the Anishinaabe artist in the United States shows how he combines ancestral design and abstract painting

Tony Bennett painting in June 1971

Tony Bennett's Passion for Art Lives On in His Paintings

Smithsonian curators reflect on the beloved crooner's legacy as a musician and visual artist

A portrait of the Ramesses II (left) and researchers Philippe Walter and Catherine Defeyt using portable X-ray fluorescence equipment to take measurements (right)

X-Rays Uncover the Secrets of 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Paintings

A new study provides insight into how tomb painters altered their work over time

"1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions" exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery

See a Life-Size Portrait of Queen Lili‘uokalani, the Last Reigning Monarch of Hawai‘i

The William Cogswell painting, now on display at the National Portrait Gallery, was likely a means for the ruler to assert her right to the throne

Images of human figures are visible in the Bronze Age paintings.

Eagle-Eyed Hiker Spots Bronze Age Rock Paintings in Norway

Tormod Fjeld and two friends have spent years searching for traces of rock art in their free time

In the exhibition, Basquiat’s art and objects are described not in esoteric art world terms but in loving, even playful ways, often from the perspective of his sisters, Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux

For Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat's Family, This Exhibition Was a Means of Grieving

Visitors to "Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure," now in Los Angeles, walk through the late artist’s studio and connect with him on a personal level

An animated rendering of one of Leonardo's designs for a flying machine

Explore Animated Models, Digitized Sketches and More in Leonardo da Vinci's Largest-Ever Online Retrospective

The new Google Arts & Culture hub features high-resolution scans, 3D renderings and artificial intelligence experiments

Members of Extinction Rebellion NYC and Rise and Resist gathered at the Met to protest the indictment of Joanna Smith and Tim Martin.

Protesters at the Met Condemn 'Unjustifiably Harsh' Charges Against Two Climate Activists

Both are facing up to five years in prison for smearing paint on the glass case of a Degas sculpture

A recently unearthed fresco at a house in Pompeii shows a flatbread that could have been a precursor to pizza.

Does This Pompeii Painting Depict a 2,000-Year-Old Pizza?

The fresco features a flatbread with a variety of toppings—but no tomato and mozzarella

Losang Samten, a Tibetan American scholar and former Buddhist monk, will create, with the help of festivalgoers, a sand mandala.

The 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival Explores the Many Ways Americans Express Their Spirituality

Tibetan Buddhist monks, Yiddish musicians and many more creatives will share their cultural practices with visitors to the National Mall

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How Graffiti Left a Mark on the Art Scene

Hip-hop’s street artists created a splashy new genre that burst into galleries and museums

This icon featuring images of Saints Sergius and Bacchus is one of four encaustic paintings on display at the Louvre after being evacuated from Ukraine.

Secretly Evacuated From Ukraine, Rare Icons Now on View at the Louvre

Amid Russian attacks, Kyiv's Khanenko Museum sent 16 precious artworks to Paris for safekeeping

Paula Rego drew inspiration for her triptych Crivelli’s Garden (top) from a 1490s altarpiece, La Madonna della Rondine (above), by Carlo Crivelli. She said of her fanciful, figure-packed work: “The whole thing is full of stories, it’s just story after story after story.”

The Inspiration Behind a Monumental Display of Biblical Women

An artist conjures a whimsical new version of a magnificent 15th-century mural

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