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Arts & Culture / Art & Artists

Dale William Nichols. American, 1904-1995. McCormick Reaper, circa 1945. Oil on canvas.

Impressionism Into Modernism: Crafting America’s Unique Style of Art

After the Civil War, Americans became more interested in European art—and creating a kind of art completely their own

As soon as Wonder Woman appeared in Sensation Comics, beginning with her cover debut in 1942, she caused a stir. "Wonder Woman is not sufficiently dressed," one bishop groused.

The Surprising Origin Story of Wonder Woman

The history of the comic-book superhero’s creation seven decades ago has been hidden away—until now

A Persian calligraphy that developed in 14th-century Iran, nasta'liq, is the focus of a new exhibition at the Sackler Gallery. The script in this work dates to the early 1600s.

Long Before Emojis, the Picassos of Persian Calligraphy Brought Emotion to Writing

The world’s first exhibition devoted to nasta’liq, a Persian calligraphy, is now on view at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

William Greiner's photographs, including Merry's, are on view in "Oh! Augusta!" at the Morris Museum of Art in Georgia.

Capturing First Impressions of a City in Transition

William Greiner’s photographs are on view at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, GA

Cyclists Inspecting Ancient Petroglyphs, Utah, 1998: Texas-based photographer Terry Falke captures several of the exhibition's themes in this image of cyclists examining petroglyphs and bullet holes in a stratified rock face by the side of the road in Utah. "You’ve got the ultimate strata, which is man-made, so the idea is that we are impacting, we’re leaving our mark on the Earth over time as well," says Talasek.

Anthropocene

What Does “Deep Time” Mean to You?

An art exhibition at the National Academy of Sciences offers perspective on our geological past and future

The AverageExplorer software aggregates thousands of wedding photos into representations of what the average shot looks like.

Software Creates One Picture That Says It All

Researchers at UC Berkeley have created software that averages image searches into one artistic result

Los Angeles, California, 1969

Garry Winogrand’s Photographs Capture ‘America’s Busy, Teeming, Intricate Whirl’ After World War II

An exhibition takes a look at the mix of optimism and unease that permeated the post-war nation’s populace

The oaten pipes hydroid (Tubularia indivisa) is a small colonial predator native to the North Atlantic.

Art Meets Science

College Students Studied These Mail-Order Sea Creatures in the Late 1800s

Restored glass models of marine invertebrates, made by artists Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, are on display at the Harvard Museum of Natural History

Roman Vishniac, [Dancers Emily Frankel and Mark Ryder, Vishniac Portrait Studio, New York], early 1950s.

See Jewish Life Before the Holocaust Through a Newly Released Digital Archive

Roman Vishniac’s extensive work, now open to the public, is ready for some crowd-sourced historical detective work

Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota tied red yarn to hundreds of unpaired shoes for "Perspectives," opening August 30 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

What’s In a Shoe? Japanese Artist Chiharu Shiota Investigates

An artist takes on the soul in the sole of your shoes in an exhibition at the Sackler Gallery of Art

Russian artist Dmitry Morozov has devised a way to make pollution beautiful.

7 Ways Technology is Changing How Art is Made

Technology is redefining art in strange, new ways. Works are created by people moving through laser beams or from data gathered on air pollution

Illustrator Anthony Freda adapted Norman Rockwell's The Runaway to comment on police following this month's events in Ferguson, Missouri.

Rethinking Rockwell in the Time of Ferguson

An illustrator adapted Rockwell’s The Runaway based on images of contemporary police

“We had ears open to all the influences that were around us,” Debbie Harry recently told Interview magazine.

What New Wave Brought to Rock ‘n’ Roll

There will always be a new music craze out to getcha, getcha, getcha

Rooms: At the Cooper Hewitt, once Andrew Carnegie’s mansion, Kalman’s selections will be displayed in the Music Room.

Famed Illustrator Maira Kalman Takes on the Cooper Hewitt’s Collections

In her latest book, the noted artist juxtaposes treasured personal objects with items from the Smithsonian design museum

Jessica Rath sculpts paragon and roma tomatoes from life.

Art Meets Science

These Sculptures of Giant Tomatoes Are Ripe For the Picking

What physical traits do humans find desirable? Artist Jessica Rath looks in her grocery store’s produce section for answers

Wile E. Coyote caught in his own trap

What’s Up, Doc? Check Out the Work of Famed Animator Chuck Jones

As part of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, Jones’ work will travel to 13 locations through 2019

Teamwork Builds Ships, ca. 1918, William Dodge Stevens

World War I: 100 Years Later

The Posters That Sold World War I to the American Public

A vehemently isolationist nation needed enticement to join the European war effort. These advertisements were part of the campaign to do just that

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Art Meets Science

Old Time Portraits of Parasites

Photographer Marcus DeSieno uses antiquated techniques to take pictures of parasites with a mix of citizen science and monster movie panache

Maureen Yancey donated her late son’s Akai MIDI Production Center 3000 Limited Edition (MPC) and his custom-made Minimoog Voyager synthesizer to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Breaking Ground

The Legacy of Hip-Hop Producer J Dilla Will Be Recognized

The late producer’s mother announced she is donating his synthesizer and beat machine to the African American History Museum

"Watermarks" earned first place in the contest. “The way water in this picture found its way back to the ocean reminded me of a peacock's tail spreading under the sun or a woman's hair blowing in the wind,” Sadri writes.

Art Meets Science

Who Knew Fungi and Fruit Fly Ovaries Could Be So Beautiful?

Princeton University’s annual science art contest shines a light on the research world, adding a video element this year

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