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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

In lieu of visiting Yellowstone (pictured here) and other national parks in person, try exploring them virtually.

Covid-19

How COVID-19 Is Affecting the United States’ National Parks

Some sites have closed completely, while others are making modifications to promote social distancing

A stained glass window designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany is one of many artworks available for your perusal.

Virtual Travel

68 Cultural, Historical and Scientific Collections You Can Explore Online

Tour world-class museums, read historic cookbooks, browse interactive maps and more

Batman's iconic sidekick Robin provides pep and puns to offset the billionaire's brooding personality.

Celebrating the 80th Anniversary of Batman’s Sidekick, Robin

Many teens have taken on the role, but not every Robin was a “boy” wonder

A roughly 20,000-year-old engraved, pocket-sized rock that may depict a sun, eye or flower

Cool Finds

Portable, Pocket-Sized Rock Art Discovered in Ice Age Indonesian Cave

The findings further refute the outdated notion that humans’ capacity for complex artistic expression evolved exclusively in Europe

The Vatican Museums (pictured here), the Anne Frank House and the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City are among the many cultural institutions with online offerings.

Virtual Travel

Ten Museums You Can Virtually Visit

Museums are closing their doors amid the coronavirus crisis, but many offer digital exhibitions visitors can browse from the comfort of home

A two-page spread from the We All Rise coloring book

Covid-19

A Detroit Gallery Is Providing Kids With Coloring Books—and Meals—Amid COVID-19

The Library Street Collective’s “We All Rise” coloring book features drawings by around 30 contemporary artists

Restoration work at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris has paused as France works to control the spread of COVID-19.

Covid-19

Notre-Dame Restoration Pauses Amid France’s Two-Week Lockdown

Lead decontamination policies enacted in August are now in conflict with measures to prevent spread of COVID-19

A part-human, part-insect glyph found in Iran

Cool Finds

Possible Half-Human, Half-Praying-Mantis Carving Found on Ancient Rocks

The puzzling glyph, which bears some resemblance to the “squatting man” motif, suggests that insects have long held a place in human lore

Anthony van Dyck, A Soldier on Horseback, c. 1616

Thieves Steal Three Precious Artworks From Oxford Gallery

Together, the paintings—including one by Anthony van Dyck—could be worth around £10 million if sold on the open market

An Etlatongo ballplayer figurine unearthed at the site

Cool Finds

Newly Unearthed Mesoamerican Ball Court Offers Insights on Game’s Origins

“This could be the oldest and longest-lived team ball game in the world,” says one archaeologist

A view of the deserted courtyard outside the closed Louvre

Covid-19

How COVID-19 Is Affecting the Cultural World

Museum closures and event cancellations abound as officials rush to contain the new coronavirus’ spread

Figurines on display at Poland's Cat Museum

Poland’s Only Cat Museum Puts Couple’s Private Collection of Trinkets on Display

The pint-sized institution, which opened last year, is filled with 1,000 feline-themed knickknacks that journeyed with their owners from Ukraine

This porcelain pot with enamel decorations is one of 100 teapots on display in the Met's updated British Galleries.

A Story of an Empire, Told Through Tea

The Met has revamped its British Galleries, drawing on luxurious artifacts to highlight the country’s history of exploitation

The Box Museum in England will open this May with an exhibit featuring 14 19th-century naval figureheads

Rescued From Rot, 19th-Century Naval Figureheads to Feature in New Exhibit

A collection of 14 restored wooden statues, including a two-ton William IV, will be shown at the Box Museum in England

The thrift store find is part of the artist's Divine Comedy series, seen here during a 2014 exhibition in Frankfurt Oder, Germany.

Cool Finds

Thrift Store Find Identified as Original Salvador Dalí Print

The Spanish Surrealist painted a series of 100 watercolors inspired by Dante’s “Divine Comedy”

Christian Schmutz of the Swiss Cheesemakers Association hoists a 77-pound wheel of gruyère, which won the World Championship Cheese Contest last week.

Holey Cow Product! Swiss Gruyère Claims Cheese Championship

This is the cheesy content readers crave

The manuscript features an array of gilded designs and illustrations.

Stolen Collection of Persian Poetry Found With Help of ‘Indiana Jones of the Art World’ Goes on Auction

The 15th-century edition of Hafez’s “Divan” will be sold at Sotheby’s next month

Workers discovered the bones in a lead container hidden in the walls of the Church of St. Mary and St. Eanswythe.

Bones Unearthed in English Church Likely Belong to Seventh-Century Saint

Eanswythe was the granddaughter of Ethelbert, the first English king to convert to Christianity

El Tendedero/The Clothesline Project, an installation by Mónica Mayer in which women were invited to vent their frustrations about their city on a piece of pink paper

#5WomenArtists Campaign Tackles Gender Inequity for the Fifth Year in a Row

Though women make up nearly half of visual artists in the United States, they represent just 13 percent of artists in museum collections

Florence Nightingale in bed at South Street in 1906, aged 86

Celebrate Florence Nightingale’s 200th Birthday With Exhibit Featuring Her Famed Lamp, Pet Owl

The Florence Nightingale Museum in London seeks to illuminate the “full story” of the pioneering healthcare reformer

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