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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Faithfuls kneel on the new restored Holy Stair (Scala Santa) at San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome.

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For the First Time in 300 Years, Pilgrims Can Climb These Holy Marble Steps

Worshippers can kneel up the 28 steps some believe Jesus ascended to receive his death sentence

Palestinians gather to perform the Friday prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in Jerusalem

A Small Fire Broke Out at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque as Flames Ravaged Notre-Dame

The blaze left the Islamic holy site largely untouched, damaging a single mobile guard booth

Religious artifacts saved from Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral stored in a room of the Paris City Hall on April 16.

What Happened to Notre-Dame’s Precious Art and Artifacts?

Officials say the ‘main works of art’ were saved. But others have been lost or seriously damaged

Young Thug wore a dress by designer Alessandro Trincone on the cover of his 2016 mixtape

Boston Museum Launches First Large-Scale Exhibition on Non-Binary Fashion

The show features a tuxedo worn by Marlene Dietrich, a suit worn by David Bowie and contemporary designs by Rei Kawakubo

A firefighter is seen fighting the flames at Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019

Historic Notre-Dame Cathedral Salvaged From Blaze

After a tense few hours, firefighters announce they saved the landmark from ‘total destruction’

The planned museum is set to be built in Poissy, home of Le Corbusier's famed Villa Savoye

The Controversy Over the Planned Le Corbusier Museum

Scholars, architects have accused France’s culture ministry of “complicity in an attempt to rehabilitate” Le Corbusier’s legacy

"We didn’t just want to view Weimar from its ending,” exhibition curator Simone Erpel says

What the Weimar Republic Can Teach Us About Modern Democracy

A Berlin exhibition draws on some 250 artifacts to explore questions of democracy past and present

David Bradley, "Hopi Maidens," 2012

David Bradley Retrospective Captures Lasting Legacy of Contemporary Native Artist

More than 30 works from his nearly 40-year career are featured in the traveling show, now in Los Angeles

"Landscape 8P" (1473) will be on display in the Italian town of Vinci's castle to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo's death this May.

Was Leonardo da Vinci, a Famous Lefty, Actually Ambidextrous?

A study finds that one inscription on an early Leonardo drawing was penned with the artist’s left hand, while another was written with his right

Edvard Munch, "Self-Portrait with Tulla Larsen," ca. 1905

British Museum Reunites Portrait That Edvard Munch Sawed in Half to Avenge His Fiancée

The Norwegian painter split the canvas in two following a violent breakup with partner Tulla Larsen

A trio of air conditioners failed to meet manufacturer recommendations regarding the use of separate circuit breakers and grounding devices

A Faulty Air Conditioning Unit Sparked the Brazil National Museum Fire

The September 2018 blaze destroyed the 200-year-old building and reduced the majority of its 20-million artifact collection to ash

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Thank Dan Robbins for the Paint-by-Number Craze

Robbins, who died this month at 93, came up with the kits that let millions of people try their hand at painting

Win a Sleepover at the Louvre, for One Night Only

Here’s your chance to lounge with the Mona Lisa and dine with the Venus de Milo

Thor Heyerdahl photographed with archaeological artifacts from Easter Island

Norway Will Repatriate Thousands of Artifacts Taken From Easter Island

Thor Heyerdahl Jr. says his late father had promised to return the items after they had been analyzed and detailed in published works

These illustrations come from a miniature book of classical Persian poetry.

The Library of Congress Has Digitized 155 Persian Texts Dating Back to the 13th Century

Offerings include a book of poetry featuring the epic Shahnameh and a biography of Shah Jahan, the emperor who built the Taj Mahal

"Slow looking" is impossible in Yayoi Kusama's popular "Infinity Mirror Rooms," which enforce a strict 30-second visitor time limit

This Saturday, Museums Across the Globe Are Asking Visitors to Linger for Slow Art Day

166 institutions are participating in the 10th-annual event, which encourages visitors to spend 5 to 10 minutes in front of a single work of art

Swiss Miss sells more than 50 million boxes every year

Charles Sanna’s Cocoa Packets Changed the Way We Drink Hot Chocolate

Sanna invented Swiss Miss, the first instant hot chocolate mix that could be made with hot water instead of milk

Vending Machines Dispense Short Stories in London’s Canary Wharf

The free stories come in one, three or five-minute reads

Installation view of "Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock and Roll"

Hitting the High Notes: A Smithsonian Year of Music

From Buddy Holly to Lady Gaga, the Met’s New ‘Play It Loud’ Exhibit Features the Instruments of Rock and Roll Greats

The show includes more than 130 guitars, drum kits and keyboards, as well as vintage costumes, posters and concert footage

It’s believed the tower will be visible from 40 miles away.

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A Tiny Danish Town Plans to Build Western Europe’s Tallest Skyscraper

The town of Brande (population: 7,000) is headquarters of clothing brand Bestseller, which wants to construct the 1,049-foot spire

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