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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Meules à Giverny, Claude Monet, 1893

One of Monet’s Late Haystack Paintings Could Sell for More Than $30 Million

The sale of “Meules à Giverny” (1893) will coincide with the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris

Cicada salad, roasted cicadas and cicada casseroles are among the insect-based dishes on offer at restaurants across the country.

From Dinner Parties to Restaurants, Cicadas Are Landing in the Kitchen

Professional and amateur chefs nationwide are preparing to serve cicada dishes as the rare double brooding begins

Alicia Vikander as Catherine Parr in Firebrand, an upcoming film from director Karim Aïnouz

Based on a True Story

Watch the Trailer for ‘Firebrand,’ a New Drama About Henry VIII’s Sixth Wife, Catherine Parr

Karim Aïnouz’s film features Alicia Vikander and Jude Law as the Tudor queen and king

Canaletto's 18th century painting, The Stonemason’s Yard, depicts stone workers in a Venetian city square. 

A Canaletto Masterpiece Stowed in a Mine During World War II Returns to Wales

“The Stonemason’s Yard” was one of many paintings that officials took from the National Gallery in London and moved underground to keep safe from Nazi forces

A team of 18 bakers worked for hours to create the record-breaking loaf.

French Bakers Set a New World Record by Making a 461-Foot-Long Baguette

The previous world record was set by a group of bakers in Italy in 2019

In A Woman Sewing With Two Children, the central character wears a light wash denim apron.

When Were Blue Jeans Invented? These Paintings Suggest the Fashion Trend Dates Back to the 1600s

Ten paintings attributed to the “Master of the Blue Jeans” depict Italian peasants wearing the storied fabric

From May 28 until October, the Prado Museum in Madrid will display Caravaggio's rediscovered Ecce Homo.

Spain’s Prado Museum Will Showcase a Lost Caravaggio That Nearly Sold for Under $2,000

The rediscovered painting is one of 60 known pieces by the Italian artist and “one of the most valuable old master artworks in the world”

Louvre employees rehung Eugene Delacroix's 1830 oil painting Liberty Leading the People on Thursday after a six-month restoration.

The Paris Olympics

‘Liberty Leading the People’ Returns to the Louvre After a Breathtaking Restoration

Eugène Delacroix’s 1830 oil painting had been covered in grime and discolored by eight layers of varnish

The exhibition features recreations of the tomb's antechamber, burial chamber and treasury.

See 1,000 Perfect Replicas of Objects Unearthed From King Tut’s Tomb

A traveling exhibition on view in Washington, D.C. blends education and entertainment, letting visitors get up close and personal with the ancient Egyptian pharaoh’s treasures

Dutch settlers "bought" the island of Manahatta from the Lenape in 1626.

Happy 400th Birthday to New Amsterdam, the Dutch Settlement That Became New York

In 1624, Dutch settlers arrived in Manhattan. Now, officials are marking the milestone with an honest examination of the past

Leonardo is best known for painting the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper.

The Louvre Is Thinking About Moving the ‘Mona Lisa’ to Its Own Room Underground

Officials hope to improve visitors’ experience in the Paris museum’s Salle des États

On April 25, protesters demonstrate against Venice's new day-tripper tax.

Venice’s First-of-Its-Kind ‘Day-Tripper Tax’ Sparks Outrage

Protestors say the entry fee is an ineffective solution to the city’s overtourism challenges

John Lennon plays the rediscovered 12-string Framus Hootenanny guitar.

Cool Finds

Man Finds John Lennon’s Forgotten Guitar in His Father’s Attic

The 12-string instrument, which is going to auction in late May, spent 50 years hidden away in the British countryside

The Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney is home to Australia's largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts.

Australian Museum Removes Mummified Body Parts From Display

“We have become so accustomed to seeing them on show that we often forget they once belonged to living people,” says Melanie Pitkin, a senior curator at the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney

The Enterprise model had been missing for decades when it reappeared in an eBay listing last fall.

Original ‘Star Trek’ Enterprise Model Resurfaces Decades After It Went Missing

The model used in the original series’ opening credits is now back with Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the show’s creator

Authorities don't know why the sails fell off in the early hours of April 25.

Moulin Rouge Windmill Blades Fall Off in the Middle of the Night

The iconic Paris landmark has never experienced such a mishap in its 135-year history

Japanese Americans were forced to leave behind their homes and belongings, then report to incarceration sites.

The Public Finally Has Access to an Accurate List of Japanese Americans Detained During World War II

Researchers who spent years fixing errors in shoddy government records have partnered with Ancestry to make a wide selection of historical documents related to the period available for free

The statue was unveiled on what would have been Elizabeth's 98th birthday.

New Statue Honors Elizabeth II—and Her Beloved Corgis

The seven-foot-tall bronze monument is billed as the “first permanent memorial” to the late queen

Police recovered Salvator Rosa's A Rocky Coast, With Soldiers Studying a Plan, from a man in Romania.

Lost 17th-Century Painting Returns to an Oxford Gallery Four Years After It Was Stolen

“A Rocky Coast, With Soldiers Studying a Plan” was recovered from a man in Romania who alerted the authorities

The cathedral's collection of Mays paintings includes Aubin Vouet's Le Centurion Corneille aux pieds de Saint Pierre, completed in 1639.

Oil Paintings Rescued From Notre-Dame Cathedral Fire Go on Display

Known as the “Mays,” the artworks were created for an annual competition in the 17th century

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