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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

David Hockney painted California (1965) after traveling to Los Angeles for the first time.

One of David Hockney’s First Pool Paintings Is Going on View for the First Time in 40 Years

“California,” which set the stage for the British artist’s later poolside pieces, is expected to sell for more than $20 million

Protesters throw soup at the Mona Lisa's protective glass covering at the Louvre on January 28.

Climate Activists Throw Soup at the ‘Mona Lisa’

Protected by bulletproof glass, Leonardo da Vinci’s famous masterpiece was not harmed

Portrait of Fräulein Lieser, the 31-by-55-inch work by Gustav Klimt, at a press conference in Vienna

Cool Finds

Lost Gustav Klimt Portrait Rediscovered Nearly 100 Years After It Vanished

“Portrait of Fräulein Lieser,” one of the last works the Austrian artist painted before his death, could sell for over $50 million

A winding walkway from Mary Miss' Greenwood Pond: Double Site in 2014

Iowa Museum Plans to Tear Down Acclaimed Land Art Installation

Known as the country’s first urban wetland project, “Greenwood Pond” has been declared “no longer salvageable” due to financial constraints and structural decay

A gilded unicorn atop a silver baton from the regalia of Scotland's Usher of the White Rod

How the Unicorn Became an Enduring Symbol—and Scotland’s National Animal

The Perth Museum’s inaugural exhibition examines the mythical creature’s long history

An oak peacock moth lands on a window behind dancing wedding guests, illuminated in red light. This photograph won the category for butterflies and dragonflies.

See 11 Winning Images From the Close-Up Photographer of the Year Awards

Focused on little details of animals and plants, these stunning shots spotlight the world’s tiny wonders

The latest winner of a Japanese literary prize said she used ChatGPT to write parts of her novel.

Art Meets Science

ChatGPT Helped Write This Award-Winning Japanese Novel

After receiving the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, Rie Kudan spoke about why she used A.I. to write a portion of her work

Firefighters work to control the blaze at the National Art Gallery in Abkhazia on January 21.

Fire Destroys 4,000 Paintings at Abkhazia’s National Art Gallery

The blaze, which spared only some 150 artworks, is a devastating cultural loss for the region

Pablo Picasso's Tête is one of two paintings involved in a $900,000 art heist.

Picasso and Chagall Paintings Found in Antwerp Basement—14 Years After They Vanished

Police conducted a months-long operation to recover the works, which had been stolen from their owner’s home in 2010

"Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Exhibition" is a new gallery experience dedicated to real-life photography that reflects the director's signature style.

‘Accidentally Wes Anderson’ Photographs Go on View in London

Based on a popular Instagram account, the show is a collection of real-life images that mimic the filmmaker’s aesthetic

Italian junior culture minister and art critic Vittorio Sgarbi faces pressure to resign following accusations.

Italian Minister Accused of Owning Stolen 17th-Century Painting

Vittorio Sgarbi is under investigation for laundering an artwork that vanished from a castle over a decade ago

Duncan Grant’s studio

This Museum Is Searching for Lost Artworks by Members of the Bloomsbury Group

The Charleston museum is launching a new initiative to acquire 50 privately owned works by 2030

Fire investigators determined the blaze was an accident, likely set by a fire someone had started to keep warm in the alley behind the building.

Works by Picasso, Rembrandt Damaged in Seattle Gallery Fire

Davidson Galleries had been preparing to move to a new location, so some of its works were especially vulnerable to smoke damage

Found by workers during recent restorations, the wall paintings feature three crowned motifs.

Cool Finds

Forgotten Tudor Wall Paintings Discovered in a Cambridge University Loft Space

Unseen for nearly 300 years, the art resurfaced during restorations at Christ’s College

Elton John performing during his farewell tour at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles

Elton John Just Became an EGOT Winner

With his victory at last night’s Emmy Awards, the celebrated musician is the 19th person in history to take home an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony

The new street sign in Paris' 13th arrondissement

You Can Now Walk Down ‘Rue David Bowie’ in Paris

The city’s 13th arrondissement honored the British musical legend on what would have been his 77th birthday

Camille Pissarro's Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon, Effect of Rain (1897) hangs at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid.

Court Rules Against Returning Nazi-Looted Pissarro Painting to Jewish Family

Sold in exchange for exit visas in 1939, the estimated $30 million masterpiece will stay at a Spanish museum

The National Portrait Gallery in London is missing 45 items, according to PA Media's investigation.

What Are the 1,700 Items Missing From England’s Museums?

Freedom of information requests have revealed more details about absent artifacts from the last 20 years

Welcome Park is named after the ship that brought Penn across the Atlantic in 1682.

Officials Reverse Plans to Remove William Penn Statue From a Philadelphia Park

The National Park Service had proposed replacing the statue with public resources showcasing the city’s Native American history

Artist Keith Haring in his New York City studio in the 1980s

A.I. ‘Completes’ Keith Haring’s Intentionally Unfinished Painting

Critics say the image is disrespectful of the original work, which the artist made as a commentary on the AIDS epidemic

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