Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

The full title of the painting by Clara Peeters is Still life of roses, carnations, tulips, narcissi, irises, love-in-a-mist, larkspur, and other flowers, in a wicker basket, with a butterfly and a cricket.

See the Rediscovered Still Life by Forgotten 17th-Century Master Clara Peeters

The painting by the influential Flemish artist could sell for as much as $883,000 at auction

The Mona Lisa Foundation's new exhibition in Turin aims to convince viewers that the Isleworth Mona Lisa (left) is an early version of the world-famous Mona Lisa (right).

Is This an Early Draft of the ‘Mona Lisa’?

The “Isleworth Mona Lisa” is now on view in Turin—but many experts aren’t convinced it’s the work of Leonardo da Vinci

Advances in technology are making altering or faking content increasingly easier.

Merriam-Webster’s 2023 Word of the Year Is ‘Authentic’

As technology’s ability to manipulate reality improves, we’re all searching for the truth

The exhibition uses the Seattle Art Museum's double-height galleries to showcase works like the 22-foot-tall sculpture Red Curly Tail  (1970).

Expansive Alexander Calder Exhibition Opens in Seattle

“Calder: In Motion” celebrates the iconic artist’s innovative mobiles, sculptures and other works

A visitor examines artifacts from the exhibition "Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea" at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam in 2014.

Hundreds of Crimean Treasures Return to Ukraine After Long Legal Battle

When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the artifacts were on loan to a museum in the Netherlands

Diana first spotted the blouse on a rack of clothes presented to her by the fashion team at Vogue magazine.

Princess Diana’s Engagement Portrait Blouse Is for Sale

Diana wore the garment for a portrait that officially announced her engagement in 1981

Persimmons will hang at San Francisco's Asian Art Museum for a brief three weeks.

‘Zen Mona Lisa’ Travels to the United States for the Very First Time

Titled “Six Persimmons,” the famous 13th-century work hasn’t left Japan for hundreds of years

Flag design finalist submission F2100

See the Top Contenders for the New Minnesota State Flag

Picked from more than 2,600 submissions, the finalists pay homage to the state’s motto and nickname

The Lyric’s senior director of digital initiatives, Brad Dunn, meets with SoundShirt designers at CuteCircuit in London.

Art Meets Science

This High-Tech Shirt Helps Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Patrons Feel Music

Guests at Chicago’s Lyric Opera can now immerse themselves in performances through the SoundShirt’s vibrations

Jonny Fowle, global head of whisky at Sotheby's, tasted a tiny drop of the rare Scotch whisky and described it as "very rich."

Rare Bottle of Scotch Whisky Sells for Record-Breaking $2.7 Million

Made in 1926, the whisky aged in sherry casks for 60 years before being bottled in 1986

The sarcophagus of Ramses II is a major attraction in a new exhibition, as it has rarely been shown publicly outside of Egypt.

Why Egyptomania Is Taking Over Australia

A series of exhibitions in the country spotlight the enduring appeal of ancient Egypt for modern audiences

The Psychedelic Eye mosaic, once on the wall of the deep end of John Lennon's swimming pool, is now freestanding and up for auction.

John Lennon’s ‘Psychedelic Eye’ Swimming Pool Mosaic Goes to Auction

The famous musician commissioned the trippy mural for his home in Kenwood at the height of Beatlemania

John Legend is one of nine musicians who agreed to participate in YouTube's new Dream Tracks experiment.

Art Meets Science

YouTube’s New A.I. Music Generation Tool Mimics the Voices of Popular Singers

So far, nine artists—including John Legend, T-Pain, Demi Lovato and Charli XCX—have volunteered their voices

Banksy's Migrant Child has endured damage from the elements since it appeared in 2019. 

Why Restoring a Banksy Mural in Venice Is So Controversial

Critics argue that the street artist may have intended for the work to deteriorate over time

Thieves used a hammer to shatter the front door to the gallery and made off with a Chagall print.

Thieves With Hammer Stole $100,000 Chagall Print From Manhattan Gallery

The whereabouts of the work—and the individuals who conducted the “brazen” heist—remain a mystery

Cimabue's Christ Mocked (circa 1280)

Cool Finds

This Forgotten Masterpiece Was Hanging Above an Elderly French Woman’s Hot Plate. Now, It’s Heading to the Louvre

The French government gave the museum 30 months to raise the funds to purchase the Cimabue painting

A drawing of a musical lion from 14th-century France

Why Is Medieval Art So Weird?

Titled “Weird Medieval Guys,” a new book examines illustrations of armless frogs, human-sized snails and more

Taylor Swift performing during her record-breaking Eras Tour.

Taylor Swift-Themed Cruise Sets Sail Next Year

The four-night sailing is organized by Swifties, though the singer-songwriter herself won’t be on board

A museum visitor wears the new headset, which collects brainwave data that is used to create real-time images visualizing their response to art.

Art Meets Science

See What Your Brain Does When You Look at Art

A new device translates museum-goers’ brainwaves into a simplified real-time visualization

A portrait of William Shakespeare at the edge of space in a still from the short film Lovers and Madmen

Shakespeare’s Portrait Travels to Edge of Space

The stunt was planned to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s First Folio

Page 52 of 286