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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Arthur Brand, dubbed the "Indiana Jones" of the art world, has helped recover six stolen historical Dutch artworks from the comfort of his Amsterdam flat.

Cool Finds

Mysterious Man Returns Six Stolen Paintings to Art Detective’s Doorstep

The puzzling incident comes just weeks after an anonymous tipster delivered a stolen van Gogh to Arthur Brand’s flat in Amsterdam

Of the nearly 2,000 items missing from Welsh museums, more than half are from St. Fagans in Cardiff, Wales.

Nearly 2,000 Items Are Missing From Welsh Museums

Museum officials say that many of the objects will likely be recovered as documentation work progresses

Children Wading (1918), painted by Scottish artist Robert Gemmell Hutchison, was recovered thanks to the Art Loss Register's database.

A Painting Stolen in a Heist 30 Years Ago Has Returned to Glasgow

After vanishing without a trace in 1989, “Children Wading” appeared at an auction house in England

Signage at Netflix's campus in Hollywood, California

Netflix Plans to Open Brick-and-Mortar Stores in 2025

Visitors will dine at themed restaurants and participate in immersive experiences

Merchandise inside Banksy's London pop-up, Gross Domestic Product, which the artist created in an attempt to hold onto his trademark during ongoing legal battles with the greeting card company Full Colour Black.

Could This Lawsuit Expose Banksy’s Identity?

The legal battle between the street artist and a greeting card company has been unfolding for several years

Painted by Leonardo da Vinci sometime between 1503 and 1519, the Mona Lisa is on display at the Louvre.

Art Meets Science

Scientists Are Still Unraveling the Secrets of the ‘Mona Lisa’

A new chemical analysis sheds new light on how Leonardo da Vinci painted the iconic portrait

Eric Clapton's guitar, called the "Fool," features a bright, psychedelic design.

You Can Own Guitars Played by Eric Clapton and Kurt Cobain

Both instruments are expected to sell for between $1 million and $2 million at auction next month

A historic dwelling where enslaved individuals once slept will be on display at the park.

New Alabama Sculpture Park Reflects on Slavery’s Enduring Legacy

The Freedom Monument Sculpture Park in Montgomery will feature works from prominent artists, artifacts, immersive experiences and a new monument

Travis Gienger attends the weigh-in for his 2,749-pound gourd at the 2023 World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. 

Minnesota Man Sets World Record With 2,749-Pound Pumpkin

Travis Gienger is a horticulture teacher who grows his award-winning gourds in his backyard

Experts used X-ray and infrared imaging to determine that Rembrandt painted The Adoration of the Kings (circa 1628).

A Painting Originally Valued at $15,000 Turned Out to Be a Rembrandt. Now, It Could Sell for Millions

The hand behind the brush can make or break a painting’s worth—especially when that hand belongs to a legendary Dutch master

Another supposedly unlucky thing: black cats.

Why Are We So Scared of Friday the 13th?

From the Knights Templar to Norse mythology, here’s how fear of the spooky date crept into popular culture

"The Master's Pupil" is a hand-painted video game that takes place inside Claude Monet's eyeball.

This New Hand-Painted Video Game Takes Place Inside Claude Monet’s Eyeball

Australian designer and developer Pat Naoum spent seven years creating “The Master’s Pupil”

Shakespeare may have performed on floorboards recently discovered at a theater in England in 1592 or 1593.

Cool Finds

Did Shakespeare Perform on These Newly Discovered Floorboards?

A historic theater in England claims to have found the Bard’s only surviving stage

Narges Mohammadi, pictured here in April 2021, won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for advocating for women's rights in Iran.

Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Iranian Rights Activist Narges Mohammadi

Mohammadi, who is currently in prison, is at the forefront of the fight against oppression in Iran

Pamela Singh's Chipko Tree Huggers of the Himalayas #4, 1994

Art Meets Science

London Exhibition Explores the Link Between Gender and Ecology

“Re/Sisters,” now open at the Barbican Art Gallery, features the works of nearly 50 women and nonbinary artists

Norwegian writer Jon Fosse is the recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Jon Fosse Wins the Nobel Prize in Literature for Work Probing ‘Human Anxiety and Ambivalence’

The dramatist and author is the first-ever laureate in the prize’s history to write in Nynorsk, a written form of the Norwegian language

Nicks revealed the Barbie version of herself during her concert at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

Stevie Nicks Gets Her Own Barbie Doll

The new doll is inspired by the legendary performer’s appearance on the cover of “Rumours”

Hattie McDaniel is shown with her Best Supporting Actress award, which she received for her performance in 1939's Gone With the Wind.

The Academy Will Replace Hattie McDaniel’s Missing Oscar

McDaniel became the first Black actor to win an Oscar in 1940, but the award went missing several decades later

Sofia Liñares in a promotional photo for Black Sabbath: The Ballet, the Birmingham Royal Ballet's new show honoring the city's legendary heavy metal band

New Ballet Takes on Black Sabbath, the Genre-Defining Heavy Metal Band

“Black Sabbath: The Ballet” honors the legendary band that formed in Birmingham, England

Pikachu takes van Gogh's place in this recreation of Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat (1887)

Pokémon Takes Over the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The franchise and the 19th-century Dutch master both took inspiration from Japanese art

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