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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Diana wore the sweater to a polo match in June 1981.

Found in an Attic, Princess Diana’s Iconic ‘Black Sheep’ Sweater Sells for $1.1 Million

The red jumper’s design came to symbolize the princess’ relationship with the royal family

Arthur Brand poses with The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring, painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1884.

Cool Finds

Stolen van Gogh Painting Worth Millions Returned in an Ikea Bag

Arthur Brand, the “Indiana Jones of the art world,” negotiated the recovery of an 1884 canvas taken from a Dutch museum in March 2020

As part of its ongoing support of Ukraine after the Russian invasion, the Metropolitan Opera has commissioned a work based on true stories of Ukrainian mothers rescuing their abducted children.

An Upcoming Opera Will Tell the Story of Ukraine’s Kidnapped Children

Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera, the work will be based on the accounts of mothers who traveled 3,000 miles to get their loved ones back

People gather around the damaged Kharbouch Mosque on September 9, 2023 in Marrakesh, Morocco.

Ancient Mosques Damaged in Morocco Earthquake

A UNESCO representative says the country has suffered an “inestimable loss”

A visitor examines Pablo Picasso's Guernica during the partial reopening of the Reina Sofía Museum in June 2020, which followed several months of pandemic closures.

Museum Drops Ban on Photographing Picasso’s ‘Guernica’

After enforcing the rule for three decades, officials say that lifting it will prevent overcrowding and attract younger audiences

Ernest Hemingway and his wife, Mary Welsh, on a trip to Kenya in 1952

Ernest Hemingway and His Wife Survived Two Plane Crashes Just One Day Apart

The novelist recounted the harrowing ordeal in a letter, which just sold for $237,055 at auction

Pia the Peacekeeper sits under the trees on Bainbridge Island in Washington.

See the Whimsical Trolls Taking Over the Pacific Northwest

Made with recycled materials, the large-scale sculptures are meant to encourage visitors to get out into nature

Wall panels allow children to explore different patterns and varieties of wood.

The Met’s Free Children’s Studio Is Finally Here

Called 81st Street Studio, the sprawling play space encourages interactive engagement with art and science

A worker uncovers the mummy, which belonged to the Ychsma culture, buried in a shallow funeral chamber during an excavation in the Huaca Pucllana on September 5, 2023.

Cool Finds

1,000-Year-Old Mummy With a Full Head of Hair Discovered in Peru

The remains belonged to the Ychsma culture, a group that lived in present-day Peru before the Inca came to power

Théâtre D’opéra Spatial by Jason Allen

Art Made With A.I. Won a State Fair Last Year. Now, the Rules Are Changing

Artists who submit to the competition will need to disclose whether they used A.I. tools like Midjourney

André Derain's 1906 painting La Femme en Chemise showcases Fauvism's bold colors and brushstrokes.

How the ‘Wild Beasts’ of Fauvism Took the Art World by Storm

A new exhibition examines the short-lived movement—and sheds new light on its women members

The Briolette of India necklace sold for 6.3 million Swiss francs (a little over $7 million) in May.

Christie’s Cancels Auction Tied to Nazi-Era Wealth

In the 1930s, Helmut Horten purchased businesses that Jewish owners sold “under duress”

Untitled #1, April 16, 1987

Art Meets Science

See Keith Haring’s Computer Drawings, Hidden on Floppy Discs Since the 1980s

The never-before-seen images will be sold as NFTs at an upcoming Christie’s auction

A bison runs amid the snow in Yellowstone National Park.

See Ten Breathtaking Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

The highly commended shots call to mind both the wonders of the animal kingdom and the risks wild creatures face

Peanut eats blueberry yogurt, grapes, bananas and vegetables.

Meet Peanut, the World’s Oldest Living Chicken at 21 Years of Age

Peanut had a rough start to life but ultimately grew up happy and healthy on a 37-acre farm in Chelsea, Michigan

Nebraska's football stadium in Lincoln was so packed that additional seats were added on the field.

Nebraska Volleyball Sets New World Record for Attendance at a Women’s Sporting Event

A total of 92,003 fans packed into the university’s football stadium on Wednesday night

The 1939 illustration was meant to accompany Helen Hunt Jackson’s novel Ramona.

Cool Finds

A Lost N.C. Wyeth, Bought for $4, Could Sell for $250,000

The owner had no idea the painting was an original when she found it in a New Hampshire thrift store

Archibald J. Motley Jr.'s Black Belt (1934)

The Harlem Renaissance Is Coming to the Met

A new exhibition will be the first survey of the cultural movement in New York City since 1987

This year, the pumpkin spice latte, Starbucks’ most successful seasonal drink, turns 20.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte Turns 20

Since its launch in 2003, the seasonal drink has helped spawn a cultural phenomenon

The 6.5-inch-long sketch of Pooh and Piglet is signed “E.H. Shepard 1958.”

Cool Finds

Forgotten Winnie-the-Pooh Sketch Found Wrapped in an Old Tea Towel

A rediscovered drawing of the iconic children’s book character and his friend Piglet could sell for thousands at auction

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