Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

The Tusk Gorilla Trail features 15 life-size sculptures decorated by prominent artists and public figures.

Why a Trail of Life-Size Gorilla Sculptures Popped Up in London

The statues seek to raise awareness of wildlife conservation efforts in Africa

Roald Dahl signs books at a children's bookstore in Amsterdam in 1988.

Roald Dahl Museum Apologizes for the Author’s Antisemitism

Building on a 2020 statement from the writer’s family, the charity condemned Dahl’s racism as “undeniable and indelible”

The monument, designed by artists Amanda Williams and Olalekan B. Jeyifous, will be placed at an entrance to Prospect Park.

Women Who Shaped History

A Monument Honoring Shirley Chisholm, the First Black Congresswoman, Is Coming to Brooklyn

After years of delays, New York City officially approved a statue commemorating the borough native and political trailblazer

The secretive street artist Banksy painted this graffiti mural in London in 2008.

Cool Finds

Is This a Recording of Banksy’s Voice?

A new podcast claims to have unearthed a short interview with the artist that aired on NPR in 2005

Desiree Perez, Roc Nation's CEO, walks through "The Book of HOV" with Jay-Z.

In the ‘Heart of the City,’ a Tribute to Jay-Z

The Brooklyn Public Library is celebrating the rapper’s life and career in a new exhibition, “The Book of HOV”

John Mayer, Sammy Hagar and Bob Weir perform with Dead & Company in San Francisco in 2016

Will the Dead Stay Dead After Sunday’s Farewell Concert?

Once again, Deadheads said their goodbyes to the latest iteration of the era-defining jam band

A lightsheet used to reveal hidden text in a manuscript of William Camden's Annals

Cool Finds

Hidden for 400 Years, Censored Pages Reveal New Insights Into Elizabeth I’s Reign

Scholars used advanced imaging to read crossed-out, pasted-over passages in the first official account of the Tudor queen’s time on the English throne

Inside Pennsylvania's State Capitol building, lawmakers are working on efforts to adopt a new official state song.

Pennsylvanians Might Soon Be Singing a New State Song

The state’s official tune simply can’t compete with the likes of “Georgia on My Mind,” lawmakers argue

Models Shannon Summers, Joshua Cairns and Grace Dempsey arrive at the National Museum of Scotland ahead of the opening of "Beyond the Little Black Dress."

The Evolution of the Little Black Dress

A new exhibition showcases how the meaning of the garment has changed since its invention in 1926

The exterior of 57 Great Jones Street, which actress Angelina Jolie has rented to house her new venture

Angelina Jolie Will Rent Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Former Studio

The famous 20th-century artist originally rented the space from Andy Warhol, his friend and mentor

The ceremonial Cannon of Kandy is one of 478 objects that will return to Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The Netherlands Repatriates Nearly 500 Looted Artifacts to Sri Lanka and Indonesia

Six of these objects are held by the Rijksmuseum, which is returning stolen items for the very first time

Alda wore the boots and dog tags for all 11 seasons of the popular show.

Alan Alda Is Selling His Boots and Dog Tags From ‘M*A*S*H’

They were worn by real soldiers before serving as props in one of America’s most popular TV shows

A still from the upcoming film Napoleon, which dramatizes the ambitious military commander and emperor's rise and fall

The Trailer for Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Is Here

The new film stars Joaquin Phoenix and follows the ambitious French ruler’s rise to power

Members of the New York International Salsa Congress dance during People en Español's Hispanic Heritage Month festival in 2019. The congress has collaborated with the International Salsa Museum in the past, and the groups are partnering again this Labor Day for the museum's next pop-up event.

A Salsa Museum Is Dancing Its Way to the Bronx

While the museum lacks a permanent home, it’s bringing lively events to the “Borough of Salsa”

Images of human figures are visible in the Bronze Age paintings.

Cool Finds

Eagle-Eyed Hiker Spots Bronze Age Rock Paintings in Norway

Tormod Fjeld and two friends have spent years searching for traces of rock art in their free time

The exterior of the life-size Barbie DreamHouse in Malibu, which is available for stays on Airbnb later this month

You Can Rent Barbie’s DreamHouse on Airbnb

Up to four guests will get to stay in the Malibu mansion for free ahead of the upcoming “Barbie” movie

This first-edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was once in circulation at a library in England.

Bought for 38 Cents, Rare Harry Potter Book Could Sell for Thousands

This first-edition copy of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” is one of only 500 hardback copies printed

Audrey Azoulay, the director-general of UNESCO, announcing the United States' request to return to the organization

The United States Is Rejoining UNESCO

The country’s tumultuous relationship with the organization stretches back 40 years

An animated rendering of one of Leonardo's designs for a flying machine

Explore Animated Models, Digitized Sketches and More in Leonardo da Vinci’s Largest-Ever Online Retrospective

The new Google Arts & Culture hub features high-resolution scans, 3D renderings and artificial intelligence experiments

Members of Extinction Rebellion NYC and Rise and Resist gathered at the Met to protest the indictment of Joanna Smith and Tim Martin.

Protesters at the Met Condemn ‘Unjustifiably Harsh’ Charges Against Two Climate Activists

Both are facing up to five years in prison for smearing paint on the glass case of a Degas sculpture

Page 63 of 290