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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Sister André, born Lucile Randon in 1904, died on January 17, 2023, at the age of 118.

Covid-19

World’s Oldest Known Person, a French Nun, Dies at 118

Sister André survived both world wars, the 1918 influenza pandemic and even a Covid-19 diagnosis at the age of 116

The iconic house in a scene from The Goonies in 1985

Superfan Buys House From ‘The Goonies’

Behman Zakeri has seen the film more than 100 times—and wants to restore the home to its on-screen glory

Arthur Duncan performing on "The Lawrence Welk Show"

Arthur Duncan, Talented Tap Dancer Who Broke Barriers, Dies at 97

The pioneering entertainer enjoyed a dazzling career that kept him dancing for decades

The finely crafted, decorative ceramics

Archaeologists Unearth 3,000-Year-Old Wishing Well in Germany

The Bronze Age well was full of decorative ceramics, jewelry and other items likely used for ritual purposes

Portrait of a Woman, painted by Italian Renaissance master Giovanni Battista Moroni, is joining the Frick’s permanent collection.

The Frick Adds Its First Renaissance Portrait of a Woman to Permanent Collection

The stunning 16th-century painting by Giovanni Battista Moroni is now on display

Curatin call at the opening night of Indecent on Broadway in 2017

Florida High School Cancels ‘Indecent,’ a Play About Censorship on Broadway in 1923

Free speech groups—and playwright Paula Vogel—are condemning the school board’s decision

The Resurrected Christ Appears to His Mother by Peter Paul Rubens

Italian Police Seize Rubens Masterpiece From an Exhibition

Four people are under investigation for illegally exporting the painting and money laundering

A painting at Brazil's National Congress that was damaged during the attacks

Rioters Damage Art at Government Buildings in Brazil

The government has released a list of artworks that were harmed during the attacks

Both famous and lesser-known authors were targets of the scheme, which dates back to at least 2016.

Man Who Tried to Steal Over 1,000 Unpublished Manuscripts Pleads Guilty

A former Simon & Schuster employee used his industry knowledge to impersonate publishing professions

Police in Boulder and Lakewood found all five pieces of stolen artwork in a hotel room.

Police Recover $400,000 Worth of Stolen Artwork in Colorado

The suspect allegedly broke into a locked truck that was transporting five high-end pieces across the country

Robert Garcia, a newly elected congressman from California, selected several items with personal significance to use at his swearing-in ceremony.

This Congressman Was Sworn Into Office With Rare Superman Comic

California’s Robert Garcia says the superhero embodies values like truth and justice

Atlas Moth by Uday Hegde, the second-place winner in the butterflies and dragonflies category of this year's Close-up Photographer of the Year competition

These Awe-Inspiring Images Capture the World’s Little Details

See this year’s winners of the annual Close-up Photographer of the Year competition

The researchers' facial reconstruction shows a bearded, brown-eyed man in his 30s or 40s.

See the Face of a Neolithic Man Who Lived in Jericho 9,500 Years Ago

Prehistoric people modified a skull to create a rudimentary likeness of its owner. Now, scholars have produced a more accurate facial reconstruction

The courtyard of the House of the Vettii in Pompeii

See the Lavish Pompeii Home Owned by Two Men Freed From Slavery

After two decades, the newly restored House of the Vettii is officially open to visitors

A painting of Diana by British portraitist Douglas Hardinge Anderson, now hanging at the Royal Marsden Hospital

Princess Diana’s Iconic Velvet Gown Is Going Up For Auction

The late princess wore the dress on several occasions throughout the ‘90s

Some romance and fiction audiobooks are now narrated by A.I. voices named Madison and Jackson.

Art Meets Science

You Can Listen to Audiobooks Narrated by Artificial Intelligence

Apple is now offering “digital narration” for some titles in the romance and fiction genres

A Stomp performance on the streets of New York City in 2021

‘Stomp’ Performers Hang Up Their Garbage Can Lids

The iconic production closes this weekend after nearly three decades off-Broadway

Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti was welcomed by friends and colleagues on Wednesday after being released from prison on bail.

Iran Releases Taraneh Alidoosti, the Famous Actress Arrested for Supporting Protests

Alidoosti had criticized Iran’s brutal crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa Amini

Girl With a Pearl Earring, Vermeer's most famous painting, will be on display at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum starting next month.

Largest Exhibition of Vermeer Paintings Ever Staged Will Open in Amsterdam Next Month

Of the Dutch artist’s 35 known paintings, about 28 will be on display at the Rijksmuseum

Toni Morrison, the renowned author of powerful novels about the Black experience, taught at Princeton between 1989 and 2006.

Toni Morrison’s Rarely Seen Papers Will Go on View at Princeton

The university is planning a months-long series of exhibitions, programs and performances

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