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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

The U.S. government seized the Amadea, a yacht it says is owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov.

‘Alleged’ Fabergé Egg Found Aboard a Seized Russian Oligarch’s Yacht

The rare egg may not be authentic—but if it is, it could be worth millions

Omari Maynard with Shamony Gibson, who died after giving birth in 2019

Stories From the Black Maternal Mortality Crisis

The new documentary ‘Aftershock’ follows two women who died from pregnancy-related complications

A still from “Squid Game”

How Korean Pop Culture Took the World by Storm

A new exhibition will explore the rise of South Korean fashion, movies, music and more

Edmonia Lewis circa 1870, photographed by Henry Rocher

After More Than 150 Years, Sculptor Edmonia Lewis Finally Gets Her Degree

A historian is fighting to honor the legacy of the 19th-century artist

Spoonbridge and Cherry at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

Claes Oldenburg, Who Transformed Everyday Objects Into Towering Sculptures, Dies at 93

The Pop Art pioneer’s radical, scaled-up depictions of familiar items democratized art

Contestants work under time pressure to pitch ideas and write complete novels. 

New Reality Show Is Looking for ‘America’s Next Great Author’

Applications are open for aspiring writers who want to appear in the pilot episode

The memes place their subjects in situations ranging from historically significant to hilariously obscure, including the Battle of Lexington, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and more.

Trending Today

Why American Girl Dolls Are Starring in Viral History Memes

The popular posts call for characters who witnessed the Salem Witch Trials, JFK’s assassination and other historical events

Lou Reed performing in 1975

Inside Lou Reed’s Archives

Newly discovered recordings and songs are now on display at the New York Public Library

Stevenson holds Head of a Peasant Woman beside the X-ray of the concealed van Gogh self-portrait.

Cool Finds

Hidden van Gogh Self-Portrait Discovered During a Routine X-Ray

The image has been obscured behind another painting for over a century

James Joyce and Sylvia Beach at Shakespeare and Company circa 1926

Who Were the Women Behind James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’?

As the novel turns 100, two exhibitions tell the stories of the women who made it possible

Maurizio Cattelan's “Comedian,” featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall

The Famous Banana Taped to a Wall Is Now at the Center of a Copyright Suit

Several years after the irreverent piece’s debut, another artist claims he had the idea first

Don Henley and Glenn Frey of the Eagles performing at Madison Square Garden in 2008

Three Men Charged for Trying to Sell Stolen ‘Hotel California’ Notes and Lyrics

Worth over $1 million, the handwritten materials were originally stolen from the Eagles’ Don Henley in the 1970s

The VR gallery allows people to see virtual versions of artworks up close. 

Five Stolen Paintings Go on Display in Virtual Reality

The exhibition displays artworks that were taken from museums around the world

By adding art exhibitions like “Beyond van Gogh,” casinos are hoping to become known for more than gambling.

Can Casinos Be Art Galleries?

Hoping to grow their audiences, gambling halls are luring new visitors with old masterpieces

Amelia Earhart sitting in her cockpit

Amelia Earhart Statue Finally Arrives at U.S. Capitol

After a 23-year delay, the statue will represent Kansas in the Statuary Hall Collection

Grime artist Jammer’s basement studio

Inside the Evolution of Grime Music

A new exhibition explores how the genre has changed since it began in east London

Literary scholar Vanessa Braganza suggests that Catherine commissioned the pendant design as "a sign of her conviction of her own enduring legitimacy."

The Secrets of a Long-Overlooked Cipher Linked to Catherine of Aragon

Henry VIII’s first wife may have commissioned the design as an act of defiance during the Tudor king’s attempt to divorce her

A scene from "Light and Magic"

Art Meets Science

This Visual Effects Studio Transformed Movies Forever

A new documentary tells the story of Industrial Light and Magic, the pioneering team that brought films like “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park” to life

The new Hong Kong Palace Museum

How the Hong Kong Palace Museum Is Forging Its Own Identity

The new museum overcame a rocky start and a typhoon delay to open to eager crowds on July 3

Screenshot of news coverage of the demolition of Georgia Guidestones

The Georgia Landmark Known as ‘America’s Stonehenge’ Is Destroyed in an Explosive Attack

The mysterious granite monoliths have been the source of conspiracy theories for almost half a century

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