Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

In July, protesters from Ultima Generazione glue their hands to the glass covering of Sandro Botticelli's Primavera.

In Response to Climate Protests, Italian Museums May Raise Ticket Prices

As more activists target famous artworks, museums tighten security

A scene from the Goodnight Moon immersive exhibition

Step Inside the Colorful Pages of ‘Goodnight Moon’

As the book turns 75, a new immersive exhibition brings the beloved children’s story to life

Aerial view of the original Luna Luna

Drake Resurrects Avant-Garde Amusement Park Designed by Basquiat, Dalí and Hockney

The rap star has invested nearly $100 million to bring back the ambitious 1987 carnival

Richard Nixon and his daughter Tricia on her wedding day in June 1971

A Brief History of White House Weddings

Naomi Biden’s nuptials will mark the 19th wedding held at the presidential seat of power

A policeman walks past a banner for Joyland outside a cinema in Lahore, Pakistan, on November 16.

What to Know About Pakistan’s Controversial Transgender Romance Film

The government reversed its ban on “Joyland,” though several scenes will be cut

Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick

Known as Warhol’s Muse, Edie Sedgwick Was an Artist Herself

For the first time, a trove of her previously unseen art is going to auction

The mural was painted on the side of a building damaged by Russian airstrikes. 

Banksy Reveals Seven Murals Throughout War-Torn Ukraine

The news comes amid speculation about the anonymous graffiti artist’s whereabouts

The Museum of Broadway opens this week, bringing New York its first permanent museum dedicated to the Great White Way.

The Ten Coolest Artifacts at the New Museum of Broadway

Peek behind the curtain of “Ziegfeld Follies,” “The Lion King,” “Kinky Boots” and more

A visitor examines Edvard Munch's The Scream at the National Museum in Oslo, Norway. 

Security Stopped Climate Activists From Gluing Themselves to ‘The Scream’

As similar protests play out throughout Europe, museums consider how to respond

Basquiat lived and worked at 57 Great Jones Street until his death in 1988. 

You Can Rent Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Apartment and Art Studio—For $60,000

The artist rented the space from Andy Warhol between 1983 and 1988

Frida Kahlo allegedly drew Fantasmones Siniestros in her diary in 1944.

Did This Man Destroy a Frida Kahlo Drawing to Make an NFT?

Businessman Martin Mobarak’s stunt is now under investigation by the Mexican government

The thermal baths helped preserve the ancient statues.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find 24 Bronze Statues, Preserved in Tuscan Spa for 2,300 Years

The discovery provides insight into the transition from Etruscan to Roman rule

Bob Dylan performing in San Francisco

Bob Dylan Analyzes 66 Songs in New Essay Collection

“The Philosophy of Modern Song” offers a peek into the artist’s approach to songwriting

E.T. looks out the window with Elliott (Henry Thomas) in a scene from the 1982 movie. 

Original ‘E.T.’ Mechatronic Model Could Fetch $3 Million at Auction

The metallic skeleton, created by special effects pro Carlo Rambaldi in 1981, features 85 movement points

Visitors look at a restored Rembrandt, previously dismissed as an imitation.

This ‘Crude Imitation’ of Rembrandt Is Actually the Real Deal

Researchers say that the famous artist himself painted “The Raising of the Cross”

Maurice Sendak at his home in Ridgefield, Connecticut, in 1990

Maurice Sendak Imagined More Than Wild Things

A new exhibition, the first of its kind since the artist’s death, showcases his extensive but lesser-known body of work

Untitled by Suhail Doshi

Art Meets Science

These A.I.-Generated Images Hang in a Gallery—but Are They Art?

At “Artificial Imagination,” a new Bay Area exhibition, artworks created by DALL-E 2 go on display

Ami Okumura Jones and Mei Mac in My Neighbor Totoro

Totoro Finds New Neighbors at London’s West End

The stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ is breaking box office records

Joan Didion sitting in her wicker chair in 2003. The chair is one of the writer's many belongings being auctioned on November 16.

Women Who Shaped History

You Could Own Joan Didion’s Sunglasses, Sofas and Shawls

The revered writer’s furniture, household items, books and artworks will be auctioned at Stair Galleries on November 16

In 1966, the Beatles released Revolver, an album that was scores more experimental than their previous work.

Art Meets Science

The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ Reissue Is Here—With a Little Help From A.I.

New technology offers new insights into the 1966 album’s 14 tracks and 2 singles

Page 83 of 297