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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Alexander Calder's Flamingo sculpture in Chicago is one of the pieces of art in federal buildings that wouldn't have met Trump's strict requirements.

Biden Reverses Trump Order Mandating American-Centric Art in Federal Buildings

The General Services Administration says the change will help represent the diversity of the nation

A new online archive highlights the life and career of eccentric French artist Marcel Duchamp. The collection features nearly 50,000 images of his photos, artworks and documents. 

You Can Now Explore Marcel Duchamp’s Personal Papers Online

A new free portal unites three archives in one virtual space, offering an unprecedented look into the artist’s life and work

Earlier this month, U.S. officials agreed to return two seized cuneiform artifacts to the Iraqi consulate in Los Angeles.

U.S. Returns 4,000-Year-Old Cuneiform Tablet and Prism to Iraq

An investigator says the artifacts were “almost certainly” looted from the Middle Eastern country

French Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot stands next to Gustav Klimt's oil painting Rosebushes under the Trees (1905), as she announces the return of 15 Nazi-looted artworks to Jewish families at an event at Musee d'Orsa in Paris.

France to Return 15 Works of Nazi-Looted Art to Jewish Families

The works include pieces held in the collections of the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay in Paris

The lead figurine sat on a fireplace mantel in a farmhouse for years before experts authenticated the piece as a rare Henry Moore sculpture.

Rare Henry Moore Sculpture Spent Decades Sitting on Mantelpiece at English Farm

A lead figurine by the famed British artist could fetch upward of $70,000 at auction

Experts estimate that the bowl is about 2,000 years old.

Cool Finds

2,000-Year-Old Roman Bowl Discovered Intact in the Netherlands

Unearthed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen, the blue glass artifact was in pristine condition

The head of one of the large sphinxes discovered in the funerary complex for Amenhotep III.

Cool Finds

Two Sphinxes Depicting King Tut’s Grandfather Discovered in Egypt

Archaeologists are restoring the huge stone statues found half-submerged in water at the burial site of Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III

Marchers celebrate in London, England, at the city's annual LGBTQ Pride festival in 2019.

What to Expect From the U.K.’s First LGBTQ Museum

The museum, set to open in the spring, will reside in King’s Cross, a London neighborhood with a rich queer history

In the 1970s, famous acts like Willie Nelson, the Clash, Ray Charles, the Ramones and James Brown performed at Armadillo World Headquarters music venue in Austin, Texas.

A Piece of Texas Music History Sells at Auction Amid Claims That It Was Stolen

Former employees of Armadillo World Headquarters suggested the sign was taken right before the Austin venue closed in 1980. Sotheby’s countered the claims

A nail technician works at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Patrons could choose from several Van Gogh-inspired designs, including ones inspired by the Impressionist painter's depictions of cherry blossoms and starry night skies.

In a Day-Long Protest, Dutch Museums Transform Into Gyms, Nail Salons and Barber Shops

The coordinated effort was “playful” but challenged the government’s inconsistent Covid-19 lockdown measures

This image shows the Wordle instruction page.

Why the Online Game Wordle Went Viral, According to Psychology

Users are sharing their game grids, which show how they played without spoiling the answer for others

Caravaggio's Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto (1597) is the only known ceiling work painted by the Baroque artist. 

Cool Finds

Italian Mansion With ‘Priceless’ Caravaggio Mural Goes Up for Sale—but Attracts No Buyers

Villa Aurora, valued at $533 million, failed to garner bids despite touting a rare ceiling fresco by the Baroque artist

Ringgold's mural, For the Women's House (1971), showcased earlier at a Brooklyn Museum exhibition in 2017. The painting will be permanently relocated to the museum pending its removal from the Rikers prison complex.

An Evocative Mural on Rikers Island Will Be Moved to the Brooklyn Museum

Faith Ringgold’s “For the Women’s House,” which sought to inspire female inmates, will be relocated ahead of the jail complex’s impending closure

Betty White poses with a parrot at the Los Angeles Zoo in 2014.

Good News

Animal Shelters See an Influx of Donations in Honor of Betty White

Fans donated thousands of dollars to local animal shelters on what would have been her 100th birthday

Map from front endpapers to The Odyssey of Homer (translated by T. E. Shaw (Col. T. E. Lawrence)), 1935. 

Art Meets Science

See Fantastical Maps From ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ and More

In honor of the centennial of James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses,’ a San Marino, California exhibition takes museumgoers on a literary journey

This watercolor of Huna Mill in Scotland is one of 79 paintings by Prince Charles on display at the Garrison Chapel in London.

See Prince Charles’ Watercolors of Landscapes Around the World

A new show in London features 79 watercolors by the British royal

Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia curated by volunteer community editors, found itself at the center of conversations about whether to categorize non-fungible tokens as "art."

Should NFTs Be Classified as Art? Wikipedia’s Editors Vote ‘No’

Makers of the free encyclopedia spar over the categorization for non-fungible tokens, the relatively new phenomenon sweeping the digital art world

The image of the playwright on the title page is also just one of two portraits with "any claim to authenticity," according to the British Library. 

Shakespeare First Folio Acquired by the University of British Columbia

The volume is going on display at Vancouver Art Gallery as part of a new exhibition

Researchers suspect that a painting bought in 1970 for £65 might be the handiwork of Anthony van Dyck. Featured here is an example of a similar painting, Portrait of Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain as a nun (1626), which was attributed to van Dyck in 2009. This work is part of the collections of the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

Cool Finds

Dismissed as a Copy for Decades, This Flemish Masterpiece Could Now Fetch Thousands

Purchased by an art historian for $90 in 1970, researchers now say the portrait might be the handiwork of the 17th-century court painter Anthony van Dyck

This 14th-century religious carving of a water spirit was part of a window decoration in a Kathmandu monastery.

Rubin Museum Agrees to Return Stolen Religious Artifacts to Nepal

An investigation launched by the New York cultural institution concluded that the 14th- and 17th-century carvings were “unlawfully obtained”

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