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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

In 1951, mobster Frank Costello (seated, center) testified in front of the Kefauver Committee during a televised congressional hearing on organized crime that captivated the country.

History of Now

A Brief History of Televised Congressional Hearings

From a 1951 investigation into organized crime to the Watergate scandal, the ongoing January 6 hearings are part of a lengthy political tradition

Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893

‘The Scream’ Gets a New Home in Norway’s $650 Million National Museum

The recently opened facility has an entire room dedicated to Norwegian painter Edvard Munch

This Renaissance painting was found in a 90-year-old woman's bedroom. It recently fetched around $320,000 at a London auction.

Cool Finds

Renaissance Masterpiece Found Hanging in a 90-Year-Old Woman’s London Bedroom

“The Depiction of the Madonna and Child,” by a follower of Filippino Lippi, sold for around $320,000

A new exhibition in Marseille recreates the famous cave and the art found within. 

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Tour a Submerged Cave Packed With Paleolithic Art—Without Ever Venturing Underwater

As sea levels rise, an immersive new exhibition in Marseille lets visitors explore an inaccessible cavern’s archaeological treasures

Margaret Atwood tried burning the new, fireproof version of her novel The Handmaid's Tale with a flamethrower.

Margaret Atwood Tried—and Failed—to Burn a Copy of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ Here’s Why

A fireproof version of her bestseller is a weapon in an ongoing fight against literary censorship

The ornate box was recently purchased by the National Museums of Scotland.

This Lavish Silver Box Tarnished Mary, Queen of Scots—and Contributed to Her Downfall

The controversial container played a role in the deposed monarch’s fall from favor

My Comrade documented the early careers of some of today’s most famous drag queens.

The Zine That Documented Drag’s Campy Coming of Age

The queer publication shone a joyous light on an underground culture during the darkest days of the HIV/AIDS crisis

The marble tablet celebrates the achievement of about 30 Greek youths. 

Cool Finds

2,000-Year-Old ‘Yearbook’-Like Tablet Celebrates a Group of Ancient Greek Grads

Attikos and his friends were ready to become full Athenian citizens

Macintosh computers—and the company that created them—changed the PC world.

New Polish Museum Bytes Into the History of Apple Products

Over 1,000 artifacts get to the core of the iconic brand’s popularity

Rendering of the International African American Museum

A Museum Exploring the African American Experience Is Coming to Charleston

Slated to open early next year, the space will explore the legacy and contributions of enslaved people and their descendants

The 21-year-old suspect, Brian Hernandez, broke into the Dallas Museum of Art around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday.

Trending Today

Man Breaks Into Dallas Museum of Art and Damages Artworks Valued at Up to $5 Million

Brian Hernandez broke ancient Greek artifacts and a contemporary ceramic piece

Georgia O’Keeffe poses at her home, Ghost Ranch, in New Mexico. The artist often drew on imagery of the American Southwest in her work. 

One-on-One

Unvarnished Photos of Georgia O’Keeffe Show the Elusive Painter in Her Element

Never-before-published photographs offer an intimate look at the iconic artist

Images from eight decades of the queen’s life were projected onto the megaliths this week.

Images of Elizabeth II Graced Stonehenge This Week—and Pagans Aren’t Happy

Projections on the Neolithic stones have proven controversial before

The Mona Lisa is the most popular painting at the Louvre in Paris.

Disguised Protester Smears Cake on High-Tech Glass Protecting the ‘Mona Lisa’

It’s the latest in a long string of attempts to vandalize the world’s most famous painting

Translator Daisy Rockwell and author Geetanjali Shree hold their International Booker Prize awards.

For the First Time, a Hindi Author Has Won the International Booker Prize

A novel about borders garnered Geetanjali Shree the prestigious award

Adam W. McKinney dances in front of a former KKK headquarters in Fort Worth. 

Past Imperfect

Texas Artists Are Taking Over—and Transforming—a Former KKK Building

Those once terrorized by the Klan will decide on the center’s events and programming

The artwork’s last owner purchased it for just a few hundred pounds. 

Cool Finds

A Vase Kept in an Ordinary Kitchen Turned Out to Be a Qing-Dynasty Artwork Worth Millions

The rare, blue-and-gold vessel was crafted in 18th-century China

Visitors looking at sculpture by Skellon Studio in “Cancer Revolution” at the Science Museum.

Exhibition Explores the Art and Science of Cancer—and the Hope of a Future Without It

The Science Museum in London explores the past and future of the disease, and the resilience of its survivors

This portrait of some of the Wharton family children by Joan Carlile represents the work of one of Britain's earliest female professional portrait artists. 

Past Imperfect

She Was One of Britain’s First Professional Female Portraitists. Why Isn’t Joan Carlile Better Known?

Though only ten of her works have been identified, the painter’s influence endures

This Roman copy of a Greek bronze depicts an idealized male figure. 

This Ancient Roman Statue Embodies the ‘Perfect’ Man. But Was It Stolen?

Italy wants a Roman replica of “Doryphoros” in the Minneapolis Institute of Art returned

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