https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/art-history/RSS feed for Art HistoryenThu, 22 Oct 2026 15:30:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-canadian-artist-jean-paul-riopelle-was-completely-absorbed-by-the-act-of-painting-his-abstract-works-finally-have-their-own-home-in-a-quebec-museum-180989735/Home to the world’s largest public collection of his artworks, a new pavilion at Quebec's Musée National des Beaux-Arts showcases the more than 50-year career of Riopelle, who was a key member of the avant-garde Automatistes movementThu, 22 Oct 2026 15:30:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-canadian-artist-jean-paul-riopelle-was-completely-absorbed-by-the-act-of-painting-his-abstract-works-finally-have-their-own-home-in-a-quebec-museum-180989735/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rembrandt-turned-ancient-myths-into-supremely-human-works-of-art-an-upcoming-exhibition-traces-the-inspiration-he-took-from-antiquity-180989705/"Rembrandt and the Ancients" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art will unpack an "underexplored but vital" part of the Dutch master's career, putting his paintings and drawings in conversation with the antecedents that inspired themFri, 16 Oct 2026 20:16:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rembrandt-turned-ancient-myths-into-supremely-human-works-of-art-an-upcoming-exhibition-traces-the-inspiration-he-took-from-antiquity-180989705/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/on-an-island-outside-paris-a-sprawling-contemporary-arts-center-aptly-called-large-prepares-to-open-its-doors-180989690/The landmark institution’s first exhibition pays homage to a historic Renault automobile plant that once operated on the Île Seguin in the Seine River. "The project called for a great deal of perseverance," one official saysThu, 15 Oct 2026 20:19:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/on-an-island-outside-paris-a-sprawling-contemporary-arts-center-aptly-called-large-prepares-to-open-its-doors-180989690/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/venetian-artist-canaletto-merged-fantasy-and-architectural-detail-in-this-previously-unseen-sketch-heading-to-auction-this-month-180989692/The 18th-century painter was a key practitioner of "capriccio" artworks, which blended scenes of everyday life with bold, out-of-place structures. This work was not known to exist for centuries and could now fetch up to $80,000Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:03:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/venetian-artist-canaletto-merged-fantasy-and-architectural-detail-in-this-previously-unseen-sketch-heading-to-auction-this-month-180989692/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-vincent-van-gogh-painting-has-not-been-seen-in-public-for-over-60-years-it-is-now-poised-to-set-a-record-at-an-upcoming-auction-180989680/The Dutch Post-Impressionist painted "Chestnut Trees in Blossom" during the highly productive yet tragic final months of his life. It is heading to auction as part of a "legendary" private collection which also includes works from Cézanne and RenoirWed, 14 Oct 2026 17:28:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-vincent-van-gogh-painting-has-not-been-seen-in-public-for-over-60-years-it-is-now-poised-to-set-a-record-at-an-upcoming-auction-180989680/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thieves-pulled-off-another-shocking-art-heist-in-france-this-time-they-took-a-330-pound-bronze-book-cover-designed-by-salvador-dali-180989638/The volume, "Livre de l’Apocalypse," was a "masterpiece" collaboration of 14 artists and writers. It is one of the heaviest and most expensive books ever madeThu, 08 Oct 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thieves-pulled-off-another-shocking-art-heist-in-france-this-time-they-took-a-330-pound-bronze-book-cover-designed-by-salvador-dali-180989638/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-marquis-de-lafayettes-brother-in-law-participated-in-three-revolutionary-wars-supporting-american-independence-but-brutally-suppressing-an-uprising-by-enslaved-africans-in-haiti-180989582/Louis-Marie, Viscount de Noailles, served during the American, French and Haitian Revolutions. "He fights wherever France fights, because he's a soldier and he believes in France," a historian saysThu, 01 Oct 2026 15:13:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-marquis-de-lafayettes-brother-in-law-participated-in-three-revolutionary-wars-supporting-american-independence-but-brutally-suppressing-an-uprising-by-enslaved-africans-in-haiti-180989582/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/claude-monets-long-hidden-iris-is-about-to-become-the-most-expensive-painting-ever-auctioned-in-france-180989546/The artwork reflects the famed Impressionist’s later, abstract style. Sotheby’s estimates that it will sell for $25 million to $34 millionTue, 22 Sep 2026 19:12:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/claude-monets-long-hidden-iris-is-about-to-become-the-most-expensive-painting-ever-auctioned-in-france-180989546/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bought-for-30-at-an-estate-sale-this-long-lost-gertrude-abercrombie-painting-could-now-fetch-250000-180989513/The Chicago-based Surrealist created the piece in 1951, then gave it to a doctor in exchange for medical servicesThu, 17 Sep 2026 18:02:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bought-for-30-at-an-estate-sale-this-long-lost-gertrude-abercrombie-painting-could-now-fetch-250000-180989513/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mysteriously-stolen-more-than-30-years-ago-and-illicitly-transported-to-the-us-this-300-pound-sculpture-is-finally-back-home-in-france-180989507/Alfred Lepère’s hulking “Faune Chasseur” artwork is once again on display at the Musée de Picardie, in AmiensWed, 16 Sep 2026 15:03:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mysteriously-stolen-more-than-30-years-ago-and-illicitly-transported-to-the-us-this-300-pound-sculpture-is-finally-back-home-in-france-180989507/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-rock-art-in-china-has-remained-bright-red-for-nearly-2000-years-how-the-secret-ingredient-might-be-blood-180989389/A new study offers clues about how the Luoyue people created rock paintings in what’s now southern China. The murals have somehow been durable enough to withstand rain, heat, wind and humidity for centuriesTue, 25 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-rock-art-in-china-has-remained-bright-red-for-nearly-2000-years-how-the-secret-ingredient-might-be-blood-180989389/