https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/art/RSS feed for ArtenFri, 15 May 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/does-the-experience-of-beauty-show-up-in-the-brain-with-electrodes-and-a-museum-collection-of-artifacts-these-neuroscientists-aim-to-find-out-180988737/Researchers are tracing the brain and body’s response to aesthetic expression in search of a scientific value to artFri, 15 May 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/does-the-experience-of-beauty-show-up-in-the-brain-with-electrodes-and-a-museum-collection-of-artifacts-these-neuroscientists-aim-to-find-out-180988737/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/frida-kahlo-and-diego-rivera-sing-themselves-to-death-in-an-opera-at-the-met-inspired-by-greek-mythology-and-mexican-magical-realism-180988742/A new production of the all-Spanish opera "El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego" takes the stage in New York City this week, while a partner exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art explores the art behind the operaThu, 14 May 2026 20:23:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/frida-kahlo-and-diego-rivera-sing-themselves-to-death-in-an-opera-at-the-met-inspired-by-greek-mythology-and-mexican-magical-realism-180988742/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-relaxation-of-listening-to-a-song-or-drawing-a-picture-may-actually-slow-cellular-aging-new-research-show-180988734/According to a new study, people who are exposed to art on a weekly basis are about a year younger "biologically" than those exposed only once or twice per yearWed, 13 May 2026 20:39:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-relaxation-of-listening-to-a-song-or-drawing-a-picture-may-actually-slow-cellular-aging-new-research-show-180988734/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-seabird-sue-blends-art-and-science-to-attract-birds-back-to-lost-habitat-180988724/For the past decade, Sue Schubel has been making detailed decoys of terns, puffins and other seabirds to entice real ones to restored or new homesWed, 13 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-seabird-sue-blends-art-and-science-to-attract-birds-back-to-lost-habitat-180988724/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-clues-help-solve-the-mystery-of-an-enslaved-boy-pictured-in-a-portrait-by-a-leading-english-artist-180988717/An oil painting by Joshua Reynolds features a named naval officer and a Black child whose life story was unknown until researchers searched through captains’ logs, letters and admiralty recordsMon, 11 May 2026 21:57:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-clues-help-solve-the-mystery-of-an-enslaved-boy-pictured-in-a-portrait-by-a-leading-english-artist-180988717/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-world-war-ii-this-german-artist-turned-the-art-world-upside-down-literally-by-inverting-his-paintings-180988689/Georg Baselitz, the renowned painter who played with perspective and flipped canvases on their head, died recently at age 88Wed, 06 May 2026 19:42:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-world-war-ii-this-german-artist-turned-the-art-world-upside-down-literally-by-inverting-his-paintings-180988689/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ahead-of-the-2026-met-gala-the-metropolitan-museum-of-art-introduced-new-mannequins-with-diverse-body-types-inspired-by-real-people-180988670/The new "Costume Art" exhibition pairs artworks with garments, some of them displayed on custom mannequins constructed through 3D printingMon, 04 May 2026 22:16:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ahead-of-the-2026-met-gala-the-metropolitan-museum-of-art-introduced-new-mannequins-with-diverse-body-types-inspired-by-real-people-180988670/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-creator-of-star-wars-loves-art-that-tells-a-story-peek-at-george-lucas-collection-before-his-new-museum-opens-this-fall-in-los-angeles-180988668/Adventure, comics, childhood, love and everyday life are among the dozens of themes that will guide the curation of the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los AngelesMon, 04 May 2026 20:11:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-creator-of-star-wars-loves-art-that-tells-a-story-peek-at-george-lucas-collection-before-his-new-museum-opens-this-fall-in-los-angeles-180988668/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/attributed-to-banksy-a-new-statue-of-a-suited-man-blinded-by-a-flag-and-walking-off-a-ledge-appeared-in-central-london-180988662/The artwork was installed under the cloak of night this week, less than two months after a journalism investigation into Banksy’s true identity was publishedFri, 01 May 2026 21:51:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/attributed-to-banksy-a-new-statue-of-a-suited-man-blinded-by-a-flag-and-walking-off-a-ledge-appeared-in-central-london-180988662/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/known-for-her-amusing-surreal-sculptures-this-french-artists-sinuous-set-of-mirrors-just-shattered-auction-records-180988632/Claude Lalanne created the reflective ensemble for designer Yves Saint Laurent. Experts say it's second in importance only to the famous mirrors at the Palace of VersaillesTue, 28 Apr 2026 21:16:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/known-for-her-amusing-surreal-sculptures-this-french-artists-sinuous-set-of-mirrors-just-shattered-auction-records-180988632/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/edvard-munchs-lesser-known-chocolate-factory-friezes-head-to-exhibition-in-norway-180988634/Three decades after "The Scream," the Norwegian artist painted scenes of daily life for the Freia chocolate factory. The artworks will be on display in his namesake museum in Oslo this springTue, 28 Apr 2026 18:23:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/edvard-munchs-lesser-known-chocolate-factory-friezes-head-to-exhibition-in-norway-180988634/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/alexander-calder-thought-it-would-be-fun-to-set-abstract-art-in-motion-his-mesmerizing-mobiles-transformed-the-definition-of-sculpture-180988631/A new exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris spotlights 300 of the sculptor's groundbreaking kinetic artworks, large-scale public sculptures, paintings, drawings and wire portraitsTue, 28 Apr 2026 16:24:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/alexander-calder-thought-it-would-be-fun-to-set-abstract-art-in-motion-his-mesmerizing-mobiles-transformed-the-definition-of-sculpture-180988631/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fires-in-berlin-destroyed-hundreds-of-paintings-during-world-war-ii-now-a-museum-will-publish-photo-archives-of-the-lost-artworks-online-180988621/A proactive effort to document the collection of the Gemäldegalerie will pay off a century later as negatives of lost paintings by Rubens and Caravaggio are digitized and published onlineMon, 27 Apr 2026 20:25:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fires-in-berlin-destroyed-hundreds-of-paintings-during-world-war-ii-now-a-museum-will-publish-photo-archives-of-the-lost-artworks-online-180988621/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-tourist-damaged-florences-fountain-of-neptune-while-attempting-to-grope-its-marble-statue-on-a-dare-180988623/Fixing the fountain’s horse sculptures and frieze will cost nearly $6,000. The alleged offender is the latest tourist to harm artwork in response to peer pressure or in pursuit of social media cloutMon, 27 Apr 2026 17:52:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-tourist-damaged-florences-fountain-of-neptune-while-attempting-to-grope-its-marble-statue-on-a-dare-180988623/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-national-gallery-of-art-embraces-new-role-as-lending-library-thanks-to-a-big-gift-that-sends-artwork-to-other-museums-180988597/A $116 million donation from the family foundation of longtime trustee Mitchell P. Rales will help share the museum's collection in honor of the 250th birthday of the U.S.Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:03:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-national-gallery-of-art-embraces-new-role-as-lending-library-thanks-to-a-big-gift-that-sends-artwork-to-other-museums-180988597/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-dazzling-tiffany-stained-glass-window-adorned-a-church-for-more-than-a-century-now-it-needs-a-new-home-180988590/The Second Congregational Church of Winsted in Connecticut will auction off the colorful artwork featuring a stunning waterfall and sunsetWed, 22 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-dazzling-tiffany-stained-glass-window-adorned-a-church-for-more-than-a-century-now-it-needs-a-new-home-180988590/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/green-wood-cemetery-restored-a-victorian-greenhouse-to-welcome-visitors-to-its-historic-grounds-180988588/Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn grew out of the 19th-century "rural cemetery" movement that transformed graveyards from cramped and dark to sprawling and beautifulTue, 21 Apr 2026 20:35:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/green-wood-cemetery-restored-a-victorian-greenhouse-to-welcome-visitors-to-its-historic-grounds-180988588/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/renaissance-art-linked-beauty-with-virtue-and-ugliness-with-vice-see-how-painters-from-leonardo-da-vinci-to-botticelli-viewed-physical-attractiveness-180988584/An exhibition in Brussels spotlights 90-plus artworks featuring golden-haired muses, greedy old men and those deemed unattractive simply because they were differentTue, 21 Apr 2026 15:55:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/renaissance-art-linked-beauty-with-virtue-and-ugliness-with-vice-see-how-painters-from-leonardo-da-vinci-to-botticelli-viewed-physical-attractiveness-180988584/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/can-ai-determine-which-artist-made-a-painting-this-new-brushstroke-detection-tool-may-have-solved-a-mystery-about-el-greco-180988576/While debating the authorship of "The Baptism of Christ," one of El Greco’s final works, art experts long relied on their own analysis of brushstrokes. A new study tapped artificial intelligence to peer at the paint at a microscopic levelMon, 20 Apr 2026 19:33:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/can-ai-determine-which-artist-made-a-painting-this-new-brushstroke-detection-tool-may-have-solved-a-mystery-about-el-greco-180988576/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/andrew-lloyd-webber-says-hes-writing-a-new-musical-about-the-time-the-mona-lisa-vanished-without-a-trace-in-1911-180988559/Known for spectacles like "The Phantom of the Opera," Broadway's most commercially successful composer now wants to tell the story of the world's most famous paintingFri, 17 Apr 2026 10:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/andrew-lloyd-webber-says-hes-writing-a-new-musical-about-the-time-the-mona-lisa-vanished-without-a-trace-in-1911-180988559/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-glowing-sphere-towering-over-utah-sent-an-urgent-artistic-message-the-great-salt-lake-is-drying-up-180988553/Olafur Eliasson's latest installation married visuals with a soundscape to draw the public's attention to the plight of the important ecosystemThu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-glowing-sphere-towering-over-utah-sent-an-urgent-artistic-message-the-great-salt-lake-is-drying-up-180988553/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/born-to-a-family-of-sharecroppers-this-topiary-artist-overcame-discrimination-to-become-the-picasso-of-plants-180988544/Self-taught artist Pearl Fryar, who died this month at age 86, got his start when he tried to win an award from his local garden club. He ended up becoming a celebrity in the horticultural worldTue, 14 Apr 2026 19:44:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/born-to-a-family-of-sharecroppers-this-topiary-artist-overcame-discrimination-to-become-the-picasso-of-plants-180988544/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-national-gallery-of-art-holds-an-artistic-mirror-up-to-the-united-states-for-its-big-250th-birthday-180988538/In celebration of the semiquincentennial this year, "Dear America" looks at the country's land, communities and revolutionary history through artworks dating back to the late 18th centuryTue, 14 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-national-gallery-of-art-holds-an-artistic-mirror-up-to-the-united-states-for-its-big-250th-birthday-180988538/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/war-can-feel-surreal-see-how-american-photojournalist-lee-miller-captured-horrors-dark-humor-world-war-ii-180988523/A rediscovered scrapbook showcases never-before-seen images by Lee Miller, a war correspondent for British "Vogue" who followed American troops through EuropeTue, 14 Apr 2026 12:04:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/war-can-feel-surreal-see-how-american-photojournalist-lee-miller-captured-horrors-dark-humor-world-war-ii-180988523/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rolled-up-in-a-cellar-for-decades-this-artemisia-gentileschi-painting-is-now-up-for-auction-why-is-mary-magdalenes-face-missing-from-the-portrait-180988537/Found in Berlin, the artwork was probably damaged in the chaotic aftermath of World War II. Despite the gaping hole in the canvas, it could sell for upwards of $180,000 later this monthMon, 13 Apr 2026 17:10:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rolled-up-in-a-cellar-for-decades-this-artemisia-gentileschi-painting-is-now-up-for-auction-why-is-mary-magdalenes-face-missing-from-the-portrait-180988537/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/where-does-this-anti-war-masterpiece-belong-in-spain-a-request-to-borrow-picassos-guernica-sparks-a-bitter-debate-180988533/The artwork depicts the bombing of a Basque village in 1937. Now, the relocation debate is raising questions about how to balance the painting’s cultural significance with conservation needsMon, 13 Apr 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/where-does-this-anti-war-masterpiece-belong-in-spain-a-request-to-borrow-picassos-guernica-sparks-a-bitter-debate-180988533/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-vincent-van-gogh-painting-was-found-wrapped-in-an-ikea-bag-and-a-blood-stained-pillow-now-the-artwork-has-been-restored-to-its-former-glory-180988530/Art sleuth Arthur Brand recovered "The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring" in 2023, three years after it was stolen from a Dutch museum. Following careful restoration, the canvas is now back on displayFri, 10 Apr 2026 19:00:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-vincent-van-gogh-painting-was-found-wrapped-in-an-ikea-bag-and-a-blood-stained-pillow-now-the-artwork-has-been-restored-to-its-former-glory-180988530/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mysterious-monumental-scroll-public-display-first-time-aints-picture-artistic-fusion-colonial-india-180988512/A new exhibition shares the artistic legacy of centuries of British East India Company influence in East and Southeast AsiaThu, 09 Apr 2026 17:45:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mysterious-monumental-scroll-public-display-first-time-aints-picture-artistic-fusion-colonial-india-180988512/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rock-art-suggests-the-tasmanian-tiger-may-have-survived-on-mainland-australia-longer-than-previously-thought-180988472/Archaeologists think some of the paintings may be less than 1,000 years old, even though the animals were thought to have disappeared from the continent roughly 3,000 years agoFri, 03 Apr 2026 17:58:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rock-art-suggests-the-tasmanian-tiger-may-have-survived-on-mainland-australia-longer-than-previously-thought-180988472/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/moma-plans-retrospective-marcel-duchamp-dada-artist-who-unimpressed-masterpieces-180988407/The French-American avant garde artist said painting and sculpture exhibitions made him sick. But the collection of 200 of his works may tell the story of art in the 20th centuryFri, 03 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/moma-plans-retrospective-marcel-duchamp-dada-artist-who-unimpressed-masterpieces-180988407/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/experts-are-carefully-restoring-a-15th-century-masterpiece-by-giovanni-bellini-and-you-can-watch-them-work-180988466/The two-year project is expected to cost around $580,000, and visitors to the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice will be able to observe the process in personThu, 02 Apr 2026 21:05:57 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/experts-are-carefully-restoring-a-15th-century-masterpiece-by-giovanni-bellini-and-you-can-watch-them-work-180988466/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-painting-was-thought-to-be-a-workshop-copy-of-a-rembrandt-now-one-scholar-argues-its-the-real-deal-180988473/"Old Man With a Gold Chain" is on display beside a smaller copy for the first time in centuries. According to scholar Gary Schwartz, the Dutch master painted both himselfThu, 02 Apr 2026 14:16:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-painting-was-thought-to-be-a-workshop-copy-of-a-rembrandt-now-one-scholar-argues-its-the-real-deal-180988473/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-truck-drive-spent-20-years-making-this-astonishing-scale-model-of-every-single-building-in-new-york-city-180988443/The 1,350-square-foot model is now on display at the Museum of the City of New York, where visitors can use binoculars to see tiny replicas of all five boroughsWed, 01 Apr 2026 17:45:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-truck-drive-spent-20-years-making-this-astonishing-scale-model-of-every-single-building-in-new-york-city-180988443/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/art-thieves-steal-paintings-by-renoir-cezanne-and-matisse-worth-more-than-10-million-fleeing-the-scene-in-just-three-minutes-180988465/The Magnani-Rocca Foundation in Italy was the target of a shocking art heist—only five months after a high-profile theft at the Louvre in ParisTue, 31 Mar 2026 18:48:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/art-thieves-steal-paintings-by-renoir-cezanne-and-matisse-worth-more-than-10-million-fleeing-the-scene-in-just-three-minutes-180988465/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-long-lost-photos-of-the-chelsea-hotel-reveal-intimate-portraits-of-its-bohemian-residentsfrom-patti-smith-to-bob-dylan-180988458/Photographer Albert Scopin documented the countercultural hub at its peak in the mid-20th century. Now, the recovered photos are the subject of a new book and exhibition celebrating the New York City landmarkMon, 30 Mar 2026 20:10:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-long-lost-photos-of-the-chelsea-hotel-reveal-intimate-portraits-of-its-bohemian-residentsfrom-patti-smith-to-bob-dylan-180988458/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/willem-de-kooning-didnt-get-his-big-break-until-his-40s-see-the-stunning-abstract-paintings-that-first-captivated-audiences-180988397/Artworks that showcase the painter's early foray into Abstract Expressionism are now on view at the Princeton University Art MuseumMon, 30 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/willem-de-kooning-didnt-get-his-big-break-until-his-40s-see-the-stunning-abstract-paintings-that-first-captivated-audiences-180988397/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-stunning-171-year-old-sketch-that-helped-put-yosemite-on-the-map-180988385/The Library of Congress has acquired a drawing and accompanying lithograph of Yosemite Falls created by Gold Rush-era artist Thomas Almond Ayres in 1855Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:51:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-stunning-171-year-old-sketch-that-helped-put-yosemite-on-the-map-180988385/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/englands-constable-country-is-honoring-the-250th-birthday-of-its-namesake-landscape-artist-john-constable-with-a-year-of-exhibitions-180988381/Constable was born in the Suffolk village of East Bergholt on June 11, 1776. With “Constable 250,” nearby Ipswich honors the pastoral painter’s connections to his homeland, community, country and contemporary artThu, 19 Mar 2026 19:44:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/englands-constable-country-is-honoring-the-250th-birthday-of-its-namesake-landscape-artist-john-constable-with-a-year-of-exhibitions-180988381/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/david-hockney-used-an-ipad-to-create-this-sprawling-295-foot-long-frieze-inspired-by-the-11th-century-bayeux-tapestry-180988371/The artwork, which depicts the changing seasons in Normandy, is the centerpiece of "A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts About Painting," a new exhibition in LondonThu, 19 Mar 2026 16:02:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/david-hockney-used-an-ipad-to-create-this-sprawling-295-foot-long-frieze-inspired-by-the-11th-century-bayeux-tapestry-180988371/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-brilliant-blue-paint-covering-this-lavish-room-in-ancient-pompeii-may-have-cost-more-than-half-the-annual-salary-of-a-roman-foot-soldier-180988374/Researchers have estimated how much the home's owners may have paid to paint the small sacrarium, calculating the price of the Egyptian blue pigment and the hours of labor required to prepare itWed, 18 Mar 2026 19:38:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-brilliant-blue-paint-covering-this-lavish-room-in-ancient-pompeii-may-have-cost-more-than-half-the-annual-salary-of-a-roman-foot-soldier-180988374/