Artists | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/artists/RSS feed for ArtistsenWed, 15 Jul 2026 18:47:10 +0000A.I. Music Is Already Here. To Protect Human Artists, the Record Industry Proposes New Labels, Like Those for Explicit Lyricshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-music-is-already-here-to-protect-human-artists-the-record-industry-proposes-labels-for-it-like-those-for-explicit-lyrics-180989128/The proposal comes as A.I.-generated music makes up an increasing share of what’s available on streaming platformsWed, 15 Jul 2026 18:47:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-music-is-already-here-to-protect-human-artists-the-record-industry-proposes-labels-for-it-like-those-for-explicit-lyrics-180989128/Why Did This Dutch Museum Cover the Floor With an 800-Pound Installation of Creamy Peanut Butter?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-this-dutch-museum-cover-the-floor-with-an-800-pound-installation-of-creamy-peanut-butter-180989097/"Pindakaasvloer," or "peanut butter floor," highlights the absurd sense of humor that artist Wim T. Schippers captured in his artwork before he died last monthThu, 09 Jul 2026 18:15:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-this-dutch-museum-cover-the-floor-with-an-800-pound-installation-of-creamy-peanut-butter-180989097/This Spanish Officer Besieged the British During the American Revolution, Giving George Washington Time to Plan a Pivotal Attackhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-spanish-officer-besieged-the-british-during-the-american-revolution-giving-george-washington-time-to-plan-a-pivotal-attack-180989079/Bernardo de Gálvez indirectly contributed to the Continental Army’s victory at the 1781 Siege of Yorktown. A rare painting of him is now on view at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait GalleryTue, 07 Jul 2026 17:05:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-spanish-officer-besieged-the-british-during-the-american-revolution-giving-george-washington-time-to-plan-a-pivotal-attack-180989079/Puzzled by Mark Rothko's Captivating Color Field Paintings? Look to the Renaissance Masters Who Inspired Himhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/puzzled-by-mark-rothkos-captivating-color-field-paintings-look-to-the-renaissance-masters-who-inspired-him-180989068/During trips to Europe, the American painter developed a fascination with how 15th- and 16th-century artists and architects had designed their work to evoke specific feelingsThu, 02 Jul 2026 19:01:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/puzzled-by-mark-rothkos-captivating-color-field-paintings-look-to-the-renaissance-masters-who-inspired-him-180989068/Rembrandt Began a Biblical Painting. Another Artist Finished It 'Rather Crudely.' Now, Restorations Have Revealed the Long-Lost Originalhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rembrandt-began-a-biblical-painting-another-artist-finished-it-rather-crudely-now-restorations-have-revealed-the-long-lost-original-180989045/An art dealer stumbled across "Let the Little Children Come Unto Me" at a German auction house in 2014. Experts have now carefully removed layers of overpaint from the forgotten masterpieceTue, 30 Jun 2026 19:10:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rembrandt-began-a-biblical-painting-another-artist-finished-it-rather-crudely-now-restorations-have-revealed-the-long-lost-original-180989045/Queer Artists Peter Hujar and Paul Thek Drew From Their Intimate Relationship to Create Unique 20th-Century Workshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/queer-artists-peter-hujar-and-paul-thek-drew-from-their-intimate-relationship-to-create-unique-20th-century-works-180989024/Their fascinating, intense pieces are being highlighted in new exhibitions this year—and their story is chronicled in a recent bookMon, 29 Jun 2026 16:52:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/queer-artists-peter-hujar-and-paul-thek-drew-from-their-intimate-relationship-to-create-unique-20th-century-works-180989024/Norman Rockwell Captured the Hustle of the West Wing in Colorful Drawings Displayed for Decades in the White House. They’re Now on Public View for the First Timehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/norman-rockwell-captured-the-hustle-of-the-west-wing-in-colorful-drawings-displayed-for-decades-in-the-white-house-theyre-now-on-public-view-for-the-first-time-180989025/The works were commissioned to humanize President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the height of World War IIFri, 26 Jun 2026 18:40:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/norman-rockwell-captured-the-hustle-of-the-west-wing-in-colorful-drawings-displayed-for-decades-in-the-white-house-theyre-now-on-public-view-for-the-first-time-180989025/A Stolen Picasso Just Turned Up During a Drug Raid Near Paris, Reportedly Taken From a Storage Facilityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-stolen-picasso-just-turned-up-during-a-drug-raid-near-paris-reportedly-taken-from-a-storage-facility-180989010/The painting has been authenticated but not revealed. Reports suggest it is one of Picasso's portraits of Marie-Thérèse WalterWed, 24 Jun 2026 20:37:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-stolen-picasso-just-turned-up-during-a-drug-raid-near-paris-reportedly-taken-from-a-storage-facility-180989010/Who Were the Couples That Posed for David Hockney's Famed Double Portraits?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/who-were-the-couples-that-posed-for-david-hockneys-famed-double-portraits-180988970/One of his subjects was a cousin I never knew. I wanted to learn more about the large-scale portraits that helped define the English artist's legacyWed, 17 Jun 2026 18:51:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/who-were-the-couples-that-posed-for-david-hockneys-famed-double-portraits-180988970/The Astounding True Story of America's Comic Book Creators, From 'The Yellow Kid' to Superman to Webcomicshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-astounding-true-story-of-americas-comic-book-creators-from-the-yellow-kid-to-superman-to-webcomics-180988883/A groundbreaking cartoonist paired images with a running narrative in 1896 to create the first comic strip. They've mutated into books, blockbuster movies and Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novelsTue, 16 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-astounding-true-story-of-americas-comic-book-creators-from-the-yellow-kid-to-superman-to-webcomics-180988883/With A.I.'s Help, a Family Realized Their Mysterious Thrift-Store Find Is a Portrait by a Great Scottish Painterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/with-help-from-ai-a-family-realized-their-mysterious-thrift-store-find-is-a-portrait-by-a-great-scottish-painter-180988948/The oil painting, the work of "Scottish Colorist" FCB Cadell, just sold at auction for more than $250,000Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:54:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/with-help-from-ai-a-family-realized-their-mysterious-thrift-store-find-is-a-portrait-by-a-great-scottish-painter-180988948/See Visions of the Past and Future in This New York City Exhibition on the Renaissance Roots of Tarot Cardshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-visions-of-the-past-and-future-in-this-new-york-city-exhibition-on-the-renaissance-roots-of-tarot-cards-180988940/The Morgan Library & Museum traces the history of beautifully illustrated tarot cards from their origins as a card game to modern occult fascinationThu, 11 Jun 2026 18:52:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-visions-of-the-past-and-future-in-this-new-york-city-exhibition-on-the-renaissance-roots-of-tarot-cards-180988940/Rediscovered Drawings John Lennon Helped Create for the Beatles Became One of Rock ’n’ Roll’s First Music Videoshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rediscovered-drawings-john-lennon-helped-create-for-the-beatles-became-one-of-rock-n-rolls-first-music-videos-180988915/An English collector who acquired ten of the drawings at an auction loaned them to the Liverpool Beatles Museum for a temporary exhibitionMon, 08 Jun 2026 19:33:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rediscovered-drawings-john-lennon-helped-create-for-the-beatles-became-one-of-rock-n-rolls-first-music-videos-180988915/Georgia O’Keeffe Ignored Advice to Mimic Great European Masters. Her Goal Instead Was to Be a Great American Painterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/georgia-okeefe-ignored-advice-mimic-great-european-masters-goal-instead-be-great-american-painter-180988804/The genius of her work was in painting things as she saw them through her own eyes. So when she surrounded herself with beauty, her work reflected itThu, 04 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/georgia-okeefe-ignored-advice-mimic-great-european-masters-goal-instead-be-great-american-painter-180988804/This Remarkable Statue of Liberty Model Made by the Sculptor of the Original Has a New Summer Home at the Smithsonian Castlehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-remarkable-statue-of-liberty-model-made-by-the-sculptor-of-the-original-has-a-new-summer-home-at-the-smithsonian-castle-180988885/Artist Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s small maquette represents the big ideals of the iconic national monument in New York HarborTue, 02 Jun 2026 17:50:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-remarkable-statue-of-liberty-model-made-by-the-sculptor-of-the-original-has-a-new-summer-home-at-the-smithsonian-castle-180988885/Shakespeare Referenced Dozens of Bird Species in His Work. This Artist Has Made It Her Mission to Paint Them Allhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/shakespeare-referenced-dozens-of-bird-species-in-his-work-this-artist-has-made-it-her-mission-to-paint-them-all-180988862/Missy Dunaway’s colorful illustrations combine natural history, folklore and literature to depict the Bard’s birdsFri, 29 May 2026 18:36:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/shakespeare-referenced-dozens-of-bird-species-in-his-work-this-artist-has-made-it-her-mission-to-paint-them-all-180988862/Meet Hilma af Klint, the Occultist Who Believed Otherworldly Spirits Told Her What to Paint. Now, She's Considered One of History's First Abstract Artistshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-hilma-af-klint-the-occultist-who-believed-otherworldly-spirits-told-her-what-to-paint-now-shes-considered-one-of-historys-first-abstract-artists-180988859/The Swedish painter created bold, vibrant works as early as 1906—several years before contemporaries like Wassily Kandinsky. A new exhibition in France celebrates her sweeping "Paintings for the Temple" seriesFri, 29 May 2026 16:08:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-hilma-af-klint-the-occultist-who-believed-otherworldly-spirits-told-her-what-to-paint-now-shes-considered-one-of-historys-first-abstract-artists-180988859/Whistler Didn't Mean to Make His Mourning Mother an Art World Star. Today, She's a Highlight at a Major Exhibition in Londonhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/whistler-didnt-mean-to-make-his-mourning-mother-an-art-world-star-today-she-is-a-highlight-at-a-major-exhibition-in-london-180988808/Officially titled 'Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1,' James McNeill Whistler’s stoic portrait of his mother has come to define the artist’s style and legacy. The artwork is currently on display in the same city where it was painted more than 150 years agoTue, 26 May 2026 17:56:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/whistler-didnt-mean-to-make-his-mourning-mother-an-art-world-star-today-she-is-a-highlight-at-a-major-exhibition-in-london-180988808/What Did Jackson Pollock Hope to Accomplish With This Dizzying Drip Painting, Which Just Sold for a Record-Breaking $181 Million?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-did-jackson-pollock-hope-to-accomplish-with-this-dizzying-drip-painting-which-just-sold-for-a-record-breaking-181-million-180988794/The Abstract Expressionist is best known for his action paintings, which emphasized the movements of the artist's body during the creative process. "Number 7A, 1948" is now his most expensive work ever auctionedFri, 22 May 2026 19:51:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-did-jackson-pollock-hope-to-accomplish-with-this-dizzying-drip-painting-which-just-sold-for-a-record-breaking-181-million-180988794/