Arts | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/arts/RSS feed for ArtsenTue, 13 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000In the 1970s, the U.S. Commissioned Photographers to Document the Country’s People and Places. You Can Now See More Than 200 of the Powerful Imageshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/in-the-1970s-the-us-commissioned-photographers-to-document-the-countrys-people-and-places-you-can-now-see-more-than-200-of-the-powerful-images-180989671/At the Smithsonian American Art Museum, a “national portrait” reveals what the United States looked like during its bicentennial periodTue, 13 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/in-the-1970s-the-us-commissioned-photographers-to-document-the-countrys-people-and-places-you-can-now-see-more-than-200-of-the-powerful-images-180989671/J.M.W. Turner Painted This Breathtaking Roman Landscape Nearly 200 Years Ago. If You Look Closely, You Can Still See His Fingerprintshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/jmw-turner-painted-this-breathtaking-roman-landscape-nearly-200-years-ago-if-you-look-closely-you-can-still-see-his-fingerprints-180989659/The Romantic painter completed "Rome, From Mount Aventine" in the 1830s. It became his most expensive artwork in 2014, and it's expected to sell for another record-breaking sum in DecemberThu, 08 Oct 2026 18:56:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/jmw-turner-painted-this-breathtaking-roman-landscape-nearly-200-years-ago-if-you-look-closely-you-can-still-see-his-fingerprints-180989659/A New Exhibition Spotlights 4,500 Years of Broken, Shot-Up and Degraded Artworks to Explore the ‘Power of the Fragment’https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-exhibition-spotlights-4500-years-of-broken-shot-up-and-degraded-artworks-to-explore-the-power-of-the-fragment-180989602/The show, on view in Florence and coming to D.C. next year, examines the history and impact of destroyed sculptures throughout time and across culturesFri, 02 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-exhibition-spotlights-4500-years-of-broken-shot-up-and-degraded-artworks-to-explore-the-power-of-the-fragment-180989602/'The Icebergs' Is One of Frederic Edwin Church's Most Spectacular Paintings. For Decades, No One Knew Where It Washttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-icebergs-is-one-of-frederic-edwin-churchs-most-spectacular-paintings-for-decades-no-one-knew-where-it-was-180989587/In the 1970s, the administrator of a boys' home in England wound up finding the missing 19th-century piece and bringing it back into the spotlightTue, 29 Sep 2026 17:40:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-icebergs-is-one-of-frederic-edwin-churchs-most-spectacular-paintings-for-decades-no-one-knew-where-it-was-180989587/Why Did Claude Monet Paint the Same Scenes Over and Over Again? The Impressionist Artist Was Obsessed With Capturing the Fleeting Nature of Timehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-claude-monet-paint-the-same-scenes-over-and-over-again-the-impressionist-artist-was-obsessed-with-capturing-the-fleeting-nature-of-time-180989563/An upcoming exhibition at Tate Modern will feature more than 60 artworks created by Monet between the 1870s and 1920s. These pieces reveal how he documented changing light and weather conditionsThu, 24 Sep 2026 15:01:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-claude-monet-paint-the-same-scenes-over-and-over-again-the-impressionist-artist-was-obsessed-with-capturing-the-fleeting-nature-of-time-180989563/Archaeologists Uncover a Neolithic Sculpture of a Human Riding a Leopard That's 'Unlike Anything We Have Encountered Before'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-uncover-a-neolithic-sculpture-of-a-human-riding-a-leopard-thats-unlike-anything-we-have-encountered-before-180989477/The artifact was found during excavations at Karahan Tepe, an 11,000-year-old site in southeastern Turkey. Created long before the invention of writing, the 2.3-foot-tall sculpture's purpose is a mysteryThu, 10 Sep 2026 14:09:55 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-uncover-a-neolithic-sculpture-of-a-human-riding-a-leopard-thats-unlike-anything-we-have-encountered-before-180989477/A New York City Exhibition Celebrates Snoopy’s Enduring Influence on Art and Fashionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-york-city-exhibition-celebrates-snoopys-enduring-influence-on-art-and-fashion-180989455/The beloved "Peanuts" character’s many costumes and brand collaborations are featured in a new showcaseFri, 04 Sep 2026 21:22:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-york-city-exhibition-celebrates-snoopys-enduring-influence-on-art-and-fashion-180989455/Kermit the Frog Was Just Trying to Put on a Variety Show. Fifty Years Later, the Muppets Are Some of the Biggest Stars in Television Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/kermit-the-frog-was-just-trying-to-put-on-a-variety-show-fifty-years-later-the-muppets-are-some-of-the-biggest-stars-in-television-history-180989451/The first episode of Jim Henson's "The Muppet Show" premiered in the United Kingdom on September 5, 1976. Enthusiasm for the eclectic ensemble has endured ever sinceFri, 04 Sep 2026 19:21:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/kermit-the-frog-was-just-trying-to-put-on-a-variety-show-fifty-years-later-the-muppets-are-some-of-the-biggest-stars-in-television-history-180989451/To Capture the Beauty and Wonder of Flight, These Celebrated Artists Created Spectacular Visions of Astronauts, Aviators, Rocket Launches and the Moonhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/to-capture-the-beauty-and-wonder-of-flight-these-celebrated-artists-created-spectacular-visions-of-astronauts-aviators-rocket-launches-and-the-moon-180989437/At the National Air and Space Museum, a recently opened gallery space features artworks by Norman Rockwell, Alma Thomas, Francisco Goya and other luminariesThu, 03 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/to-capture-the-beauty-and-wonder-of-flight-these-celebrated-artists-created-spectacular-visions-of-astronauts-aviators-rocket-launches-and-the-moon-180989437/A Landlord Found a Peculiar Print Hanging in a Vacant Apartment. It Turned Out to Be an Original Picasso That Had Been Missing for Eight Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-landlord-found-a-peculiar-print-hanging-in-a-vacant-apartment-it-turned-out-to-be-an-original-picasso-print-that-had-been-missing-for-eight-years-180989417/When "Torero" vanished from a Milwaukee art gallery in 2018, the owners didn't know whether they'd ever see it again. The man who found the etching turned it over to the police earlier this monthFri, 28 Aug 2026 15:37:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-landlord-found-a-peculiar-print-hanging-in-a-vacant-apartment-it-turned-out-to-be-an-original-picasso-print-that-had-been-missing-for-eight-years-180989417/For the First Time, a Selection of Islamic Masterpieces From the Louvre Is Coming to the United States. See the Treasures Soon to Be Displayed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Arthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/for-the-first-time-a-selection-of-islamic-masterpieces-from-the-louvre-is-coming-to-the-united-states-see-the-treasures-soon-to-be-displayed-at-the-smithsonians-national-museum-of-asian-art-180989402/Twenty-six works spanning many centuries and regions will form the September exhibition titled "From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art"Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:00:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/for-the-first-time-a-selection-of-islamic-masterpieces-from-the-louvre-is-coming-to-the-united-states-see-the-treasures-soon-to-be-displayed-at-the-smithsonians-national-museum-of-asian-art-180989402/Dolly Parton Was One of the Biggest Stars in the History of Country Music. She Wanted to Be Remembered as a Songwriterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/dolly-parton-was-one-of-the-biggest-stars-in-the-history-of-country-music-she-wanted-to-be-remembered-as-a-songwriter-180989405/After growing up in poverty, she became famous for her legendary songs, big heart and larger-than-life style. But the iconic musician insisted that "the songs lead to everything else"Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:58:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/dolly-parton-was-one-of-the-biggest-stars-in-the-history-of-country-music-she-wanted-to-be-remembered-as-a-songwriter-180989405/A New Statue Honors 'Moby-Dick' Author Herman Melville in the Massachusetts City Where His Whaling Adventures Beganhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-statue-honors-moby-dick-author-herman-melville-in-the-massachusetts-city-where-his-whaling-adventures-began-180989388/The 7.5-foot-tall bronze artwork stands in the heart of historic New Bedford, the 19th-century whaling port that inspired the author's famous 1851 novelTue, 25 Aug 2026 17:57:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-statue-honors-moby-dick-author-herman-melville-in-the-massachusetts-city-where-his-whaling-adventures-began-180989388/How Should the Bayeux Tapestry End? A New Competition Invites Children to Reimagine Its Missing Final Panelhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-should-the-bayeux-tapestry-end-new-a-competition-invites-childresn-to-reimagine-its-missing-final-panel-180989366/Some historians think the 230-foot-long artwork is missing its final panel, which may have once depicted William the Conqueror's coronation. As the tapestry goes on view in London, students will be drafting endings of their ownThu, 20 Aug 2026 15:50:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-should-the-bayeux-tapestry-end-new-a-competition-invites-childresn-to-reimagine-its-missing-final-panel-180989366/