https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/arts/RSS feed for ArtsenThu, 21 May 2026 15:02:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/who-are-the-owners-of-these-nazi-looted-masterpiecesand-could-displaying-them-at-one-of-frances-most-popular-museums-help-track-them-down-180988779/A new permanent display at the Musée d’Orsay showcases artworks that may have been stolen or sold under suspicious circumstances during World War II. Officials are still hoping to find the families of their rightful ownersThu, 21 May 2026 15:02:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/who-are-the-owners-of-these-nazi-looted-masterpiecesand-could-displaying-them-at-one-of-frances-most-popular-museums-help-track-them-down-180988779/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mona-lisa-is-moving-to-a-new-home-the-louvre-just-announced-the-architects-who-will-design-her-private-suite-180988763/Visitors will be able to view Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece without touring the rest of the Louvre, and visitor traffic at the museum will be able to grow by three million people annuallyTue, 19 May 2026 18:27:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mona-lisa-is-moving-to-a-new-home-the-louvre-just-announced-the-architects-who-will-design-her-private-suite-180988763/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/jack-kirby-was-a-kid-from-the-lower-east-side-who-became-the-king-of-comics-and-made-superhero-mythology-now-new-york-city-has-named-a-street-after-him-180988700/The artist who co-created Captain America and other iconic characters is being honored in the neighborhood where he grew upThu, 07 May 2026 19:31:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/jack-kirby-was-a-kid-from-the-lower-east-side-who-became-the-king-of-comics-and-made-superhero-mythology-now-new-york-city-has-named-a-street-after-him-180988700/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-12-foot-abstract-sculpture-near-the-national-mall-embodies-the-beauty-of-outdoor-art-180988640/Artist Arlene Shechet’s recently installed aluminum work now occupies the grounds of the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenWed, 29 Apr 2026 18:12:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-12-foot-abstract-sculpture-near-the-national-mall-embodies-the-beauty-of-outdoor-art-180988640/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/this-new-smart-movie-theatre-is-tracking-audiences-brain-waves-and-heart-rates-to-create-more-engaging-films-180988614/Researchers at the University of Bristol are studying the appeal of the cinema-watching experience by turning one theater into a biometric laboratoryFri, 24 Apr 2026 18:20:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-new-smart-movie-theatre-is-tracking-audiences-brain-waves-and-heart-rates-to-create-more-engaging-films-180988614/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shakespeares-house-in-london-was-lost-to-history-a-scholar-discovered-a-map-in-the-archives-that-revealed-its-exact-location-180988566/The Bard purchased the property three years before his death in 1616. Had he hoped to spend more time in the city where he wrote his best-known plays?Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:46:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shakespeares-house-in-london-was-lost-to-history-a-scholar-discovered-a-map-in-the-archives-that-revealed-its-exact-location-180988566/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/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/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/smithsonian-institution/how-the-chocolate-bunny-became-the-mouthwatering-mascot-of-easter-sweets-180988480/In the 19th century, chocolatiers crafted these tasty treats with “complexity and artistry,” says a food curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American HistoryFri, 03 Apr 2026 16:00:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-the-chocolate-bunny-became-the-mouthwatering-mascot-of-easter-sweets-180988480/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/this-c-3po-head-from-the-empire-strikes-back-just-sold-for-more-than-1-million-at-auction-180988460/The 'Star Wars' prop was likely the only C-3PO head from the 1980 film to appear on the collector market. It features working light-up eyes, including one with the original wiringTue, 31 Mar 2026 20:23:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-c-3po-head-from-the-empire-strikes-back-just-sold-for-more-than-1-million-at-auction-180988460/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/charles-dickens-searched-the-streets-of-london-and-found-inspiration-for-his-evocative-fiction-180988451/A three-part BBC series will examine how real events shaped the 19th-century British author's writing. The show is part of the National Year of Reading in the U.K.Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/charles-dickens-searched-the-streets-of-london-and-found-inspiration-for-his-evocative-fiction-180988451/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/the-sopranos-changed-how-television-told-stories-these-scripts-sketches-and-set-designs-reveal-what-made-the-mob-drama-so-thrilling-180988432/An exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York provides visitors with a behind-the-scenes look at the award-winning HBO showFri, 27 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-sopranos-changed-how-television-told-stories-these-scripts-sketches-and-set-designs-reveal-what-made-the-mob-drama-so-thrilling-180988432/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/