https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/portraiture/RSS feed for PortraitureenThu, 02 Jul 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/to-recreate-one-of-the-american-revolutions-most-famous-paintings-this-artist-painstakingly-crafted-miniature-wax-figures-of-the-nations-founders-180989026/Bartlett M. Frost’s diorama is modeled after John Trumbull's depiction of the presentation of the Declaration of Independence. Newly conserved, the work is now on view at the National Portrait GalleryThu, 02 Jul 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/to-recreate-one-of-the-american-revolutions-most-famous-paintings-this-artist-painstakingly-crafted-miniature-wax-figures-of-the-nations-founders-180989026/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-building-hosted-lincolns-inaugural-ball-and-displayed-the-declaration-of-independence-today-its-home-to-two-world-class-art-museums-180988990/The Old Patent Office Building now houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. A new exhibition spotlights the structure's rich history of encouraging innovationThu, 25 Jun 2026 14:00:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-building-hosted-lincolns-inaugural-ball-and-displayed-the-declaration-of-independence-today-its-home-to-two-world-class-art-museums-180988990/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/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/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/the-italian-government-just-paid-nearly-35-million-for-a-rare-Caravaggio-portrait-one-of-the-most-expensive-artworks-its-ever-acquired-180988344/"Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini" had been on display in the Palazzo Barberini in Rome as part of a loan. Now, it's part of the palace's permanent collectionMon, 16 Mar 2026 20:23:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-italian-government-just-paid-nearly-35-million-for-a-rare-Caravaggio-portrait-one-of-the-most-expensive-artworks-its-ever-acquired-180988344/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tudor-courtiers-exchanged-portrait-miniatures-as-love-tokens-centuries-later-new-research-is-unlocking-the-secrets-of-these-intimate-artworks-180988300/Over the past few years, art historians have identified several previously unknown paintings by Elizabeth I's favorite artist, Nicholas HilliardMon, 09 Mar 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tudor-courtiers-exchanged-portrait-miniatures-as-love-tokens-centuries-later-new-research-is-unlocking-the-secrets-of-these-intimate-artworks-180988300/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-extraordinary-photographs-of-golden-age-hollywood-from-greta-garbo-to-clark-gable-are-worth-a-second-look-180988244/Photographer George Hurrell gets another exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, spotlighting a dazzling array of legends captured in black-and-whiteTue, 24 Feb 2026 17:37:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-extraordinary-photographs-of-golden-age-hollywood-from-greta-garbo-to-clark-gable-are-worth-a-second-look-180988244/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lucian-freud-is-famous-for-his-unflinching-portraits-these-rarely-seen-drawings-provide-an-intimate-window-into-his-creative-process-180988191/A new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London showcases drawings and etchings from throughout the British artist’s 60-year careerTue, 17 Feb 2026 21:44:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lucian-freud-is-famous-for-his-unflinching-portraits-these-rarely-seen-drawings-provide-an-intimate-window-into-his-creative-process-180988191/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rumors-suggested-that-anne-boleyn-was-witch-with-six-fingers-did-this-elizabethan-artist-rework-a-portrait-of-the-tudor-queen-to-debunk-the-gossip-180988169/A new analysis of the Hever Rose portrait suggests that the painter deliberately modified an existing template to showcase Anne's hands—with no extra digits—holding a delicate roseMon, 09 Feb 2026 20:40:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rumors-suggested-that-anne-boleyn-was-witch-with-six-fingers-did-this-elizabethan-artist-rework-a-portrait-of-the-tudor-queen-to-debunk-the-gossip-180988169/