Art History

Throne 1, KK'in Lakam Chahk (785)

Rarely Seen Ancient Maya Masterpieces Go on View at the Met

It's the first exhibition of its kind in the United States in a decade

The colorful Sunday panel published in 1987

Hand-Colored 'Calvin and Hobbes' Strip Sells for $480,000

The cheeky panel, created by Bill Watterson, was a gift to his longtime editor Lee Salem

Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick

Known as Warhol's Muse, Edie Sedgwick Was an Artist Herself

For the first time, a trove of her previously unseen art is going to auction

Rhea L. Combs (left) and Ava DuVernay (right) share a laugh in front of DuVernay’s portrait during the National Portrait Gallery's 2022 Portrait of a Nation Gala on Saturday, November 12, 2022.

See Stunning Portraits of Ava DuVernay, José Andrés and the Williams Sisters

The National Portrait Gallery's 2022 Portrait of a Nation Award honors seven changemakers, from Anthony Fauci to Clive Davis

Basquiat lived and worked at 57 Great Jones Street until his death in 1988. 

You Can Rent Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Apartment and Art Studio—For $60,000

The artist rented the space from Andy Warhol between 1983 and 1988

The thermal baths helped preserve the ancient statues.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find 24 Bronze Statues, Preserved in Tuscan Spa for 2,300 Years

The discovery provides insight into the transition from Etruscan to Roman rule

Visitors look at a restored Rembrandt, previously dismissed as an imitation.

This 'Crude Imitation' of Rembrandt Is Actually the Real Deal

Researchers say that the famous artist himself painted "The Raising of the Cross"

Piet Mondrian's New York City I (1941)

Has This Piet Mondrian Painting Been Hanging Upside Down for 77 Years?

Intriguing new observations suggest that it has—but curators are going to leave it the way it is

Peter Paul Rubens' Salome Presented With the Head of John the Baptist was lost for centuries.

Cool Finds

Lost Rubens Painting, Rediscovered After Two Centuries, Could Sell for $35 Million

A French family found the masterpiece in their collection in 1987

Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, 1942

Reexamining Edward Hopper—and the Woman Behind His Career

“Hopper: An American Love Story” highlights the artist’s relationship with his wife, Josephine Nivison

Woman Hiding Her Face (1912) by Egon Schiele

Nazis Stole Two Paintings From a Jewish Cabaret Star. Now, His Heirs Are Selling Them

Proceeds from the auction will go toward supporting underrepresented artists

The 1,600-year-old mosaic in Rastan, Syria

See the Stunning 1,600-Year-Old Mosaic Unearthed in Syria

Archaeologists found the artwork beneath a building in Rastan

An A.I.-generated image of the Faroe Islands inspired by Vincent van Gogh

Art Meets Science

How Would van Gogh Have Painted the Faroe Islands?

A new exhibition uses artificial intelligence to create images in the style of history’s greatest artists

Girl With a Flute was previously believed to be a Vermeer original.

Art Meets Science

Who Is Behind This Vermeer Painting? Probably Not Vermeer

The National Gallery of Art now believes that "Girl With a Flute" was painted by one of his associates

Smithsonian officials announce the transfer of ownership of 29 works of art to Nigeria; 20 will be returned (above: Bell, Benin kingdom court style, Edo artist,18th century), while nine will remain on loan.

The Smithsonian Returns a Trove of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

The transfer of ownership of 29 artworks is the first to be carried out under a new policy and practice

From Henry VII’s usurpation of the throne in 1485 to the death of Elizabeth in 1603, Tudor monarchs relied on paintings, sculptures, tapestries and other art forms to legitimize their nascent dynasty.

Why Art Was Such a Powerful Tool for England's Tudor Monarchs

An exhibition at the Met features 100-plus paintings, sculptures, decorative works and objects that testify to the splendor of 16th-century English court

Female Figure

Who Were the Painters of Pompeii?

A new exhibition explores the ancient Roman "pictores," who created beautiful frescoes preserved in ash from Mount Vesuvius' eruption

An X-ray of the Dancing Horse earthenware sculpture, which dates to 608 to 907 C.E. during China's Tang dynasty

Art Meets Science

Chemistry Reveals the History of an Ancient Dancing Horse Sculpture

The artwork dates to China's Tang dynasty, when horses were a symbol of prosperity

Self-Portrait (1887)

How America Saw Vincent van Gogh

The largest U.S. exhibition of the artist’s work opens in Detroit this fall

Palestinian farmer Salman al-Nabahin cleans the mosaic he uncovered in Gaza.

Cool Finds

Palestinian Farmer Unearths Byzantine-Era Mosaic While Planting Olive Trees

The stunning, colorful flooring depicts 17 iconographies of birds and animals

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