Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Art

For only $10, you can spend a night in a faithful recreation of van Gogh's "The Bedroom," wonky angles and all.

Cool Finds

Rent a Recreation of Van Gogh’s Bedroom and Other Artistic Airbnbs

Odd houses and intricately designed bedrooms are a staple of short-term rentals

A rainbow-colored crosswalk in St. Louis, Missouri.

Trending Today

The Federal Highway Administration Says Stop to Crosswalk Art

Street art will no longer color crosswalks in St. Louis, Missouri

George Washington seems to be crying as he stares at FDR.

American South

How 43 Giant, Crumbling Presidential Heads Ended Up in a Virginia Field

After an ambitious monument went bust, big dreams—and big heads—remain

People crowd on road near Balogun Market to shop. Lagos, Nigeria

Step Into a Noisy, Chaotic Nigerian Marketplace at The African Art Museum

West African artist Emeka Ogboh’s installation will be the first time the museum has featured a work of sound art

A newly-released poster in NASA's Visions of the Future series heralds a future "grand tour" using gravity assists.

Cool Finds

NASA Went Retro With Their New Space Travel Posters

Travel to the world of tomorrow—today!

A rendering of the newly reopened Museum of Neon Art in Glendale, California.

Cool Finds

Glow to This Flickering Tribute to Neon

The past shines at the Museum of Neon Art in Southern California

"Chevalier de Saint-Denis," Thierry Poncelet.

Cool Finds

You Too Can Own a Portrait of a Dog Dressed as a Person

Dog art auctions put the spotlight on man’s best friend

Michelangelo painted some of art history's greatest hands.

New Research

Michelangelo May Have Had Arthritis

Researchers used old portraits and letters to study the master’s hands

The Dining Room of the Colored Girls Museum

A Pop-Up Museum Documents the Stories of Philadelphia’s Black Women

Vashti DuBois is looking to build community and pride in underserved neighborhoods, starting with her own

Liliya Lifánova, Anatomy is Destiny (live performance at the Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis), 2012.

Cool Finds

Board of Sexism in Chess? Check Out These New Exhibitions

The World Chess Hall of Fame is showcasing the power of its women

"Lotus, An X-ray" c. 1930's.

Cool Finds

Check Out These X-Rays of Flowers From the 1930s

Dain L. Tasker’s radiographs depict delicate flowers from the inside out

The woven courtyard will feature wading pools and a colorful kaleidoscope of ropes.

Cool Finds

A Museum Courtyard Will Be Taken Over by a Colorful Web

“Weaving the Courtyard” will bring a kaleidoscopic of color to MoMA PS1

A pre-production sketch of Persephone, a human princess that served as a test run for Walt Disney's "Snow White."

Cool Finds

Snow White Wasn’t the First Disney Princess

Dwarfs, meet Persephone

"You & I," by Pranita Kocharekar.

Cool Finds

This Company Transforms Indian Taxicabs Into Original Artworks

Intricately designed fabrics help taxi drivers stand out from the crowd

This fresco would have been the height of fashion among residents of Roman London.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discovered a Roman Fresco Beneath the Streets of London

This ornate, hand-painted wall was once considered to be the height of fashion in Londinium

Cool Finds

The Original Cat Video Returns to Times Square

All month long, Times Square will be under the gaze of a familiar, indifferent kitten

The embellished cave temples of Badami are among the earliest examples of rock-cut caves in southern India. The Chalukyas, who ruled over Deccan between the sixth and eighth centuries, oversaw the transition from rock-cut to freestanding, structural architecture.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: India

The Remarkable Cave Temples of Southern India

Deccan’s intricate monuments, many of which are carved into cliffs, date back to the sixth century

Statue of Liberty stamp art, 1994, by Tom Engerman

Get Stuck on New York’s Pop Culture With These Historic Stamps

A new exhibition at the National Postal Museum spotlights Gotham’s cultural impact

Cool Finds

Step Inside a Dalí Painting at This Virtual Reality Exhibit

Surrealism meets real life in an exploration of a Dalí masterwork

"I Just Want to Come Home," a mural addressing the relationship between police and young men of color.

New York City Is Paying Public Housing Residents to Paint Murals

Young tenants will create public art that captures social issues at five housing projects, one in each borough

Page 138 of 167