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Art

Someone Built a Bold New Font Out of Buildings

Created out of aerial photography, you’ll never guess where the “O” comes from

Björk’s music video “All Is Full of Love” received wide acclaim and was deemed a milestone in computer graphics. In 2011, it was placed in Time’s list of The 30 All-TIME Best Music Videos.

Bjork Is Getting a Retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art

The Icelandic singer’s iconic style will be on view at the New York institution

These fragmented black lines are actually seagulls flying

Cool Finds

See the Swoops of Seagulls’ Flight Patterns

Special video effects shows more than an hours worth of seagull flight as curling paths

A visitor to MoMA views Jackson Pollock's painting "One (Number 31, 1950)"

Cool Finds

A Computer Can Tell Real Jackson Pollocks From Fakes

Genuine Pollacks really are distinguishable from random splatters of paint—there’s now software to prove it

The Zboard 2 is an electric skateboard that can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour.

This Week in Crowdfunding

Five Wild Ideas: From a Vest for Weight Loss to an Electric Skateboard

Plus, building blocks for children inspired by Archimedes

Lick and Lather, 1993, two self-portrait busts: one chocolate and one soap is currently on view at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

The World of Chocolate

The Art of Chocolate (and Soap)

Conservators went on a scientific journey to discover the best ways to preserve artist Janine Antoni’s landmark “Lick and Lather”

Trending Today

Here’s The Most Expensive Painting Ever Sold

A Gauguin painting broke the price record this week, selling for nearly $300 million

Cool Finds

Wisconsin is Too Warm for a 66-Foot Ice Tower to Survive

Weather conditions likely played a big factor in the crashing demise of a giant ice sculpture intended to last through the winter

Zsanett Szirmay draws on traditional Hungarian embroidery and cross-stitch patterns in "Soundweaving."

Cool Finds

This Music Is Made of Embroidery

Here’s what happens when you feed historical cross-stitch through a music box

Two Christie's employees look at paintings set to be auctioned off in the Art of the Surreal sale.

New Research

To Appreciate Surrealistic Art, Think About Death

Two new studies indicate that thoughts about death can influence how we perceive art

Trending Today

King Tut’s Beard Fell Off…And Was Glued Back on With Epoxy

Clumsy curators won’t admit who’s behind the irreparable repair

Snowstorm and Avalanche by Joseph Mallord William Turner

Where to See the Work of Mr. Turner Around America

The British painter is the subject of a new film, but where can you see him stateside?

One of many abstract images of the Moon collected by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Cool Finds

These Photos From a Lunar Orbiter Could Be Abstract Art

Our distant view of the Moon from Earth is nice, but these close-ups are amazing

Here is the artist's rendition of what a Tree of 40 Fruit will look like at 10 years.

Art Meets Science

A Tree Grows 40 Different Types of Fruit

What started as an art project has become a mission to reintroduce Americans to native fruits that have faded from popularity

Inside Dulwich Picture Gallery, 2010

Cool Finds

A Museum in England Is Hiding a Forgery Among Its Masterpieces

A South London gallery is asking its patrons to identify the fake in order to spark discussion about how and why we appreciate the art

The dark black lacquered center of the Ming Dynasty tray, surrounded by an elegant basket weave design, made it seem almost modern.

How Curators Found a Ghostly Image Lurking Beneath Layers of Lacquer

Work in the conservation lab revealed there was more to this Ming Dynasty tray than meets the eye

This portrait features Dr. Edward Jenner inoculating James Phipps, the first person to receive the smallpox vaccine.

Trending Today

The Art of Vaccinations

The Art of Saving a Life is connected to a fundraising effort for an international group working to eradicate disease through vaccinations

Cool Finds

This Art Studio Nurtures Talent in People on the Autism Spectrum

New York City’s Pure Visions Arts provides an art and exhibition space for around 40 creative people with autism

Cool Finds

Americans Love Cheesy Art

The most searched for artists, according to one website, run the gamut from classic masters to Duck Stamp contest winners

Small town travel, the Monuments Men, Chernobyl and Stonehenge were all among reader favorites in 2014

Our Top Stories of 2014

From weird red waterfalls to the pleasures of small-town America, these were the most read articles on Smithsonian.com this year

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