Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Art

Cool Finds

Every Year for the Next 100 Years, Authors Will Write Books That Won’t Be Read Until 2114

Author Margaret Atwood’s new book became the first to go into the century-long time capsule project

Cool Finds

500 Years’ Worth of Book Illustrations Have Just Been Liberated From Print

The internet’s about to get a wealth of illustrations from more than two million books

New Research

Neanderthal Carvings in a Gibraltar Cave Reveal Some of Europe’s Oldest Known Artwork

Some argue, however, that Homo sapiens are responsible for the etchings

Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota tied red yarn to hundreds of unpaired shoes for "Perspectives," opening August 30 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

What’s In a Shoe? Japanese Artist Chiharu Shiota Investigates

An artist takes on the soul in the sole of your shoes in an exhibition at the Sackler Gallery of Art

Russian artist Dmitry Morozov has devised a way to make pollution beautiful.

7 Ways Technology is Changing How Art is Made

Technology is redefining art in strange, new ways. Works are created by people moving through laser beams or from data gathered on air pollution

Illustrator Anthony Freda adapted Norman Rockwell's The Runaway to comment on police following this month's events in Ferguson, Missouri.

Rethinking Rockwell in the Time of Ferguson

An illustrator adapted Rockwell’s The Runaway based on images of contemporary police

Rooms: At the Cooper Hewitt, once Andrew Carnegie’s mansion, Kalman’s selections will be displayed in the Music Room.

Famed Illustrator Maira Kalman Takes on the Cooper Hewitt’s Collections

In her latest book, the noted artist juxtaposes treasured personal objects with items from the Smithsonian design museum

New Research

The 10,000 Hour Rule Is Not Real

The biggest meta-analysis of research to date indicates that practice does not make perfect

A gallery in the Tate Britain

Cool Finds

Starting Tonight, You Can Roam the Tate Museum After Hours, Via Robot

Spend a virtual night at the museum with robots

William James Aylward depicted a soldier looking down at the grave of his bunk mate in His Bunkie..

This Riveting Art From the Front Lines of World War I Has Gone Largely Unseen for Decades

During WWI, the War Department sent American artists to Europe. The Smithsonian recently digitized the captivating artwork

The art installation "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" marking the anniversary of the World War One is seen at the Tower of London July 28, 2014.

World War I: 100 Years Later

For WWI Anniversary, the Tower of London Has Become Surrounded by a Sea of Poppies

888,246 red ceramic flowers encircle the landmark structure in remembrance of fallen soldiers

French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel with some of his works in Hong Kong, May 2014. The sculptures he is designing for Versailles have a similar pearl-strand shape.

Cool Finds

For the First Time in 300 Years, a New Permanent Sculpture Will Grace Versailles

A fountain sculpture being installed on the grounds is intended to be the first permanent addition to the collection in centuries

Wile E. Coyote caught in his own trap

What’s Up, Doc? Check Out the Work of Famed Animator Chuck Jones

As part of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, Jones’ work will travel to 13 locations through 2019

Beautiful Drone Video Captures Rarely Visited Area of Arizona’s Vermilion Cliffs

Filmmaker Tristan Greszko takes us on an aerial journey through the isolated White Pocket of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

This Monet reproduction is composed of tiny bits of metal assembled on the micron scale.

New Research

This Monet Isn’t the Real Thing—But It’s Awfully Close

Nanoprinters can duplicate great artwork with remarkable precision

"Watermarks" earned first place in the contest. “The way water in this picture found its way back to the ocean reminded me of a peacock's tail spreading under the sun or a woman's hair blowing in the wind,” Sadri writes.

Art Meets Science

Who Knew Fungi and Fruit Fly Ovaries Could Be So Beautiful?

Princeton University’s annual science art contest shines a light on the research world, adding a video element this year

The LACMA exterior as seen from Wilshire Boulevard.

Why Museums Don’t Need Gleaming New Buildings, Especially Not in Los Angeles

An award-winning architect suggests that the city reconsider its plans to raze its iconic art museum

New Research

No Matter How Much You Practice, If You Don’t Have Natural Talent You Still Might Never Be the Best, Some Experts Think

Yet other researchers think that different factors, such as the quality and timing of practice, matter most

Batchelder tile from the lobby of the El Dorado Lofts in Los Angeles.

Cool Finds

Saving Los Angeles’ Batchelder Tile

Arts and crafts enthusiasts are waiting for a recently rediscovered landmark to reopen

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Greece Find Some of the World’s Oldest Erotic Graffiti

About 2,500 years ago, ancient Greeks were boasting of their sexual conquests in long-lasting graffiti

Page 151 of 168