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Art

Resurrecting the Sublime recreates the scent of Hibiscadelphus wilderianus, which went extinct in 1912.

What Do These Extinct Plants Smell Like?

A multidisciplinary collaboration resurrects three types of flora lost due to 20th-century colonialism

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced plans to remove the sculpture last summer, but a lawsuit filed by locals delayed the process until this week.

History of Now

Richmond Removes Robert E. Lee Statue, Largest Confederate Sculpture in the U.S.

Workers sawed the controversial monument into pieces before transporting it to an undisclosed Virginia storage facility

This damaged floor marker, labeled “Stairwell C, Floor 102,” was recovered from the debris of the World Trade Center and is now housed in the National Museum of American History's National September 11 Collection.

September 11

Commemorate 9/11 With Free Virtual Programs, Resources From the Smithsonian

Here’s how the American History Museum, the National Postal Museum and more are reflecting on the tragedy

For the study, researchers analyzed three shoes found in the Renaissance artist's house.

How Tall Was Michelangelo? Surprisingly Short, Study Suggests

New analysis of the artist’s (probable) shoes indicates that he stood 5 feet 2 inches tall

Kevin Bubriski, World Trade Center Series, New York City, 2001, gelatin silver print

Smithsonian Voices

The Art of Remembering 9/11

Learn about five artworks in SAAM’s collection and the stories they tell us about 9/11

Frederick Hurten Rhead, panel for overmantel, 1910

First Museum Dedicated to American Arts and Crafts Movement Opens in Florida

Proponents of the artistic philosophy pushed back against industrial production and embraced handcraftsmanship

On the inner wall of one of the two "wings" comprising Masayuki Sono's Postcards monument in Staten Island, flowers are placed next to the names of victims of the 9/11 attacks.

Seven 9/11 Memorials to Visit Across the United States

These lesser-known monuments honor the lives lost in the terrorist attacks 20 years ago

Workers discovered a trove of rare gold coins, pictured here, in the walls of a historic French mansion in 2019. Now, the coins are going up for auction.

Cool Finds

Trove of 239 Rare Gold Coins Discovered in Walls of French Mansion

Renovators discovered a hidden box and pouch stuffed with rare gold coins, minted during the reigns of French Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV

Mickalene Thomas, Jet Blue #25 (detail), 2021

Mickalene Thomas’ Dazzling Collages Reclaim Black Women’s Bodies

A four-part exhibition premiering this fall showcases the contemporary artist’s multimedia portrayals of Black femininity

Jacques-Louis David, Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743–1794) and Marie Anne Lavoisier (Marie Anne Pierrette Paulze, 1758–1836), 1788

Art Meets Science

Iconic Portrait of French Chemist and His Wife Once Looked Entirely Different

Jacques-Louis David’s 1789 painting originally depicted Antoine and Marie Anne Lavoisier as wealthy elites, not modern scientists

Breakup albums take listeners through the stages of a breakup much like the stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

The Heart-Wrenching History of the Breakup Album

From Joni Mitchell’s ‘Blue’ to Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Sour,’ love and loss has an ever evolving soundtrack

Five-year-old Astrid Cooper poses with one of her artworks. Astrid co-curated an upcoming exhibition at the Edge arts center in Bath, England, with her father, Will.

Art Exhibition Gives New Meaning to the Phrase ‘My Kid Could’ve Done That’

Curator Will Cooper and his 5-year-old daughter, Astrid, invited 15 British artists and their children to contribute original artworks

Joan Mitchell in her Paris studio in 1956

The Poetry and Passion of Joan Mitchell’s Abstract Expressionist Paintings

A traveling exhibition will unite 80 works by the acclaimed artist, who thrived in 1950s New York despite widespread sexism

Unable to attend the funeral, an Australian farmer made a video of sheep in the shape of a heart to express his grief for his aunt, who died after a two-year battle with cancer.

Trending Today

Australian Farmer Expresses Grief With ‘Sheep Art’ Heart

The sheepherder couldn’t attend his aunt’s funeral, so he made her a huge heart out of hundreds of sheep—and captured it all from above using drone footage

In Paul Henry’s own words, he hoped to capture “the very soul of Ireland” in his paintings.

Cool Finds

Rare Impressionist Landscapes Found in Storage Unit Could Sell for $60,000

Created by artist Paul Henry, the oil paintings depict the Irish countryside

Chuck Close Self-Portrait, dye diffusion transfer prints, 1989

Chuck Close, Artist Whose Photorealist Portraits Captivated America, Dies at 81

The painter, who faced accusations of sexual harassment later in life, continuously changed his artistic style

American Black Duck by Peter Daverington at Halletts Point, Queens, is one of nearly 100 murals that make up the Audubon Mural Project.

The Audubon Mural Project Brings Threatened Birds Back to New York City

From purple finches to whiskered screech owls, artists are expanding a colorful flock of public artworks in Upper Manhattan

The museum's sculptures promote coral growth and will eventually serve as homes for sea creatures.

Art Meets Science

You Can Now Explore an Underwater Sculpture Museum in the Mediterranean

Artist Jason deCaires Taylor placed 93 statues of people and plants in a submerged “forest” off the coast of Cyprus

The thieves attempted to steal De Voorzaan en de Westerhem, an 1871 painting by Claude Monet.

Thieves Attempt to Steal a Monet From a Dutch Museum—but Drop It Mid-Escape

The would-be robbers tried to take an 1871 landscape by the French Impressionist from the Zaans Museum in Zaandam

A vandal covered this mural of a rat sipping a cocktail in white spray paint.

Banksy Murals in England Defaced, Removed Just Days After Appearing

Vandals targeted two scenes in the street artist’s latest series. Local officials covered up two others

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