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Art

In the U.S., although Humboldt’s name has vanished, his ideas have not (above: Humboldt in His Library (detail) by Eduard Hildebrandt, 1856).

Alexander von Humboldt

Who Was Alexander von Humboldt?

Smithsonian curator Eleanor Jones Harvey explains why this revolutionary 19th-century thought leader is due for a reconsideration

A stained glass window designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany is one of many artworks available for your perusal.

Virtual Travel

68 Cultural, Historical and Scientific Collections You Can Explore Online

Tour world-class museums, read historic cookbooks, browse interactive maps and more

Batman's iconic sidekick Robin provides pep and puns to offset the billionaire's brooding personality.

Celebrating the 80th Anniversary of Batman’s Sidekick, Robin

Many teens have taken on the role, but not every Robin was a “boy” wonder

A roughly 20,000-year-old engraved, pocket-sized rock that may depict a sun, eye or flower

Cool Finds

Portable, Pocket-Sized Rock Art Discovered in Ice Age Indonesian Cave

The findings further refute the outdated notion that humans’ capacity for complex artistic expression evolved exclusively in Europe

The Vatican Museums (pictured here), the Anne Frank House and the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City are among the many cultural institutions with online offerings.

Virtual Travel

Ten Museums You Can Virtually Visit

Museums are closing their doors amid the coronavirus crisis, but many offer digital exhibitions visitors can browse from the comfort of home

A two-page spread from the We All Rise coloring book

Covid-19

A Detroit Gallery Is Providing Kids With Coloring Books—and Meals—Amid COVID-19

The Library Street Collective’s “We All Rise” coloring book features drawings by around 30 contemporary artists

A part-human, part-insect glyph found in Iran

Cool Finds

Possible Half-Human, Half-Praying-Mantis Carving Found on Ancient Rocks

The puzzling glyph, which bears some resemblance to the “squatting man” motif, suggests that insects have long held a place in human lore

Anthony van Dyck, A Soldier on Horseback, c. 1616

Thieves Steal Three Precious Artworks From Oxford Gallery

Together, the paintings—including one by Anthony van Dyck—could be worth around £10 million if sold on the open market

The Box Museum in England will open this May with an exhibit featuring 14 19th-century naval figureheads

Rescued From Rot, 19th-Century Naval Figureheads to Feature in New Exhibit

A collection of 14 restored wooden statues, including a two-ton William IV, will be shown at the Box Museum in England

The thrift store find is part of the artist's Divine Comedy series, seen here during a 2014 exhibition in Frankfurt Oder, Germany.

Cool Finds

Thrift Store Find Identified as Original Salvador Dalí Print

The Spanish Surrealist painted a series of 100 watercolors inspired by Dante’s “Divine Comedy”

Double Self-Portrait by John Singer Sargent, 1902

John Singer Sargent ‘Abhorred’ Making His Lavish Portraits, So He Took Up Charcoal to Get the Job Done

Sargent made his portraits in charcoal—a medium that allowed completion in less than three hours rather than the weeks it took for his full-length oils

El Tendedero/The Clothesline Project, an installation by Mónica Mayer in which women were invited to vent their frustrations about their city on a piece of pink paper

#5WomenArtists Campaign Tackles Gender Inequity for the Fifth Year in a Row

Though women make up nearly half of visual artists in the United States, they represent just 13 percent of artists in museum collections

A gyotaku fish print

Art Meets Science

Traditional Japanese Fish Art Could Be a Boon for Conservation

“Gyotaku,” or the art of pressing ink-dipped fish onto paper, represents a wealth of scientifically accurate data on Japan’s marine life

Strobridge Lithographing Company, Kellar and His Perplexing Cabinet Mysteries, 1894. Purchase, funds graciously donated by La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso.

The Amazing Poster Art From the ‘Golden Age’ of Magic

An exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario shows how magicians enticed audiences with advertisements of levitations, decapitations and other deceptions

Artemisia Gentileschi's newly attributed David and Goliath painting

Cool Finds

Once Attributed to a Male Artist, ‘David and Goliath’ Painting Identified as the Work of Artemisia Gentileschi

Conservation efforts uncovered the Baroque artist’s signature along the hilt of David’s sword

Vegas Vicky, Las Vegas, Nevada

Virtual Travel

A Vibrant Tour of America’s Neon Signs

In his upcoming book ‘Neon Road Trip,’ photographer John Barnes captures a luminous part of advertising history

Barbara Karinska, “Emeralds” costume from Jewels, original designed in 1967. Lent by the New York City Ballet

From Ballerina Flats to Tutus, Ballet Has Left Its Mark on Fashion

A new exhibition in NYC features high-end couture, historic ballet costumes and modern athletic wear

Tourists wait to see Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

More Than One Million People Saw the Louvre’s Blockbuster Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition

The record-breaking show attracted almost double the number of visitors as the Paris museum’s 2018 Delacroix retrospective

Author-illustrator duo Jon Scieszka and Steven Weinberg debut How to Make a Collagasaurus, a how-to booklet inviting kids to transform the Smithsonian collections into zany new art forms.

Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images Into Public Domain

The launch of a new open access platform ushers in a new era of accessibility for the Institution

“Why did the Royal Canadian Mint make the world's purest and largest gold bullion coin?” the mint’s site asks. “Because we can.”

Berlin Court Sends Three Suspects to Prison for Theft of Giant Gold Coin Worth $4 Million

Prosecutors say two cousins carried out the heist with the help of a childhood friend hired as a security guard at Berlin’s Bode Museum

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