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Artists

“Freeman's Hands"

The Remarkable Life and Work of Guitar Maker Freeman Vines

For nearly half a century, the North Carolina native has created instruments out of found wood—including some from a notorious hanging tree

Head of a Bearded Man is believed to have been painted by a member of Dutch master Rembrandt's studio. Further research is necessary to determine if the work was painted by the artist himself.

Art Meets Science

Painting Deemed Fake, Consigned to Storage May Be Genuine Rembrandt

New analysis confirms the famed Dutch painter’s studio—and perhaps even the artist himself—created “Head of a Bearded Man”

Speaking with BBC News, Frans Hals specialist Anna Tummers described the painting as a "wonderful example of his loose painting style. ... It was very playful, daring and loose."

Thieves Steal 17th-Century Masterpiece for Third Time in 32 Years

Frans Hals’ “Two Laughing Boys with a Mug of Beer” was previously purloined in 1988 and 2011

Emilio Sanchez with children in Puerto Rico, 1964. Emilio Sanchez papers, 1922-2012.

Smithsonian Voices

How the Desolate Architectural Paintings of Emilio Sanchez Were Crafted From the Artist’s Travel Snapshots

In the Archives of American Art, a scholar pieces together the Cuban-born painter’s complex artistic practice

El Greco, The Assumption of the Virgin, 1577–79

A History of El Greco’s Masterful—and Often Litigious—Artistic Career

A 57-work retrospective at the Art Institute of Chicago charts the evolution of the 16th-century painter’s distinctive style

Audrey Flack, Spitfire, 1973, acrylic on canvas, 73 x 110.5 inches, Gift of Stuart M. Speiser from the Stuart M. Speiser Photorealist Collection

Smithsonian Voices

Take a Deep Dive Into This Awesome Example of 1970s Photorealism

Smithsonian’s Carolyn Russo says to study this 1973 artwork by photorealist painter Audrey Flack is like looking at a plane spotting puzzle

An artist's rendering of the mosaic, which is on view at Union Station in Washington, D.C. through August 28

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

A 1,000-Square-Foot Mosaic of Ida B. Wells Welcomes Visitors to D.C.’s Union Station

The artwork, installed in honor of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, celebrates the pioneering civil rights leader and journalist

Slow loris

This Artist Uses Thousands of Lego Bricks to Make Lifelike Sculptures of Animals

Found at zoos and gardens across the country, Sean Kenney’s works of art often call attention to endangered species and advocate for conservation

George IV commissioned architect John Nash to design Buckingham Palace's picture gallery as a home for his art collection.

Buckingham Palace’s Art Collection to Be Exhibited in Public Gallery for First Time

The 65 works set to go on view include masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Titian

In the 1913 march for women's suffrage, Inez Milholland (right) led the procession on Pennsylvania Avenue, while black suffragists like the women of Delta Sigma Theta sorority were relegated to the back.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

What 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage Looks Like Through the Eyes of 100 Women Artists

A new book fills its pages with an illustrated, intersectional exploration of the past century

The new artworks unveiled in the garden, including We Come in Peace by Huma Bhabha, 2018, offers visitors the opportunity to "engage with timely issues through art," says the museum's director Melissa Chiu.

Two Monumental Sculptures Welcome Visitors Back to the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden

Both artworks evoke peace in the time of pandemic

Raphael's famed Uffizi self-portrait and the new facial reconstruction

3-D Facial Reconstruction Suggests Raphael Self-Portrait Presents Idealized Version of the Artist

The new model reveals the Renaissance giant’s prominent nose

The pairing of Francisco de Zurbarán’s The Martyrdom of Saint Serapion and Jan Asselijn’s The Threatened Swan in the Rijksmuseum's "Rembrandt and Velazquez" exhibition inspired MosAIc's creators.

Art Meets Science

How an Algorithm Draws Unexpected Connections Between Works of Art

Given a starting image, the artificial intelligence can identify objects that match its colors, textures and themes

Walter Pach, Street in Mexico,

Smithsonian Voices

How a Once-Hidden Cache of Art and Archives Expands the Narratives of Mexican Modernism

The works and writings of American artist and art critic Walter Pach are newly available to scholars and the resource is rich with history

Government officials have moved The Seagull and The FIshermen into storage.

Norway Tears Down Picasso Mural After Years of Debate Between Authorities, Activists

Critics say the removal constitutes a crime against Norwegian cultural heritage

A 1905 postcard overlaid with Vincent van Gogh's 1890 painting of the same spot

Cool Finds

Art Historian Identifies the Spot Where Vincent van Gogh Painted His Final Work

The Dutch artist died 130 years ago today

Jean-Michel in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in 1983

Virtual Travel

See Jean-Michel Basquiat Masterpieces Up Close in This Online Exhibition

The virtual experience spotlights a 2019 show that included around 70 works by the artist

Bisa Butler, I Am Not Your Negro, 2019. Cotton, wool and chiffon, quilted and appliquéd. 79 x 60 in.

Artist Bisa Butler Stitches Together the African American Experience

Her dynamic quilts that reimagine old portraits will be on display in New York in her first solo exhibition

In the recent "Portraits" podcast, LL recounts why he turned to a 100-year-old masterpiece of the richest person in modern history—John D. Rockefeller Sr.—for his power pose.

How a Maverick Hip-Hop Legend Found Inspiration in a Titan of American Industry

When LL COOL J sat for his portrait, he found common ground with the life-long philanthropical endeavors of John D. Rockefeller

Researchers have discovered a hidden painting beneath Picasso's Still Life (1922).

Cool Finds

Abandoned Artwork Discovered Beneath Pablo Picasso Painting

The artist, who regularly reused canvases, covered a neoclassical still life with a Cubist one

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