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Arts

This dance stick (c. 1890) was created by the warrior No Two Horns to honor his horse being killed at Little Big Horn.

What’s Up

At last count, Velveteria, the Museum of Velvet Paintings has nearly 2,500 velvet paintings.

Museums With Their Own Niche

Subjects as wide-ranging as lunchboxes, roller skating, and Bigfoot have museums dedicated solely to their study and appreciation

Using shadows and the moon, Olson determined the moment Ansel Adams photographed Autumn Moon. When conditions recurred 57 years later, Olson was ready.

Forensic Astronomer Solves Fine Arts Puzzles

Astrophysicist Don Olson breaks down the barriers between science and art by analyzing literature and paintings from the past

Pompeii, House of the Golden Bracelet, Garden Scene, 1st century BC - 1st century AD.

Roman Splendor in Pompeii

Art and artifacts reveal the elaborate maritime pleasure palaces established by Romans around the Bay of Naples

A mysterious bird etched in stone at the ancient aboriginal rock art site in Western Australia.

Dampier Rock Art Complex, Australia

On the northwestern coast of Australia, over 500,000 rock carvings face destruction by industrial development

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Rogues Gallery

Ten of the most incredible art heists of the modern era

Tim Conlon completes the king character and starts to fill in the "Con" outline.

Aerosol Art

Largely dismissed as vandalism, graffiti migrates from city streets and subway cars into major galleries

Acropolis Museum in Athens

Acropolis Now

A modern museum of ancient Greece rises near the Parthenon

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Miami Splash

Art Basel Miami Beach is a giant fair that’s fueling the city’s explosive arts scene

At an "Antiques Roadshow" taping in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2006, Nan Chisholm appraises a landscape of Glacier Park by the American artist, John Fery. The estimated value: $15,000-$20,000.

FOR HIRE: Fine Art Appraiser

Former Sotheby’s paintings appraiser Nan Chisholm evaluates her work

A Turkish carpet could be the ultimate souvenir of your trip to Istanbul.

Buying a Carpet in Istanbul

A guide to types of Turkish carpets and techniques that go into making them

Foucan and Belle called their efforts "parkour," from the French "parcours," meaning "route."

Extreme Running

Made popular by a recent James Bond film, a new urban art form called free running hits the streets

In 1919 Marcel Duchamp penciled a mustache and goatee on a print of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and inscribed the work "L.H.O.O.Q." Spelled out in French these letters form a risqué pun: Elle a chaud au cul, or "She has hot pants." Intentionally disrespectful, Duchamp's defacement was meant to express the Dadaists' rejection of both artistic and cultural authority.

Switzerland

A Brief History of Dada

The irreverent, rowdy revolution set the trajectory of 20th-century art

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Peter Pan Turns 100

But the boy who never grew up shows no signs of getting old

Sculptor Alexander Calder's hand-drawn map to his home looks like one of his mobiles.

Particulars of Context

There’s art in the history at the Archives of American Art

The Dance Class (La Classe de Danse), 1873–1876, oil on canvas, by Edgar Degas

Degas and His Dancers

A major exhibition and a new ballet bring the renowned artist’s obsession with dance center stage

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Minding the “Milkstone”

When works of art are pollen and rice, and even milk, the Hirshhorn Museum gives them extra-special care

South Entrance, Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery

Art’s Moving Experience

Before works go on tour during a three-year museum renovation, there’s lots of sprucing up and packing

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Around the Mall & Beyond

Alan Fern, director of the National Portrait Gallery, offers his insights on the art of reading a portrait

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