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Museums

The Walnut of Benevento (Sabbath of Witches), 1822-1826, by Giuseppe Pietro Bagetti

How This Italian Town Came to Be Known as the ‘City of Witches’

Centuries ago, it was said that Benevento was a gathering place for the occult. Today, superstitions still run deep

Epiatheracerium itjilik lived in a forested lake habitat on Devon Island 23 million years ago. 

Scientists Discover ‘Frosty’ Polar Rhino That Roamed the Canadian Arctic 23 Million Years Ago

The newly identified species was small, hornless and possibly covered in fur, which would have helped it survive dark, cold winters above the Arctic Circle

The portrait of Private Thomas James

The Mystery Waterloo Soldier Depicted in a Painting at London’s National Army Museum Has Been Identified

One of the few Black soldiers to receive the Waterloo Medal in recognition of his service, Private Thomas James’ overlooked story is now being told

Three of the counterfeit paintings confiscated by Bavarian authorities

This Forgery Ring Tried to Sell a Fake Rembrandt for $150 Million. The Real Painting Is Hanging in an Amsterdam Museum

The conspirators claimed that their canvas was the original, while the Rijksmuseum’s was an inferior copy. They also marketed forgeries of works by Picasso, Frida Kahlo and more

Experts say our fear of dolls likely stems from uncertainty.

These Creepy Dolls Are on the Loose, Haunting the Halls of a Minnesota Museum This Halloween

To mark its seventh annual Creepy Doll Contest, the History Center of Olmsted County is inviting its vintage toy dolls to act as “amateur curators” and roam freely through its collections

Hell, unknown artist, circa 1510 to 1520

This Disturbing 16th-Century Painting of Hell Linked Satan and His Demons With the New World Beyond Europe

The panel features monsters with African, Indigenous Caribbean and intersex features, encouraging viewers to connect the sins and punishments depicted to those considered “other”

The dollhouse belonging to Petronella Oortman

Take a Virtual Tour of This Lavish Dollhouse, the Centerpiece of a New Exhibition on Everyday Life in the 17th Century

Helena Bonham Carter provides an English-language tour of the Rijksmuseum’s miniature masterpiece, which stands at about six and a half feet tall

This 14th- or 15th-century aquamanile, a vessel for pouring water in domestic and religious settings, shows a sexual depiction of the legend of Aristotle and Phyllis.

See How These Medieval Artists Explored the Many Meanings of Love and Desire in a New Exhibition at the Met Cloisters

The show features more than 50 paintings, manuscripts, textiles and other artworks created in Western Europe between the 13th and 15th centuries

Sheet of Studies, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, circa 1885-86

See Renoir’s Rare Drawings on Display in the First Exhibition of Its Kind Since 1921

Around 100 of the French Impressionist painter’s lesser-known paper works are now on view at New York City’s Morgan Library and Museum

The Sleeping Gypsy, Henri Rousseau, 1897

Meet Henri Rousseau, the Untrained Artist Who Wouldn’t Quit Painting—Despite the Ridicule He Received From Critics

A new retrospective at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia examines the career of the 19th- and 20th-century French painter, who toiled in obscurity for most of his life

Winslow Homer’s 1892 painting The Blue Boat shows his masterful use of watercolor’s layering effects.

The Delicate Works of Winslow Homer Are About to Get Their Rare Moment in the Limelight

The watercolors of the American master will be on exhibition at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, some for the only time in a generation

Divers excavating the 12th-century Huaguangjiao One wreck uncover stacked Song dynasty bowls.

Treasure Trove of Shipwrecks Along China’s Coast Reveals How East Met West on the Maritime Silk Road

Sunken finds in the South China Sea testify to rich trade networks used over hundreds of years. The sea routes brought porcelain, tea and other goods from Asia to Africa, the Middle East and Europe

French police officers stand by the ladder that robbers used to enter the Louvre on October 19.

Burglars Just Broke Into the Louvre and Stole Historic Crown Jewels in a Daring Daylight Heist

In a matter of minutes, thieves climbed a ladder and smashed display cases before fleeing the scene with eight valuable artifacts. The jewels had been housed just 270 yards from the “Mona Lisa”

Pablo Picasso painted Still Life With Guitar in 1919.

This Tiny Picasso Painting Went Missing While Traveling to an Exhibition in Spain

A few days before “Still Life With Guitar” was supposed to go on display in Granada, staffers discovered the piece had vanished from a group of artworks that had recently arrived by truck

Jackie's unusual coloring results from changes to her natural pigmentation process.

Meet Jackie, a 1-in-30-Million Calico Lobster Caught Off the Coast of Massachusetts

Now living at Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center, the striking crustacean has a bright orange shell with black freckles and blue joints

Installation view of "Divine Egypt," now open at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through January 2026

Meet 25 of the Ancient Egyptians’ Most Significant Gods and Goddesses, From the Falcon-Headed Horus to the Sky Deity Hathor

“Divine Egypt,” a new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, features nearly 250 artifacts representing the rich pantheon of Egyptian deities

"Nigerian Modernism" will run through May 10, 2026, at the Tate Modern. 

Nigeria’s Independence From England Brought Artistic Revolution. For the First Time, England Is Showcasing It

“Nigerian Modernism,” a new exhibition at the Tate Modern, celebrates 50-plus artists spanning half a century

The 1863 Paris Salon rejected Édouard Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe, or The Luncheon on the Grass.

Paris Museum Puts Édouard Manet on Mock Trial for Painting a Scandalous Scene of a Nude Woman

“The Luncheon on the Grass” caused a stir when it made its debut in 1863. A century and a half later, students defended the French artist against obscenity charges

Students will have a chance to study the mysterious artifacts in a new course slated to launch in the fall of 2026.

Cool Finds

Someone Donated These Mysterious Artifacts to a Thrift Shop. Experts Think They Might Date to Medieval Times

A shopper who said he was an archaeologist spotted the 11 rings and two medallions and alerted a volunteer

More than 250 looted objects are on display in UNESCO's Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects.

The World’s First Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects Wants Its Collection to Shrink, Not Grow

Visitors can explore 3D renderings of stolen artworks, historical artifacts, rare books and more in UNESCO’s new digital museum

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