Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Sculpture

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Why Born Enslaved!, 1873

A Bold New Show at the Met Explores A Single Sculpture

The exhibition probes the paradoxes of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s “Why Born Enslaved!,” the most famous depiction of a Black woman in 19th-century art

Edmonia Lewis' Death of Cleopatra was a sensation at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, among both admirers and those who found Lewis' depiction of the queen's suicide too macabre.

Women Who Shaped History

When Cleopatra Died Again

The artwork by Edmonia Lewis, the first African American sculptor in the classical mode, epitomizes her immense talent

Archaeologists found a 5,000-year-old drum, a clay ball and a polished bone pin at a burial site in the English village of Burton Agnes. 

An Ornate, 5,000-Year-Old Stone Drum Is the U.K.’s Most Significant Prehistoric Art Find in a Century

Now on view in London, the chalk sculpture was buried alongside three children between 3005 and 2890 B.C.E.

Protesters led by Bad River Anishinaabe activist Mike Forcia toppled this statue of Christopher Columbus on June 10, 2020.

Meet the Indigenous Activist Who Toppled Minnesota’s Christopher Columbus Statue

The unauthorized removal of the monument took place during the racial justice protests of summer 2020

No images of Licoricia of Winchester survive, so sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley based the statue's features on his daughter and grandson, both of whom are Jewish.

Meet the ‘Most Important’ Jewish Woman in Medieval England

A new statue honors Licoricia of Winchester, a 13th-century moneylender whose life illuminates the challenges faced by Jews at the time

The lead figurine sat on a fireplace mantel in a farmhouse for years before experts authenticated the piece as a rare Henry Moore sculpture.

Rare Henry Moore Sculpture Spent Decades Sitting on Mantelpiece at English Farm

A lead figurine by the famed British artist could fetch upward of $70,000 at auction

Johannes Adam Simon Oertel's 1852–53 depiction of the George III's statue toppling features several ahistorical elements, including the presence of Alexander Hamilton and a fictionalized Native American family.

A Toppled Statue of George III Illuminates the Ongoing Debate Over America’s Monuments

In July 1776, colonists destroyed a sculpture of the English king. A new exhibit explores this iconoclasm’s legacy—and its implications for today

This 14th-century religious carving of a water spirit was part of a window decoration in a Kathmandu monastery.

Rubin Museum Agrees to Return Stolen Religious Artifacts to Nepal

An investigation launched by the New York cultural institution concluded that the 14th- and 17th-century carvings were “unlawfully obtained”

Bruce Clark, author of the new book Athens: City of Wisdom, outlines the events that culminated in the Elgin Marbles’ extraction from Greece.

How the Much-Debated Elgin Marbles Ended Up in England

For two centuries, diplomat Thomas Bruce has been held up as a shameless plunderer. The real history is more complicated, argues the author of a new book

This commemorative Edmonia Lewis "forever" stamp will go on sale January 26, as the 45th installment of the USPS's Black Heritage series. 

U.S. Postage Stamp Will Honor Edmonia Lewis, a Sculptor Who Broke the Mold

As a Native American, Black and Roman Catholic woman, Lewis overcame prejudice to become a sought-after sculptor in late 19th-century Europe

Virignia Governor Ralph Northam (center) looks on as conservators Kate Ridgway (left) and Sue Donovon (right) remove the time capsule's contents.

Cool Finds

A Time Capsule Found Beneath Richmond’s Robert E. Lee Monument Confounds Historians

An almanac, a silver coin and a cloth envelope were among the intriguing artifacts found in the box

Workers removed the sculpture from the University of Hong Kong's campus under the cover of night.

Hong Kong Removes ‘Pillar of Shame’ Honoring Tiananmen Square Victims

The move arrives amid continuing crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters in the Asian city

The center aims to establish a "dialogue between modern and contemporary art," one curator says.

Why Baltimore Is Poised to Become a Major Hub for Henri Matisse Fans

The Baltimore Museum of Art recently opened a research center dedicated to the French artist

Archaeologist Anastasiia Stupko-Lubczynska at work in the Chapel of Hatshepsut.

Master Artisans Fixed Mistakes Made by Apprentices at Ancient Egyptian Temple

New research reveals how reliefs on the walls of the Temple of Hatshepsut in Thebes were crafted—and corrected

Harvest ABC's, 2019

Crayons Aren’t Just for Kids

Mixed media artist Lisa Solomon describes how she and five other artists have embraced Crayola in their work

Art collector John Foster spotted this sculpture, titled Martha and Mary, in the front yard of a St. Louis home in 2019. 

Cool Finds

Art Enthusiast Spots Long-Lost Sculpture by Black Folk Artist in Missouri Front Yard

William Edmondson had a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1937 but was buried in an unmarked grave following his death in 1951

Archaeologist Rachel Wood holds a Roman bust found at the site of a Norman church.

Cool Finds

Trio of ‘Astounding’ Roman Statues Found Beneath Medieval Church in England

The well-preserved sculptures—believed to have stood in an ancient mausoleum—depict a woman, man and child

Authorites plan to reattach the heads to statues along the famed Avenue of Sphinxes.

Cool Finds

Ancient Stone Ram Heads Unearthed on Egypt’s ‘Avenue of the Sphinxes’

The newly restored road, once lined with around 700 towering sculptures, is set to open to the public in the coming weeks

Researchers at the University of Virginia analyzed county-by-county data on Confederate memorials and lynchings in 11 Southern states between 1832 and 1950.

Survey Identifies Correlation Between Confederate Monuments and Lynchings

Counties with higher numbers of statues honoring the Confederacy recorded more racially motivated killings of Black Americans

In October 2020, authorities in Mexico City set up metal fences (pictured here) to protect a statue of Christopher Columbus from protesters. Officials later removed the sculpture, ostensibly for restoration.

Statue of Pre-Hispanic Woman Will Replace Columbus Sculpture in Mexico City

The towering likeness is an oversized replica of a 15th- or 16th-century limestone artwork discovered earlier this year

Page 12 of 28