News
Smithsonian Digitizes 40,000 Artworks from Asia
Beginning today, art lovers around the world can peruse the entire collections of two Smithsonian Asian art museums from the comfort of their homes.
Smithsonian Institution
News
Smithsonian Acquires Video Game So Atrocious It Was Buried in the Desert
One of the most disastrous video games in history is now part of the Smithsonian Institution.
In Brief
Smithsonian: Exhibiting Cosby Collection "Does Not Imply Any Position on the Serious Allegations"
After last week's radio silence, the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art has released a new statement acknowledging the rape allegations against Bill Cosby.
Opinion
What Should the Smithsonian Do with Its Show of Bill Cosby's Art Collection?
As rape allegations against Bill Cosby have continue to emerge this week, with a fifth and sixth woman stepping forward to publicly accuse the iconic comedian, the backlash has been swift. But Cosby's collaboration with the art establishment remains alive and well.
News
Smithsonian Plans $2 Billion Overhaul
Leaking roofs. Bad plumbing. Through-the-roof electricity bills. We've all experienced them, and the 168-year-old Smithsonian Institution is no different. This week, it announced a $2 billion dollar plan to bring its museums and gardens into the 21st century.
Art
Rare Portraits of Kings and Commoners from 20th-Century Nigeria
For over five decades Chief Solomon Osagie Alonge photographed the royal court and everyday life of Benin, Nigeria. Drawing on their collection of over 2,000 glass plate and large format film negatives, as well as around 100 prints, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is exhibiting some o
Art
Artist's Diaries Since 1865
From Vincent Van Gogh to Joseph Cornell, writing has always been a crucial part of the artist's life.
Art
The Arrows of the Last Yahi Indian, Who Chose to Live Out His Final Days in a Museum
It's just a couple of arrows, but the pair of slender wood weapons are a reminder of a man who chose to live the rest of his life in museum rather than a reservation.
Books
What It Is to Be Cool in America
What is cool and why do Americans care so much? That's the hinge on which the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery has fixed American Cool — an exhibition of portraiture that opened in February — and its accompanying catalogue.
Art
Thunderbirds and Underwater Panthers in an Overlooked American Indian Art History
The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in New York is holding the first major survey of art by Anishinaabe artists in the Great Lakes region, with over a hundred works from artists both contemporary and ancient, all linked by the 10,000-year history of human settlement in the area.
News
Smithsonian Joins MoMA in Expanding Video Game Effort
As the Smithsonian American Art Museum continues to expand its video game collection (two acquisitions were announced today), so too does the Washington, DC-based institution find itself increasingly dedicated to documenting the broader culture of video game production.
News
How the Looming US Government Shutdown Will Affect the World of Art
By midnight this evening, we’ll finally know whether the government will be shut down — that's the silver lining to be found in the otherwise bleak congressional budget debate.