Fine Arts

Works like this, Untitled by Jackson Pollock, can cause a fair amount of head scratching. So is it art? Find out Tuesday July 10.

Events July 10-12: Questionable Art, Crafty Mail, and the Battle of Shiloh

This week at the Smithsonian, debate the merits of contemporary art, craft your own stationery, and learn more about the Battle of Shiloh

The “Six Degrees of Peggy Bacon” exhibit maps out a web of relatedness between Bacon and well-known artists, celebrities and historical figures.

It’s a Small World After All: “Six Degrees of Peggy Bacon”

“Six Degrees of Peggy Bacon” shows how one relatively unknown but well-connected artist was linked to many of art and society’s most influential people

Escape the Sunday heat for a little refinement with the American Art Museum’s Steinway Series concert.

Events July 6-8: Constellations, Silk Road Treasures and a Sunday Concert

This weekend, become a constellation, make your own Silk Road mirror and enjoy the Classical stylings of pianist James D'León

The Mother Ship Model, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” is on display in the Rockets and Missiles exhibition station at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

Insider Tips for the Tourists in Town

Think you know all of the cool sights on the Mall? We bet you'll find these insider tips from the Institution helpful this tourist season

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At the Portrait Gallery: “One Life: Amelia Earhart” Opens 75 Years After Her Disappearance

This Sunday, local artist Kristina Bilonick will hold a workshop on screen printing and t-shirt design in pop culture.

Events June 29-July 1: Remembering Amelia Earhart, the War of 1812, and Hands-On Screen Printing

This weekend, commemorate Amelia Earhart, observe the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and make your own graphic tee

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The Swimsuit Series, Part 2: Beauty Pageants and the Inevitable Swimsuit Competition

In the latest chapter of the series, we look at how bathing suits came to be an integral part of the Miss America competition

America’s Other (Lady) Audubon

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Seeing Stars at the African Art Museum

"African Cosmos: Stellar Arts" opens today at the African Art Museum

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Welcome to Threaded! And a Dig Through the Archives

Welcome to Threaded, your go-to fashion blog for all things historical and sartorial

In association with the new exhibition, “African Cosmos: Stellar Arts," the African Art Museum hosts a talk by astronomist-artist Karel Nel this week.

Events June 19-21: The Art of Political Ads, Luce Design with Jackie Flanagan, and Karel Nel

We Owe Allegiance to No Crown, by John Archibald Woodside. c. 1814

“1812: A Nation Emerges” Opens at the National Portrait Gallery

To commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812, the museum debuts a curated collection of portraits and artifacts

Tour the former Old Patent Office, now the National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum.

Events June 12-14: Temple of Invention Tour, A Healthy Future in Renewable Energy, and Painting with Maya-Mam

This week, take a tour of the Old Patent Office Building, learn about renewable energy sources, and paint with Mayan artist Ubaldo Sánchez

While grotesque, the faces in Louis-Leopold Boilly’s The Grimaces (1823) were carefully studied from life. The figure with a twisted mouth at the upper left is a self-portrait.

A Serious Look at Funny Faces

A history of caricatures exposes the inside jokes

Celebrate World Oceans Day with Phoenix, the 45-foot, full scale model of a North Atlantic right whale this Friday.

Events June 8-10: World Oceans Day, 100 Years of Girl Scouts, Hat-Making Workshop

This weekend celebrate World Oceans Day, 100 Years of Girl Scouts and hat designer, Lula Mae Reeves

Tuesday is the last chance of the century to see Venus pass between the sun and the earth.

Events June 5-7: Transit of Venus, Living Portraits, and Ai WeiWei

This week, watch the transit of Venus, take a "living portrait," and explore the work of Chinese dissident artist Ai WeiWei

Pollock’s studio in East Hampton, New York, is now the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center.

Sharing Pork Chops With Jackson Pollock

Richard Field was an undergrad with gumption when he visited the painter at his Long Island home. Nearly 60 years later, Field recalls the memorable affair

Legendary birdwatcher, artist and author Kenn Kaufman discusses the phenomenon of migration at the National Zoo on Thursday.

Events May 29-31: Tarantula Feedings, Hollywood Pop Quiz, and Kenn Kaufman

Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Douglas Granville Chandor

Amy Henderson: The Shock of the Old

For generations immersed in social media, culture means a different thing than it did in 1940

Ross Braught, a largely forgotten artist who surely knew Jackson Pollock, painted the mural Mnemosyne and the Four Muses for the Kansas City Music Hall.

Where Did Jackson Pollock Get His Ideas?

A talented painter who died poor and forgotten may have inspired the influential American artist's work in ceramics

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