Latest from Sebastian Smee
  • Post Reports
‘We woke up to a city of ash’
Anger boils over in Minneapolis in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. Understanding what happened in Central Park. And a powerful painting captures another unsettling time in America.
  • May 29, 2020
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This painter’s greatest self-portrait was once reviled by the Nazis as ’degenerate’
Before Hitler came to power, Max Beckmann was Germany’s most acclaimed modern artist.
  • May 27, 2020
  • Perspective
In 17th-century Florence, a painter knew she was brilliant. So she made a self-portrait to prove it.
Artemisia Gentileschi overcame trauma and torture to become the queen of Baroque.
  • May 20, 2020
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The most electrifying thing that Edward Hopper ever painted was this woman’s hand
In ‘New York Interior,’ Hopper showed why he was a spiritual heir to Anton Chekhov.
  • May 13, 2020
4 portals to creative greatness — all from the comfort of your couch
There are examples of exceptional creativity in every period, if you know where to look.
  • May 6, 2020
How two professors transformed the teaching of art history
Smarthistory’s short videos and accessible essays have made it one of the most used resources in the world.
  • May 1, 2020
This is how bad things are for museums: They now have a green light to sell off their art
In an unprecedented move, museum association relaxes guidelines, giving financial flexibility in uncertain times.
  • Apr 30, 2020
  • Perspective
Frida Kahlo’s painting of herself and her husband belies how much bigger she would ultimately become
  • Apr 29, 2020
  • Perspective
This painting resembles a scene from Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’ — with a few key differences
Martin Wong's "La Vida" depicts a tenement building on New York's Lower East Side in the 1980s.
  • Apr 22, 2020
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Prepare to be swept away by Winslow Homer’s ‘The Fog Warning’
The sea is churning, the rowboat is lurching and a man’s life hangs in the balance.
  • Apr 15, 2020
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