Fine Art

Two self-portraits by Rembrandt, painted two years apart, are on display at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Calif.

Arts

'He's Not A Leading Man': A Casting Director On Rembrandt's Self-Portraits

5:04am February 19, 2018

by Susan Stamberg

The Dutch artist painted scores of self-portraits, but they weren't exactly flattering. Casting director Margery Simkin thinks he could have played the manager of a baseball team.

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French Culture Minister Francoise Nyssen, wearing a red scarf, visits two rooms of the Louvre filled with 31 paintings recovered after World War II. She conducted the visit Monday with the museum's president, Jean-Luc Martinez.

France Returns Works Orphaned By Nazi Looting, Seeking Owners Or Heirs

3:16pm February 14, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

Tens of thousands of artworks were recovered after World War II, and many are still in French possession. Now, the Louvre is stepping up efforts to return them to the heirs of their rightful owners.

Former President Barack Obama and artist Kehinde Wiley unveil his portrait during a ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.

Behind The Obama Portraits: Artists Put Their Own Spin On A Presidential Tradition

6:04pm February 13, 2018

by Heidi Glenn

Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald both typically paint vivid canvases of ordinary black subjects. "What we're positing here is a new vision of the possible," Wiley says, "one which is inclusive."

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Artist Amy Sherald Discusses Portrait Of Former First Lady Michelle Obama

6:57pm February 12, 2018

New, official portraits of former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama were unveiled Monday. NPR's Ari Shaprio speaks with Amy Sherald, the Baltimore-based artist who painted the former first lady's portrait. Sherald is known for painting African-Americans in gray tones.

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Obama stands between the portraits. His will be permanently installed in the "America's Presidents" exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Arts

Paintings Of Barack And Michelle Obama Unveiled At Portrait Gallery

1:21pm February 12, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

The former president and first lady chose artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald — the first African-American artists to receive such a commission — to paint them for the museum's collection.

A photo released by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court shows an oil painting of an unidentified man, likely a former court justice, painted by an unknown artist, which hangs in the court's collection of images of retired justices in Boston.

Arts

Do You Know This Justice? Massachusetts High Court Wants You To Help ID Him

3:22pm February 09, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

There's a portrait of a mystery man hanging in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He may have been a judge between 1780 and 1820. Maybe. Officials are appealing to the public for any insights.

Kean, Subway Sandwich Artist by Shauna Frischkorn

From Sandwich Shops To Cotton Mills, Art That Honors The American Worker

8:07am February 01, 2018

by Susan Stamberg

A Subway employee, a cleaning woman and a 1908 child laborer are all part of a National Portrait Gallery exhibition called "The Sweat Of Their Face."

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A team of artists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratories created the Orbit Pavilion.

Science
Arts

At One NASA Lab, Art And Science Share The Same Orbit

6:29am January 28, 2018

by Drew Tewksbury

The artists of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratories have made travel posters for distant planets, simulated Jupiter's churning atmosphere and translated satellite movements into sound.

Arts

National Gallery Cancels 2 Upcoming Shows After Sexual Misconduct Allegations

4:07pm January 26, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

Both artists, Chuck Close and Thomas Roma, have been subjects of recent accusations by multiple women. The museum says it is "not the appropriate time to present these installations."

Google's app matching faces to famous paintings went viral prompting, a flurry of selfies over the weekend.

Google App Goes Viral Making An Art Out Of Matching Faces To Paintings

5:46pm January 15, 2018

by Amy Held

The Google Arts & Culture app, allowing users to compare their selfies to famous works of art, took a top spot in the app store over the weekend and took over social media.