museums

An aerial view of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., with the Smithsonian Institution Building ("The Castle") in the foreground and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in the background.

Arts

Congress Approves 2 New Museums Honoring American Latinos, Women's History

11:56am December 22, 2020

by Elizabeth Blair

The Smithsonian cannot build a new museum without federal legislation but both museums have bipartisan support. The law requires costs be covered by a 50/50 split between public and private dollars.

The Annenberg Space for Photography closed permanently in June. In a survey of museum directors, 33% said there was either a "significant risk" of closing permanently or that they didn't know if their institutions would survive.

One-Third Of U.S. Museums May Not Survive The Year, Survey Finds

4:30pm July 22, 2020

by Neda Ulaby

In a survey of more than 750 museum directors, 33% of them said there was either a "significant risk" of closing permanently by next fall or that they didn't know if their institutions would survive.

The Museum of the Bible is located near the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The entrance is flanked by large bronze doors depicting the first lines of the Book of Genesis.

World News

After 'Missteps' And Controversies, Museum Of The Bible Works To Clean Up Its Act

4:29pm June 23, 2020

by Jane Arraf

The museum has tightened its acquisition policies and is working to return potentially looted objects. Early acquisitions reflected a lack of expertise and lack of policy, its chief curator tells NPR.

When Leonardo da Vinci arrived in France in 1516, he brought three of his own paintings with him — "Virgin and Child with Saint Anne" (left), "Saint John the Baptist" (right) and the Mona Lisa.

500 Years After Leonardo Da Vinci's Death, France Celebrates His Life And Work

7:01am November 29, 2019

by Eleanor Beardsley

A new exhibition at the Louvre includes Leonardo's sketches, drawings and 11 paintings. "You can really get into his brain and try to see how he thought," says biographer Serge Bramly.

The Louvre was closed on Monday as security and reception staff went on strike over what they say are deteriorating working conditions as the museum draws record crowds. Here, visitors queue outside the Louvre in July 2015.

'The Louvre Is Suffocating': Museum Closed As Workers Strike, Citing Overcrowding

2:22pm May 28, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

Staff at the Paris museum went on strike Monday, citing deteriorating conditions for tourists and staff amid record-setting attendance. It's unclear whether the galleries will re-open Wednesday.

Wim Janssen, one of the musicians involved in the recording project, plays a viola made by master luthier Girolamo Amati in 1615.

An Italian Town Fell Silent So The Sounds Of A Stradivarius Could Be Preserved

12:51am February 18, 2019

by Christopher Livesay

The mayor of Cremona, Italy, blocked traffic during five weeks of recording and asked residents to please keep quiet so master musicians could play four instruments — note by note — for posterity.

The long-delayed opening of the House of Fates Holocaust museum in Budapest, whose entrance is marked by a Star of David, is expected this spring.

Hungary's New Holocaust Museum Isn't Open Yet, But It's Already Causing Concern

1:08pm February 08, 2019

by Joanna Kakissis

The government-funded House of Fates, set to open this year, has been criticized by Holocaust survivors, scholars and others for presenting a distorted view of Hungary's role during the Holocaust.

Queue Listen Now

The Newseum building in 2008, the year it moved into its Washington, D.C., home. On Friday, Johns Hopkins University announced that it is acquiring the building for $372.5 million.

Newseum's Imposing D.C. Home Bought By Johns Hopkins For $372.5 Million

4:22pm January 25, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

The deal, which remains subject to regulatory approval, represents an ambitious expansion for the Baltimore-based university — and the end of a turbulent era for the journalism museum.

If the current federal government shutdown, which began Dec. 22, continues past Jan. 1, all Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo will close, effective Jan. 2.

Smithsonian And National Zoo To Close After New Year's Day In Government Shutdown

10:46pm December 27, 2018

by Vanessa Romo

"There's no getting around it," Linda St. Thomas, chief spokeswoman for the Smithsonian. About two-thirds of the institution's staff are federal employees and will be furloughed effective Jan. 2.

A fire burned Sunday at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro.

In Brazil's National Museum Fire, Officials Fear 'Incalculable' Loss Of Artifacts

1:13pm September 03, 2018

by Sasha Ingber

The blaze started Sunday night, spreading through the 200-year-old building and engulfing some of its 20 million artifacts.