Smart News Arts & Culture

The world’s quietest room registers a background sound of -24.9 dBA.

In the Earth’s Quietest Room, You Can Hear Yourself Blink

Background noise in the custom-built chamber is actually measured in negative decibels, which means it’s below the threshold of human hearing

London, Parliament, Sunlight in the fog, Claude Monet, 1904

Monet's Thames Paintings Will Finally Go on View in London—Nearly 120 Years After the Original Exhibition Was Postponed

The artist hoped to display the works in the city where he painted them, but he was plagued with anxiety over their quality

The 1991 movie Thelma and Louise was filmed all over Utah, including at Fossil Point near Moab.

Five Movies You Didn't Know Were Filmed in Utah

State officials are staging a year-long exhibition to celebrate 100 years of filmmaking in the state

The mummified head, reconstructed by a forensic sculptor, belonged to a woman who lived in Egypt during the region's Greco-Roman period, between 332 B.C.E. and 395 C.E.

See the Reconstructed Face of a Mummy Stored in a High School Library Since 1915

A forensic artist hopes the sculpture will help humanize the mummy, which appeared at Australia's Grafton High School under mysterious circumstances

Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, 85, cracked the glass protecting the Magna Carta on the morning of May 10.

Climate Activists Chip the Case Protecting the Magna Carta

The two protesters, who are both in their 80s, held up a sign that read, "The government is breaking the law"

The portals were unveiled on May 8 in Manhattan's Flatiron District and on Dublin's O'Connell Street.

Through Newly Installed 'Portals,' New Yorkers and Dubliners Can Wave, Dance and Inappropriately Gesture to Each Other in Real Time

New art installations connect the two cities through continuous silent video feeds

The original illustration for the cover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will go to auction in June.

Spellbinding Cover Art for 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' Could Break Auction Record

The original watercolor illustration of a young wizard boarding the Hogwarts Express was artist Thomas Taylor's first professional commission

A portrait of Ludwig Van Beethoven by Joseph Karl Stieler, painted in 1820.

Locks of Beethoven's Hair Are Unraveling the Mysteries of His Deafness and Illnesses

Researchers found high levels of lead, mercury and arsenic in the German composer's hair, which may help explain some of his many ailments

Guests will get to stay inside the Musée d'Orsay's clock room on the night of July 26.

The Paris Olympics

Spend the Night in the Musée d'Orsay's Clock Room on the Evening of the Olympics Opening Ceremony

Airbnb will allow two travelers to book a one-night stay in the storied Paris museum, where they will watch the ceremony from a balcony overlooking the Seine

Meules à Giverny, Claude Monet, 1893

One of Monet's Late Haystack Paintings Could Sell for More Than $30 Million

The sale of "Meules à Giverny" (1893) will coincide with the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris

Cicada salad, roasted cicadas and cicada casseroles are among the insect-based dishes on offer at restaurants across the country.

From Dinner Parties to Restaurants, Cicadas Are Landing in the Kitchen

Professional and amateur chefs nationwide are preparing to serve cicada dishes as the rare double brooding begins

Alicia Vikander as Catherine Parr in Firebrand, an upcoming film from director Karim Aïnouz

Based on a True Story

Watch the Trailer for 'Firebrand,' a New Drama About Henry VIII's Sixth Wife, Catherine Parr

Karim Aïnouz’s film features Alicia Vikander and Jude Law as the Tudor queen and king

Canaletto's 18th century painting, The Stonemason’s Yard, depicts stone workers in a Venetian city square. 

A Canaletto Masterpiece Stowed in a Mine During World War II Returns to Wales

“The Stonemason’s Yard” was one of many paintings that officials took from the National Gallery in London and moved underground to keep safe from Nazi forces

A team of 18 bakers worked for hours to create the record-breaking loaf.

French Bakers Set a New World Record by Making a 461-Foot-Long Baguette

The previous world record was set by a group of bakers in Italy in 2019

In A Woman Sewing With Two Children, the central character wears a light wash denim apron.

When Were Blue Jeans Invented? These Paintings Suggest the Fashion Trend Dates Back to the 1600s

Ten paintings attributed to the "Master of the Blue Jeans" depict Italian peasants wearing the storied fabric

From May 28 until October, the Prado Museum in Madrid will display Caravaggio's rediscovered Ecce Homo.

Spain's Prado Museum Will Showcase a Lost Caravaggio That Nearly Sold for Under $2,000

The rediscovered painting is one of 60 known pieces by the Italian artist and “one of the most valuable old master artworks in the world”

Louvre employees rehung Eugene Delacroix's 1830 oil painting Liberty Leading the People on Thursday after a six-month restoration.

The Paris Olympics

'Liberty Leading the People' Returns to the Louvre After a Breathtaking Restoration

Eugène Delacroix's 1830 oil painting had been covered in grime and discolored by eight layers of varnish

The exhibition features recreations of the tomb's antechamber, burial chamber and treasury.

See 1,000 Perfect Replicas of Objects Unearthed From King Tut's Tomb

A traveling exhibition on view in Washington, D.C. blends education and entertainment, letting visitors get up close and personal with the ancient Egyptian pharaoh's treasures

Dutch settlers "bought" the island of Manahatta from the Lenape in 1626.

Happy 400th Birthday to New Amsterdam, the Dutch Settlement That Became New York

In 1624, Dutch settlers arrived in Manhattan. Now, officials are marking the milestone with an honest examination of the past

Leonardo is best known for painting the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper.

The Louvre Is Thinking About Moving the 'Mona Lisa' to Its Own Room Underground

Officials hope to improve visitors' experience in the Paris museum's Salle des États

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