Smarthistory – United States

Whether you are in New York, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, or Illinois, there's almost always a great museum nearby.

videos + essays

Takaezu's ceramics reflect her belief that art should have "mystery, an unsaid quality; it contains a spirit and is alive."

Decorated with two rings of Arabic script, this dish highlights the central role of the written word Islamic art.

This portrait of Napoleon III’s favorite horse tells an important story of art theft and repatriation.

In this landscape of the town Pontoise, Pissarro emphasizes the modest people that make up its rural community.

Morisot's loose brushstrokes and abstracted forms transform an ordinary scene into a incredible work of Impressionist painting.

Through the creation of arpilleras, women spoke out against the violence of the Pinochet dictatorship.

In subject and form, Degas breaks away from academic tradition and instead creates a sculpture that reflects modern Paris.

In 10 photographs, Arbus intimately portrays her sitters and captures compelling scenes of mid-century American life.

When played through an optical device, Carmontelle's 12-1/2 foot long drawing animates to tell a story of 18th-century leisure.

For Gonzalez-Torres, the pile of candy that makes up "Untitled" (L.A.) is embedded with deeply personal and political meanings.

Holzer's text-based art encourages viewers to reflect on how we make meaning in the world today.

Sandback’s yarn installations reduce a sculpture to its simplest form: an outline.