Arts

Italy's culture minister is calling an accord reached with the J. Paul Getty Museum for the return of 40 ancient artifacts "historic" and a victory for artistic ethics. Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome that Francesco Rutelli also says it is a blow to looters and art traffickers worldwide.

Eccentric, iconoclastic, genius -- Salvador Dali was the epitome of all. For producer Cheng Xiaohong, Elaine Lu takes a look at the Salvador Dali Museum and the intriguing life of the artist.

When Chuck Close began his career, few artists were doing portraiture, but over the past four decades, he has never wavered from his chosen subject, taking portraiture into the modern era. And when he became paralyzed at the peak of his career, Close soon got back to his studio to pick up where he left off.

Norwegian police say they have recovered the Edvard Munch masterpieces "The Scream" and "Madonna" stolen in a bold daylight raid from Oslo's Munch Museum two years ago.

The world's most expensive painting is now on exhibit in New York's Neue Galerie. The head of the small museum purchased the exotic Gustav Klimt painting less than one month ago for what experts say is a record amount of $135 million. The purchase followed a long restitution battle between the Austrian government and the heirs to the original owner, a victim of Nazism.

Italy's Culture Ministry and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art have signed a deal ending a dispute over ancient artifacts.

Of all the iconic skyscrapers in New York City's iconic skyline, none is more recognizable or beloved than the 230-meter high Art Deco style Chrysler Building, with its sunburst-like pinnacle and soaring chrome-nickel-and-steel spire.

A New York Metropolitan show will feature over 100 drawings by the artist, some of which are series that have never been shown in their entirety before.

While society always hopes that progress and innovation will create a better quality of life for humanity, it can inadvertently result in some socially harmful side-effects.

The thunderbird has been one of the most dominant icons in Native American art and legends. In fact, the concept of the thunderbird has been so popular that it has been used in the non-Native world to name a classic automobile, liquor, a 1960's children's adventure television show (and subsequent recent movie), a US Air Force squadron and is referenced in pop music (remember the word 't-bird' in 1950's rock and roll?).

Travelers tend to frequently take the cleanliness of toilets as indicative of how civilised a country might be. Modern artists pretty much do the same thing.