CNN's Nic Robertson reports on the opening of a major museum honoring the Titanic in the city where it was built.
With its heaving highways, glittering skyscrapers, contemporary art and design spaces, and countless new developments, Beijing is a thoroughly modern city.
CNN's Ian Lee reports on the ancient treasures stolen from Egyptian sites during the 2011 unrest.
A painting dismissed for years as the work of an unknown artist has been identified as a piece by Vincent Van Gogh, after x-rays revealed an image of two wrestlers fighting underneath the floral still life.
On the heels of news that an almost-900-year-old heart was stolen from a cathedral in Dublin, Ireland, comes a report of a happier nature about a long-lost almost-500-year-old book that now is back in its Dublin home.
There are few places in the world where you can see ancient statues, imperial European jewellery, masterpieces by Pieter Bruegel, paintings by Picasso and sculpture by Henry Moore all under one roof.
Researchers believe they've found Leonardo da Vinci's mural "The Battle of Anghiari" behind work by another artist.
A Leonardo da Vinci mural unseen since the 16th century may have been found hidden behind a fresco painted by another artist, art researchers in Florence, Italy said Monday.
With its early colonial portraits, depictions of grand historical battles, transcendentalist landscapes and intimate, turn-of-the-century paintings of the elite classes, the collection of American art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York ranks as one of the finest in the world.
With its remarkably realistic depictions and dramatic history, the Ghent Altarpiece (1432) is widely thought to be one of the most famous panel paintings in the world.
With its palaces, sculpted parks, concert halls and museums, Vienna is a city steeped in culture.
One of the world's most iconic works of art will be auctioned in May, and could fetch tens of millions of dollars, according to Sotheby's Auction House in Manhattan.
The Prado Museum put on display for public viewing Tuesday a restored version of what is thought to be the earliest known copy of Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" masterpiece, which hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The earliest known copy of da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa,' possibly painted by a student, is on display at the Prado in Madrid.
A manhunt was under way Saturday in Greece for two suspects who tied up a guard, stormed the Archeological Museum of Olympia, smashed glass casings and stole dozens of small statues, state media reported.
Robbers broke into a museum in Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics, tied and gagged a museum guard, and fled with stolen artifacts, Greek authorities said Friday.
Heavy snow in recent weeks has already wreaked havoc across Europe -- now it is damaging some of the continent's most recognized historic monuments.
It's the time of year when hammers are poised at the world's major auction houses and the strength of the art market for the coming year is tested.
Charles Dickens, who was born 200 years ago this week, created some of the best-known and most loved figures in English literature, from Oliver Twist and David Copperfield to Pip, Miss Havisham and Magwitch.
Its windows are boarded up, the red-painted exterior is peeling and the roof could do with re-tiling -- but this derelict house in a village in the Borinage region of Belgium was once the home of Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh.
The only original copy of the Magna Carta in private hands worldwide has a fancy new display case at the National Archives, where the document goes on display next month.
Spain has won a major victory in its long court battle with a Florida-based deep-sea salvage company over rights to an estimated $500 million in silver and gold coins, officials said Wednesday.
They are two of Europe's premier art destinations, filled with treasures amassed over centuries.
More than 30 years after it was stolen from a French museum, an impressionist painting is on its way home.
He steered Great Britain through the perils of World War II and is recognized as one of the most important statesmen of the 20th century.
The year 2012 is a significant one in the Maya calendar.
To understand the full beauty of the ancient Mediterranean city of Rome you have to come to wintry, cold Germany.
A Pablo Picasso painting given to the Greek people in recognition of their resistance to Nazi occupation during World War II has been stolen from the National Art Gallery in Athens.
It sits in the ancient heart of Rome and is an emblem of the city's imperial history as well as an icon of Italy.
A long-lost picture of Britain's King Edward VIII reveals the monarch's portrait was "edited" after his abdication to show his replacement, King George VI.
A collection of rare ancient Greek coins which has been hidden away for two decades is expected to sell for millions of dollars when it goes up for auction in New York on Wednesday.
It is 100 years since British explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott set off on his ill-fated journey to be the first man to reach the South Pole.
An artwork by Barbara Hepworth, one of the most highly regarded sculptors of the 20th century, has been stolen from a park in London, amid what art experts fear is a metal theft "epidemic."
A tiny handwritten and unpublished manuscript by "Jane Eyre" author Charlotte Bronte has sold for $1.07m after it sparked a fierce bidding war between rival museums.
A Claude Monet pastel drawing of London's Waterloo Bridge has gone on display in the Savoy hotel room where it was created 110 years ago.
The actress' appearances on the silver screen transformed men with hearts of stone into quivering masses during Hollywood's Golden Age. On Tuesday night, the simple fact that they were once worn by Elizabeth Taylor transformed the silver, the stones and the gold themselves -- into fortunes.
A huge collection of papers belonging to pioneering scientist Sir Isaac Newton -- the father of gravity -- has been posted online by Cambridge University.
A newly-discovered work by Spanish "Old Master" Diego Velazquez has sold at auction for $4.7 million, after it was spotted in a group of paintings by a largely-forgotten British artist.
He may be one of the most sought-after painters you have never heard of, but Emil Filla's name is doing the rounds of newsrooms and international art-loss registers following an audacious theft of his works from a collection in the Czech Republic.
Woody Allen famously said in "Annie Hall" that the only cultural advantage to Los Angeles was that you can turn right on a red light, but in truth the "City of Angels" is bursting with culture.
For decades, fans of Oscar Wilde have paid tribute to the Irish writer by leaving kisses on his tomb at Paris's famed Pere Lachaise Cemetery.
A complete set of 100 etchings by Pablo Picasso -- never before seen in public -- is to go on display at the British Museum after an "extraordinary" $1.5 million gift.
Ancient Egyptian mummies kept in storage for half a century have gone on display in new state-of-the-art galleries at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Oxford.
Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" encouraged amateur "symbologists" everywhere to scan their favorite paintings for secret codes -- but the practice has been going on for centuries.
Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" encouraged amateur "symbologists" everywhere to scan their favorite paintings for secret codes -- but the practice has been going on for centuries.
The looting of a large collection of priceless coins, statues and jewelry from a bank vault during Libya's recent civil war has highlighted the risk of looting during times of conflict.
It is a year since an 18th-century Chinese vase was sold in London for $68 million, smashing world records.
Bram Stoker's private journal sat unnoticed on his great-grandson's bookshelf in England for at least a year.
Herge's famous boy reporter certainly liked to stray from his native Belgium.
A previously unknown portrait by famed Spanish artist Diego Velázquez has been unveiled in London after it was spotted in a consignment of works by a largely forgotten British painter.
When the 13th cannon raised from Blackbeard's flagship, Queen Anne's Revenge, came to the surface this morning, researchers at the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources had one question: Was it loaded?
In Japanese legend they are known as The Kamikaze -- the divine winds -- a reference to two mighty typhoons placed providentially seven years apart which, in the 13th century, destroyed two separate Mongol invasion fleets so large they were not eclipsed until the D-Day landings of World War II.
Jerusalem may be steeped in thousands of years of history, but the much younger Tel Aviv in Israel is increasingly a draw for culture lovers.
British archaeologists have discovered the 1,000-year-old boat burial of a Viking warrior in the Scottish Highlands.
After rumblings across the financial markets in the last few months, art dealers from around the world have gathered in London for the city's premier contemporary art fair Frieze in hopes of shifting an estimated $350 million USD (according to art insurers Hiscox) worth of art.
Libyans protect ancient treasures at Roman sites, but experts fear many have been looted. CNN's Nic Robertson reports.
After 30 years chasing wars from Vietnam to the Middle East, the photographer's current battle is for peace of mind.
Why do you go to galleries? Is it because you like to keep up with what's going on in the arts? Because a poster caught your eye? Because of something someone said on Twitter? Or because you want to satisfy yourself that you're cleverer than the latest "celebrity charlatan?"
Prehistoric children as young as three were encouraged by adults to make cave art 13,000 years ago, new research shows.
An Enigma machine which featured in a Hollywood movie about the codebreakers of World War II has smashed auction estimates and sold for a world record price.
A shipwreck laden with 200 tonnes of silver -- the largest haul of precious metal ever found at sea -- has been discovered in the North Atlantic.
Though she may have had numerous husbands and lovers, Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor had one enduring love: jewelry.
When it comes to the Renaissance, few of us would immediately equate the rich cultural fruits of the period with the birth of the modern banking system.
An encoding device synonymous with one of the most remarkable episodes of World War II espionage will go under the hammer in London later this month.
Turkey's government is calling on the United Kingdom to return the head of an ancient marble statue taken more than a century ago.
For centuries, it has enchanted visitors with its fortified walls, pointed arches, towers, ornamental flourishes, carvings, and spectacular gardens.
Whether seen through a flurry of snow, or against a bright blue summer sky, Moscow's architectural landscape is awe-inspiring.
It is 100 years since Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris by an Italian handyman and secreted away for two years before eventually coming to light again.
Whoever stole a sketch by Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn from a hotel apparently dumped the piece in a church building, perhaps daunted by the prospect of trying to unload it amid widespread media coverage, a Los Angeles County sheriff's detective said Tuesday.
Israel's Antiquities Authority announced Monday that a rare Roman sword in its leather scabbard which belonged to a Roman soldier and an engraving of a Menorah on a piece of stone dating from 66 CE were found in recent days in the 2000 year old drainage system in Jerusalem which ran between the City of David and the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden.
August is here and for many of us, so are the summer holidays. Whether you're relaxing in the country, lounging on a beach, or enjoying a city break, a good book can make all the difference.
The Romans may have left Britain in the 5th century A.D., but they left their mark on the country after nearly four centuries of occupation.
Known to many as the "cradle of civilization," Iraq is a treasure trove of important archaeological sites including Babylon, Ur and Nimrud.
CNN's Nadia Bilchik and Susan Hendricks discuss treasure recently discovered in Indian temple vaults.
Towering majestically over the jungle, and sometimes tangled up in its monstrous roots, the temples of Cambodia's ancient city of Angkor have inspired awe for centuries.
India's supreme court has temporarily stopped its inspectors from prying open the final vault of a centuries-old Hindu temple, officials said Friday.
The illicit trade in antiquities is a worldwide epidemic on the list with drugs, weapons and human trafficking but is rarely talked about.
Jet-setting spiritual gurus. Gilded temples. Sprawling ashrams. Tons of offerings.
Al Capone, or Scarface as he was popularly known, remains one of America's most notorious gangsters.
From his long, black hair to his Tricorn hat, braided beard and bandolier packing six pistols, Blackbeard the pirate was certainly inventive with his image.
It is widely regarded as one of the wonders of the world, attracting millions of tourists a year, but the city of Venice faces ongoing problems that threaten its ability to stay above water.
When the last emperor of China fled Beijing's Forbidden City in 1924, the doors closed on one of its greatest treasures: the Qianlong Garden.
A robot explorer has revealed ancient markings inside a secret chamber at Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza.
A robot explorer has revealed ancient markings inside a secret chamber at Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza.
After almost six decades on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II is nothing if not an expert sitter, her features captured by artists and photographers from Pietro Annigoni and Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz and Andy Warhol.
Untouched for 20,000 years, the awe-inspiring Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc cave in Southern France is now brought to life in 3D by visionary German director Werner Herzog.
Though they sit quietly beneath the waves, shipwrecks are a cause of much wrangling above the surface. The issue of underwater archaeology is clouded by concerns about treasure hunting, the safety of wrecks, and the sale of finds.
She is one of the best-known crime writers of all time but few know the extent of Agatha Christie's archaeological pedigree.
Two ancient Chinese artifacts were intercepted by U.S. federal agents after smugglers allegedly tried to bring the items through Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
Feared lost forever, 20 ancient ivory artifacts looted from Afghanistan's national museum were presented to the country's president, Hamid Karzai, in London Tuesday.
The giant Buddhas of Bamiyan, once painted in bright colors, remained silent sentinels as they reacquired the hues of the sandstone cliffs from which they were carved.
One of the most eccentric dying requests has finally been fulfilled as a mansion closed for most of the 20th century reopens to the public.
Egypt's cultural minister answers tough questions about missing artifacts.
A 1932 painting by Picasso sold for $40 million at auction Tuesday -- over $10 million more than the highest pre-sale estimate.
Jussi Pylkkanen, President of Christie's Europe gives CNN's Jim Boulden a tour of masterpieces on auction.
CNN's Jim Boulden talks to Jussi Pylkkanen, President of Christie's Europe about the business of fine art.
Prehistoric paintings of antelope, snakes and giraffes that have survived for around 5,000 years are now under threat from looting and a lack of protection.
With Google's Street View, Web surfers can pinpoint and zoom into many parts of the world -- in some places, right down to street level.
CNN's Ayesha Durgahee checks out Google's virtual tour of galleries round the world.
Though he died nearly a century ago, the legendary illusionist Harry Houdini remains one of the best-known magicians of all time.
It sounds petty to say it given that over a hundred people have now lost their lives, but amid the seismic events currently engulfing Egypt, the thing that has most saddened and upset me has been the damage done to the country's uniquely rich cultural heritage.
Nestled in the mountain foothills of a remote province in central Vietnam, one of the country's most important archaeological discoveries in a century has recently come to light.
It's been almost 400 years since his death, yet controversy still surrounds the works of William Shakespeare.
Facial protrusions that look like hands; dangling sticks and feathers; a wide and mischievous grin: It's no wonder this rare Eskimo shaman's mask was so precious to the Surrealists.
For years one of the Middle East's hidden gems, the centuries-old city of Damascus in Syria is today claiming its share of the global cultural limelight.
Forget France. It turns out, the real birthplace of wine may be in a cave in Armenia.
The isolated kingdom of Bhutan has opened its doors to a team of art experts in order to preserve its Buddhist history.
Photography is flourishing as an art form in China but a collection of rare early photographs reveal the country's long history with the medium.
Over 1,000 years before Pythagoras was calculating the length of a hypotenuse, sophisticated scribes in Mesopotamia were working with the same theory to calculate the area of their farmland.
A massive storm collapsed part of a cliff in Israel revealing a statue that may date back two thousand years.
A British exhibit focusing on the Book of the Dead follows ancient Egyptians' journey from death to the afterlife.
