Portraits of women

Johannes Vermeer's "Girl With The Pearl Earring" is one of the world's most popular paintings and now scientists believe they know why, by measuring how the brain reacts when the work is viewed.

The Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, which houses the 17th century masterpiece, commissioned neuroscientists to measure brain output when viewing the portrait and other well-known works.

A painting discovered decades ago by a junk dealer while cleaning a cellar in Capri appears to be an authentic work by Pablo Picasso. Despite being a Picasso, the painting was not appreciated by the dealer’s wife, who called it “horrible,” nor by his family, who considered getting rid of it.

A $120 million Picasso, a $40 million Monet and even a $60 million Ferrari: New York's major auction houses are looking to move billions of dollars' worth of art - and a very special car - on a crisis-proof market this season.