Ancient city where paintings etc shown in spring (6)
I believe the answer is:
sparta
'ancient city' is the definition.
(I know that Sparta is ancient)
'paintings etc shown in spring' is the wordplay.
'paintings etc' becomes 'art' (works of art).
'shown in' is an insertion indicator.
'spring' becomes 'spa' (spa can mean a mineral spring).
'art' placed within 'spa' is 'SPARTA'.
'where' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for sparta that I've seen before include "Laconic state" , "Ancient Greek city known for warlike spirit" , "Rival of Athens during the Peloponnesian Wars" , "Old Greek city state, famous for its citizens' austere lifestyle" , "Ancient Greek city whose citizens were famed for toughness" .)