Welcome to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery
Explore the sweep of four centuries of the the American imagination at the nation's flagship museum for American art and craft. Dive into inspiring artworks, special exhibitions, and the reimagined collection — American Voices and Visions: Modern and Contemporary Art. Experience our offerings both online and in person at our two locations, including national educational programs, innovative research, video interviews with artists, virtual artist studio tours, lectures, and more. Admission is always free.
Featured Exhibitions
September 22, 2023 — July 7, 2024
This focused exhibition pairs two projects by Carrie Mae Weems—a major multimedia installation and a series of photographs—that revisit moments from history.
September 15, 2023–June 2, 2024
The exhibition Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas provides an intimate view of Alma Thomas’ evolving artistic practices during her most prolific period from 1959 to her death in 1978.
September 15, 2023–March 24, 2024
This focused exhibition pairs artwork by two Black artists working in the mid-nineteenth century—photographer J. P. Ball and painter Robert S. Duncanson.
July 28, 2023–January 14, 2024
Ideas about the American West, both in popular culture and in commonly accepted historical narratives, are often based on a past that never was, and fail to take into account important events that actually occurred.
June 23, 2023–January 29, 2024
Musical Thinking explores the powerful resonances between recent video art and popular music.
May 26, 2023–March 31, 2024
Artists Joe Feddersen (Arrow Lakes/Okanagan), Lily Hope (Tlingit), Ursala Hudson (Tlingit), Erica Lord (Athabaskan/Iñupiat), Geo Neptune (Passamaquoddy), and Maggie Thompson (Fond du Lac Ojibwe) present a fresh and nuanced vision of Native American art.
Upcoming Featured Events
Featured Stories
09/28/2023
Go inside the galleries of Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas
09/22/2023
Your favorite pieces from SAAM’s collection are now on display alongside new works in the redesigned modern and contemporary galleries
SAAM
09/22/2023
SAAM's renovated and reimagined modern and contemporary galleries transform the museum’s third floor into spaces for wonder and reflection
09/20/2023
SAAM teamed up with the digital firm Smartify to create a series of audio tours that deepen the visitor experience, both in our galleries and online.
SAAM
09/14/2023
SAAM's comic series launches ten more stories of remarkable women artists
Emma Hitchcock
09/13/2023
Uncovering the passion and power behind Angel Rodríguez-Díaz’s portraiture
SAAM
Featured Video
“Musical Thinking: New Video Art and Sonic Strategies" Introduction
Explore the powerful resonances between recent video art and popular music from 10 leading contemporary artists who use “musical thinking” in their art.
"Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas" Introduction
Pattern and vibrant color come to life in the work of groundbreaking artist and educator Alma Thomas. SAAM holds the largest public collection of Thomas's works in the world and the exhibition features many of the pieces from her most prolific period.
Welcome to "American Voices and Visions"
Leading contemporary artists featured in American Voices and Visions: Modern and Contemporary Art speak on the incredible power of art, and its important role in our lives and communities.