Galleries for Modern and Contemporary Art

Electronic Superhighway

Nam June Paik,Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, 1995, fifty-one channel video installation (including one closed-circuit television feed), custom electronics, neon lighting, steel and wood; color, sound, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2002.23, © Nam June Paik Estate

The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s reopened and reimagined modern and contemporary galleries feature a new installation that freshly examines the explosion of possibility in American art between the 1940s and today. Nearly 100 works by artists using new materials and techniques — and inspired by the social, cultural, and technological changes around them — are on view.

Description

The selected works on view highlight established strengths of SAAM’s collection, such as its leading collections of work by Black and self-taught artists, while featuring new areas of collection growth, including post-World War II and contemporary art, time-based media, and Latinx art. The installation acknowledges the multifaceted narratives, identities, and artistic practices that exist in the United States by including the often-overlooked histories and contributions by Asian American, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, women, and LGBTQ+ artists, part of a museum-wide effort to provide a more expansive view of American art. 

The third-floor galleries have been redesigned in collaboration with Selldorf Architects under the leadership of Annabelle Selldorf to create a unified space that highlights the historical architectural elements of the building while offering improved conditions for displaying artworks. The new spaces double the available wall area for installing art and allow for dynamic circulation patterns that reinforce the fluidity between artistic disciplines and historical narratives.

This initial phase of American Voices and Visions, a comprehensive, multi-year reinstallation of SAAM's permanent collection, brings together nearly 100 artworks. The installation integrates a range of media and practices—including photography, video, craft, and work by self-taught artists—which together reflect a more nuanced and representative survey of American art since 1945. The reinstalled galleries feature 42 artworks recently added to the museum’s collection, including works by Firelei Báez, Tiffany Chung, Audrey Flack, Jeffrey Gibson (Mississippi Choctaw/Cherokee), Tseng Kwong Chi, Miguel Luciano, Martha Rosler, Alison Saar, Hank Willis Thomas, Carlos Villa, Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee Nation), and Carrie Mae Weems among others—many of which are being shown for the first time—alongside iconic works from the collection by Alexander Calder, Jenny Holzer, Morris Louis, Kerry James Marshall, Nam June Paik, Martin Puryear, Sean Scully, Alma Thomas, and Mickalene Thomas.  

 

 

 

 

Visiting Information

Ongoing
Open Daily, 11:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m
Free Admission

Installation Images

Videos

Credit

American Voices and Visions is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Leadership support is provided by the Whitney and Elizabeth MacMillan Foundation. Generous support is provided by Joanne and Richard Brodie, Carolyn and Maurice Cunniffe, Faye and Robert C. Davidson Jr., Elizabeth and James Eisenstein, Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, Jason Tilroe, and Kelly M. Williams. Additional support is provided by Janet and Wilber James, Nina Lesavoy, Marianna and Juan Sabater, and the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Online Gallery

Mark Bradford, Amendment #8, 2014, mixed media, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Lohrfink Foundation and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2015.34, © 2014, Mark Bradford
Amendment #8
Date2014
mixed media
On view
Nam June Paik, Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, 1995, fifty-one channel video installation (including one closed-circuit television feed), custom electronics, neon lighting, steel and wood; color, sound, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2002.23, © Nam June Paik Estate
Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii
Date1995
fifty-one channel video installation (including one closed-circuit television feed), custom electronics, neon lighting, steel and wood; color, sound
On view
Alexander Calder, Nenuphar, 1968, sheet steel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1968.62.1
Nenuphar
Date1968
sheet steel
On view
Louise Nevelson, Sky Cathedral, 1982, painted wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor, 1994.85A-AA
Sky Cathedral
Date1982
painted wood
On view
Theaster Gates, Ground rules. Free throw, 2015, wooden flooring, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2017.40, © 2015, Theaster Gates
Ground rules. Free throw
Date2015
wooden flooring
On view
Fritz Scholder, Indian Image, 1972, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1973.151
Indian Image
Date1972
acrylic on canvas
On view
Tom Nakashima, Sanctuary at Western Sunset, 1992, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gail and John Enns, 2008.38
Sanctuary at Western Sunset
Date1992
oil on canvas
On view
Mickalene Thomas, Portrait of Mnonja, 2010, rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel on wood panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.16, © 2010, Mickalene Thomas
Portrait of Mnonja
Date2010
rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel on wood panel
On view
Kerry James Marshall, SOB, SOB, 2003, acrylic on fiberglass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2010.29, © 2003, Kerry James Marshall
SOB, SOB
Date2003
acrylic on fiberglass
On view
Joan Mitchell, Marlin, 1960, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1968.52.16
Marlin
Date1960
oil on canvas
On view
Sam Gilliam, Swing, 1969, acrylic and aluminum on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. Edwin Janss, Jr., 1973.189
Swing
Date1969
acrylic and aluminum on canvas
On view
Luis Jiménez, Man on Fire, 1969, fiberglass in acrylic urethane resin on painted wood fiberboard base, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Philip Morris Incorporated, 1979.124, © 1969, Luis Jiménez
Man on Fire
Date1969
fiberglass in acrylic urethane resin on painted wood fiberboard base
On view
Clyfford Still, 1946-H (Indian Red and Black), 1946, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Vincent Melzac Collection through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1980.5.10
1946‑H (Indian Red and Black)
Date1946
oil on canvas
On view
Willem de Kooning, The Wave, ca. 1942-1944, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the Vincent Melzac Collection, 1980.6.1
The Wave
Dateca. 1942-1944
oil on fiberboard
On view
Mary Pinchot Meyer, Half Light, 1964, synthetic polymer on fabric: canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Quentin and Mark Meyer, 1976.41
Half Light
Date1964
synthetic polymer on fabric: canvas
On view
Miriam Schapiro, Dollhouse, 1972, wood and mixed media, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Gene Davis Memorial Fund, 1997.112A-B
Dollhouse
Date1972
wood and mixed media
On view
Judith F. Baca, Las Tres Marías, 1976, colored pencil on paper mounted on panel with upholstery backing and mirror, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by William T. Evans, 1998.162A-C, © 1976, Judith F. Baca
Las Tres Marías
Date1976
colored pencil on paper mounted on panel with upholstery backing and mirror
Not on view
For SAAM
Date2007
electronic LED array with white diodes
On view
Carmen Herrera, Blanco y Verde, 1960, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.27A-B, © 1960 Carmen Herrera
Blanco y Verde
Date1960
acrylic on canvas
On view
Nick Cave, Soundsuit, 2009, mixed media, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2012.34A-B, © 2009, Nick Cave. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Photo by James Prinz Photography
Soundsuit
Date2009
mixed media
Not on view
George Morrison, Untitled (Blue Painting), 1958, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2021.12, © 2020, Briand Morrison
Untitled (Blue Painting)
Date1958
oil on canvas
On view
Audrey Flack, Queen, 1976, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Louis K. and Susan P. Meisel, 2022.11.5
Queen
Date1976
acrylic on canvas
On view
Alison Saar, Rouse, 2012, wood, bronze, paper, antler sheds, and stamped ceiling tin, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, 2022.32A-C, © 2012, Alison Saar. Courtesy of L.A. Louver
Rouse
Date2012
wood, bronze, paper, antler sheds, and stamped ceiling tin
On view
Hank Willis Thomas, Pledge, 2018, screenprint on retroflective vinyl mounted on aluminum composite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth and James Eisenstein Family, 2023.12
Pledge
Date2018
screenprint on retroflective vinyl mounted on aluminum composite
On view

Artists

A photograph of artist Joan Mitchell with her painting Untitled (1951)
Joan Mitchell
born Chicago, IL 1925-died Paris, France 1992
Joan Mitchell was an artist who explored abstraction’s capacity to evoke landscapes, memories, poetry, and music in her paintings, pastels, and lithographic prints.
Photograph of Kay WalkingStick in her studio, Easton, PA, 2014. Photo by Julia Maloof Verderosa. © 2014 Julia Maloof Verderosa
Kay WalkingStick
born Syracuse, NY 1935