The Smithsonian American Art Museum, the nation's first collection of American art, captures the aspirations, character and imagination of the nation's people from the Colonial period to today. The museum is a center for the study, enjoyment and preservation of the country's rich artistic and cultural heritage.
The light-filled courtyard with its wavy glass canopy is a downtown oasis that features interior landscaping, a café and free Wi-Fi access.
The two museums share the conservation center, located on the third and fourth-floor mezzanines. The center offers a unique, behind-the-scenes view through floor-to-ceiling glass walls of the techniques American Art and Portrait Gallery conservators use to examine, treat and preserve paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and other works of art. Ask at the information desks about weekly behind-the-scenes tours and other special programs.
The Luce Foundation Center is the only art study facility in the city where visitors can browse through artworks in storage; no appointment is necessary. More than 3,300 of the museum's paintings, sculptures, craft and folk art objects are on display in secure glass cases. With the touch of a button, pneumatic drawers open to reveal portrait miniatures, bronze medals and contemporary craft jewelry.
Paintings by Edward Hopper entice visitors to the "American Experience" introductory galleries near the lobby. These galleries, filled with 19th-century paintings and modern sculpture, explore the defining role of land in the American imagination, and include more than 50 images selected from photographer Lee Friedlander's series The American Monument (1963-2001), an invaluable exploration and commemoration of the nation's public sculpture.
In the adjoining "Folk Art" galleries, is James Hampton's The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly, a visionary and intensely religious work made from salvaged furniture and other found materials.
"American Art Through 1940" links artworks, such as Frederic Auguste Bartholdi's model for the Statue of Liberty and John Singer Sargent's Gilded Age portraits, to American historical periods, dating from the founding of the Colonies to the New Deal era.
In the south lobby is David Beck's MVSEVM, a playful sculpture commissioned by the museum and inspired by the Neoclassical architecture of the building.
Monumental paintings of Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon by Thomas Moran, which inspired the U.S. Congress to create the country's first national park in 1782, are not to be missed.
Modern and contemporary artworks are located on the top floor.
Visit the "Lincoln Gallery," where several powerful works are installed, including Jenny Holzer's stunning column of light and text entitled For SAAM. See also David Hockney's Snails Space With Vari-Lites.
"Painting as Performance" and Nam June Paik's Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii.
"1934: A New Deal for Artists" (closes Jan. 3, 2010)
"Graphic Masters II: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum" (closes Jan. 10, 2010)
"What's It All Mean: William T. Wiley in Retrospect" (Oct. 2 , 2009- Jan. 24, 2010)
Graphic Masters III: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (opens Jan. 29, 2010)
"The Honor of Your Company is Requested: President Lincoln's Inaugural Ball" (closes Jan. 18, 2010) The museum celebrates the 16th president's second inaugural ball, which was March 6, 1865, in what is now the museum's historic home, with ephemera from the event, including an invitation, a menu and other artifacts.
Fun for students: goSmithsonian.com/SIConnections
Become a member of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
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Cupcake Presidents
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The Courtyard Cafe in the Kogod Courtyard offers a variety of sandwiches, panini, soups, salad bar, pastries and ice cream. Specialty coffees and bottled beverages are also available. Open daily 11:30 to 6:30, with a limited menu after 3, and after 4 on weekends.
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