The SAAM presents significant aspects of American visual culture.
The collection includes photography, modern folk and self-taught art, African American art, Latino art, video games, the largest collection of New Deal art, and exceptional collections of contemporary craft, American impressionist paintings and masterpieces from the Gilded Age. In recent years, the museum has focused on strengthening its holdings of contemporary art, media arts in particular.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum shares its collections, programs, and exhibitions in two locations in Washington, DC. SAAM’s main building is located at the heart of a vibrant downtown cultural district, while its recently renovated branch museum for contemporary craft and decorative art, the Renwick Gallery, is located nine blocks west, near the White House. (See separate listing)
Please check the museum website for updated exhibition information. Scheduling may have been modified as a result of the temporary museum closure.
Exhibitions & Dates
Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano
Oct 8 2021 - May 8 2022
150+ objects form a dialog between Murano glass and paintings by American artists
Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women
Apr 22 2022 - Aug 28 2022
Thirty-four fiber artworks piece together an alternative history of American art
Welcome Home: A Portrait of East Baltimore, 1975-1980
Jul 16 2021 - Jan 17 2022
A cross-section of East Baltimore in the 1970s, documenting the community’s history and diversity
Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea
Jul 28 2023 - Jan 14 2024
Ideas about the American West by 48 modern and contemporary artists
Steel and Sky: Views of New York City
Mar 10 2023 - Aug 27 2023
50+ prints and drawings capture the architecture, people, & spirit of urban America
Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas
Oct 6 2023 - Apr 21 2024
Vibrant, rhythmic artworks incorporate gestural abstraction and color field painting