VISITING THE SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM & RENWICK GALLERY WASHINGTON DC

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Discover the nation’s first collection of American art & its recently renovated home for contemporary craft

Wander through three centuries of American art

The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC is one of the largest and most expansive collections of American art in the world. The museum’s two locations, the main building in Penn Quarter and the Renwick Gallery in downtown, represent thousands of artists spanning hundreds of years.

Journey through America’s artistic development by viewing 17th- and 18th-century paintings from from the colonies of New Spain and New England, then make your way through the 19th century art collection, which highlights the Western migration, impressionism and the Gilded Age. A visit to this museum is as encompassing a museum experience as one can find.
 

What’s inside?

Smithsonian American Art MuseumAt the Smithsonian American Art Museum you will encounter America’s most revered artists of each time period, as forms, styles and genres were developed and perfected – as well as the National Portrait Gallery, which shares the same building. The 20th century saw progress in the realms of abstraction and realism, as visitors can see through the museum’s large collection of New Deal art and murals. The museum also hosts a vast contemporary art collection, so your trek through American art will bring you all the way to the present day. If you are looking for a more culturally oriented perspective, collections do stem beyond eras: the museum features exhibits specifically dedicated to African American and Latino artists, as well as folk art.

The Renwick Gallery is the museum’s free-to-enter home for contemporary craft and decorative art. While the incredibly popular exhibit WONDER will close on July 10, the Renwick will continue to display the finest in American craft and decorative art in its beautiful, state-of-the-art building, located just steps from the White House.
 

If your march through the annals of American art history has you feeling both amazed and a bit tired, enjoy the Kogod Courtyard, set in the Smithsonian American Art Museums. Here you can relax and gear your mind back toward the present via free Wi-Fi while munching on a sandwich or salad, or sipping an espresso from the nearby cafe.

Interested in seeing what other Smithsonian Institution museums are in Washington, DC? Explore all the Smithsonians the District has to offer.