American Art

One of the few redeeming factors in Washington, D.C., is its museums, especially those in the Smithsonian system and the National Gallery of Art (which is not a Smithsonian museum, but is often confused as one.) All of the public museums are free, the result of generous bequests on the part of James Smithson of Britain and Andrew Mellon of the United States, respectively.

Cape Cod Morning, Edward Hopper, 1950

On Friday, my brother and I met up during lunch and wandered over to the National Museum of American Art (SAAM) and the National Portrait Gallery. While we were there, we saw a number of pieces by known artists. We also had the opportunity to converse with the director of the SAAM, Dr. Elizabeth Broun. She suggested we see the works of Albert Pinkham Ryder and Nam June Paik, in addition to our interests in Andrew Wyeth, Albert Bierstadt, and Thomas Moran.

Achelous & Hercules, Thomas Hart Benton, 1947

The pieces contained here are from the permanent collection of the SAAM and are shared here for your viewing enjoyment. To see greater detail, simply click on each image and it will open in a larger version in a new window. To learn more about each of the pieces, click on their respective titles.

Golden Gate Bridge, Ray Strong, 1934

Currently, the SAAM is hosting an exhibit of photographs by Harry Benson, as well as works on loan from the National Portrait Gallery of London and an exhibit by William Christenberry. All worthwhile and worth seeing. If you're in D.C., stop in and spend a few hours.

Interception, Mark Tansey, 1996

The museum allows photography in most of the galleries, but not in the special exhibits. The artworks contained in this entry were photographed by me, but are the property of the museum.

Zip: 20004

Photo copyrights: D.C. Confidential (Janet M. Kincaid, 07/07)

All art depicted in this entry is the property of the National Museum of American Art/Smithsonian American Art Museum. All rights reserved.