National Portrait Gallery

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Meserve Collection Highlights: Modern Prints from Mathew Brady's Portrait Negatives

Nine modern prints struck from Mathew Brady's original Civil War-era negatives — Lincoln, Hawthorne, Grant and Emma, Queen of Hawai'i — shown with a glass plate and Brady's wooden storage box.

Now showing23 May 2025 – 14 May 2028Free

Portrait of a Nation: 2025 Honorees

New portraits of the 2025 award winners — Jamie Dimon, Temple Grandin, Joy Harjo and Steven Spielberg — including commissions by David Lenz and Kate Capshaw.

Now showing12 Dec 2025 – 17 Oct 2027Free

Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood's Golden Age by George Hurrell (A Sequel)

An encore hang of 20 vintage prints by MGM's in-house glamour portraitist — Garbo, Harlow, Crawford, Gable and Dietrich, lit to look immortal.

Now showing13 Feb – 10 Jan 2027Free

The Spirit of Invention: Patent Office and Patentees

The museum turns its lens on its own building: the early Patent Office, told through portraits of Andrew Jackson, Samuel Morse and Lincoln, the only president to hold a patent.

Now showing26 Jun – 6 Jun 2027Free

On Stage: Portraying the Performing Arts

More than twenty portraits of musicians, dancers and actors, mostly paintings and sculpture from the past century: Paul Robeson, Katharine Hepburn, Dizzy Gillespie, Maria Callas, LL Cool J.

Upcoming6 Nov – 18 Jul 2027Free

Photographic Memory: Fifty Years of Collecting

The photographs department turns fifty with more than one hundred works spanning the daguerreian era to the digital age.

Upcoming14 Nov – 7 Nov 2027Free

Wendy Red Star: Whispering Spirit

All-new work across seven galleries by Apsáalooke (Crow) artist Wendy Red Star, whose portraiture reworks archival images of Native leaders.

Upcoming9 Apr 2027 – 30 Jan 2028Free

Indian Peace Medals: Emblems of Diplomacy

Sixteen presidential portrait medals, 1793 to 1881, that the U.S. government presented to Native American leaders during treaty negotiations and visits to Washington.

Upcoming17 Jun 2027 – 4 Jun 2028Free

Janis Joplin: Be Happy, Be Free, Wear Flowers

Janis Joplin's life told through her own letters, her scrapbook of her rise to fame, original paintings and the custom suit she wore on The Dick Cavett Show.

Upcoming8 Oct 2027 – 4 Sept 2028Free

Permanent Collections

20th Century Americans

Four galleries off the third-floor Great Hall tracking the cultural and political hallmarks of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Permanent collectionFree

America's Presidents

The only complete set of presidential portraits outside the White House, from Gilbert Stuart's Lansdowne Washington to Kehinde Wiley's Barack Obama. Refreshed and reopened in May 2026.

Permanent collectionFree

The Struggle for Justice

Second-floor galleries devoted to the people who fought for civil rights for women, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ Americans and people with disabilities.

Permanent collectionFree

Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900

More than 180 works across the first-floor east wing: Indigenous Americans, colonists, clergy, soldiers, abolitionists, writers and scientists who shaped the country's first three centuries.

Permanent collectionFree

Nearby

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Smithsonian American Art Museum

ArtFree1 min walk

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National Building Museum

Architecture5 min walk

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National Archives Museum

ArchitectureFree7 min walk

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National Museum of Women in the Arts

Design7 min walk

Visitor Information

Is National Portrait Gallery free to visit?

Yes, general admission to National Portrait Gallery is free. Free admission for all; no tickets or timed entry required.. Some special exhibitions may charge a separate ticket, so check the museum's website before visiting.

What are the opening hours of National Portrait Gallery?

National Portrait Gallery is open Open daily 11:30–19:00. Closed 25 December. Select first-floor galleries are closed for renovation until further notice.. Holiday hours can vary, so check the museum's website before you go.

Where is National Portrait Gallery?

National Portrait Gallery is located at 8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20001, United States, in the Penn Quarter / Chinatown area of Washington, DC. The nearest stations are Gallery Place–Chinatown (Metro Red, Yellow, Green lines), Metro Center (Metro Red, Orange, Blue, Silver lines) and Archives–Navy Memorial–Penn Quarter (Metro Yellow, Green lines).

What can I see at National Portrait Gallery?

Every U.S. president under one roof, plus Wiley's Obama, in the Greek Revival pile that was once the nation's Patent Office. Current highlights include 20th Century Americans, America's Presidents and The Struggle for Justice.

Do I need to book National Portrait Gallery in advance?

National Portrait Gallery is free to enter and most days you can walk in. Free admission for all; no tickets or timed entry required.. For special exhibitions, weekends, and school holidays, booking a timed slot can help you skip queues. Check the museum's website for current requirements.

When is the best time to visit National Portrait Gallery?

Weekday mornings shortly after opening are typically the quietest, especially mid-week. Late afternoons can also be calmer. Weekends, school holidays, and the lunch rush are the busiest periods.