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The Greek Revival portico and columned facade of the Old Patent Office Building, home of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC

Smithsonian American Art Museum

ArtHistoryOpens 11:30amFreeGallery Place–Chinatown (Red, Yellow, Green lines) — directly beneath the museum

SAAM holds one of the world's largest and most inclusive collections of art made in the United States — colonial portraits, the biggest New Deal art collection anywhere, folk and self-taught work, and Nam June Paik's neon-wired Electronic Superhighway. It occupies the Old Patent Office Building, begun in 1836 and one of Washington's oldest public buildings, which it shares with the National Portrait Gallery as the Donald W. Reynolds Center. The Luce Foundation Center puts more than 3,000 objects in visible open storage across the third and fourth floors, and the galleries stay open until 7pm every day of the year. Note: the galleries for 18th to early 20th century art are closed for a renovation running until autumn 2026; the rest of the museum is open as normal.

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Still from Shahzia Sikander's digital animation The Last Post (2010)

Shahzia Sikander: The Last Post

A ten-minute animation in which a British East India Company man dissolves into shifting Indo-Persian miniatures, scored by Pulitzer-winning composer Du Yun.

Now showing3 Jul 2025 – 8 NovFree
Installation view of Nick Cave: Mammoth at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Nick Cave: Mammoth

Nick Cave remakes the galleries as a dig site: crafted mammoth hides and bones, a video of the beasts come alive, and hundreds of found objects laid out like specimens.

Now showing13 Feb – 3 Jan 2027Free
Ted Wathen, Former Company Houses, Jenkins, Letcher County, Kentucky, 1975, gelatin silver print

Much Here Is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial

225 photographs from the NEA's Bicentennial-era survey projects, reuniting a 1970s portrait of America and setting it against federal survey photography going back to the 19th century.

Now showing18 Sept – 18 Apr 2027Free
Bisa Butler, Coco with Morning Glories (detail), 2024, quilted and appliquéd textiles

Bisa Butler: Tender Monuments

A mid-career survey of nearly forty of Bisa Butler's large-scale quilted portraits, shown alongside work by influences including Faith Ringgold and Betye Saar.

Upcoming19 Mar 2027 – 22 Aug 2027Free

Permanent Collections

Edward Hopper, Cape Cod Morning, 1950, oil on canvas

Experience America

Paintings made for the New Deal's public art programmes in the 1930s, drawn from SAAM's collection — the largest holding of New Deal art in the world. First floor South.

Permanent collectionFree
Nam June Paik, Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii (1995), a neon-outlined map of the United States filled with video screens

Galleries for Modern and Contemporary Art

Nearly 100 works from the 1940s to now on the redesigned third floor, anchored by Nam June Paik's 51-channel Electronic Superhighway.

Permanent collectionFree
Glenn Kaino's Bridge, an aerial sculpture of 200 gold-cast arms suspended in the Luce Foundation Center

Glenn Kaino: Bridge

200 gilded casts of Tommie Smith's raised 1968 Olympic salute, hung as a rippling aerial sculpture across the ceiling of the Luce Foundation Center. Third floor, ongoing.

Permanent collectionFree
James Hampton, The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly, ca. 1950–1964, gold and silver foil over furniture

Galleries for Folk and Self-Taught Art

First-floor galleries of untrained and vernacular American artists, built around James Hampton's foil-covered Throne of the Third Heaven and Emery Blagdon's Healing Machine.

Permanent collectionFree
Glass cases of densely displayed artworks in the Luce Foundation Center for American Art

Luce Foundation Center for American Art

Washington's first visible art storage: over 3,000 paintings, sculptures and craft objects packed into glass cases across 24,000 square feet of the Patent Office Building's west wing.

Permanent collectionFree

Plan Your Visit

Getting there

8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20004

Nearest station: Gallery Place–Chinatown (Red, Yellow, Green lines) — directly beneath the museum, Metro Center (Red, Orange, Blue, Silver lines) and Archives–Navy Memorial–Penn Quarter (Green, Yellow lines)

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Hours

Mon11:30–19:00
Tue11:30–19:00
Wed11:30–19:00
Thu11:30–19:00
Fri11:30–19:00
SatToday11:30–19:00
Sun11:30–19:00

Admission

Free

Free admission, no tickets required. Some workshops and special events are ticketed.

Accessibility

Barrier-free access via ramps on both sides of the 8th and G Streets NW entrance. MetroAccess Paratransit should use 800 G Street NW. Free audio guides in English, Spanish, ASL and Descriptive Audio; ASL, verbal-description and dementia-friendly tours are offered.

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Nearby

The Greek Revival south (F Street) portico of the Old Patent Office Building, home of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC

National Portrait Gallery

ArtFree1 min walk
Exterior of the National Building Museum, the 1887 Pension Building, in Washington, DC

National Building Museum

Architecture5 min walk
The neoclassical National Archives Building with its Corinthian colonnade, seen from Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC

National Archives Museum

ArchitectureFree7 min walk
Exterior of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, a Renaissance Revival former Masonic Temple on the corner of New York Avenue and 13th Street NW in Washington, DC

National Museum of Women in the Arts

Design7 min walk

Visitor Information

Is Smithsonian American Art Museum free to visit?
Yes, general admission to Smithsonian American Art Museum is free. Free admission, no tickets required. Some workshops and special events are ticketed.. Some special exhibitions may charge a separate ticket, so check the museum's website before visiting.
What are the opening hours of Smithsonian American Art Museum?
Smithsonian American Art Museum is open Daily 11:30–19:00. Closed 25 December. The galleries for 18th to early 20th century art are closed for renovation until autumn 2026.. Holiday hours can vary, so check the museum's website before you go.
Where is Smithsonian American Art Museum?
Smithsonian American Art Museum is located at 8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20004, in the Penn Quarter area of Washington, DC. The nearest stations are Gallery Place–Chinatown (Red, Yellow, Green lines) — directly beneath the museum, Metro Center (Red, Orange, Blue, Silver lines) and Archives–Navy Memorial–Penn Quarter (Green, Yellow lines).
What can I see at Smithsonian American Art Museum?
Three centuries of American art inside the Greek Revival landmark where Lincoln held his second inaugural ball. Current highlights include Nick Cave: Mammoth, Shahzia Sikander: The Last Post and Experience America.
Do I need to book Smithsonian American Art Museum in advance?
Smithsonian American Art Museum is free to enter and most days you can walk in. Free admission, no tickets required. Some workshops and special events are ticketed.. 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 Smithsonian American Art Museum?
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.
Is Smithsonian American Art Museum accessible?
Barrier-free access via ramps on both sides of the 8th and G Streets NW entrance. MetroAccess Paratransit should use 800 G Street NW. Free audio guides in English, Spanish, ASL and Descriptive Audio; ASL, verbal-description and dementia-friendly tours are offered.

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