Smithsonian American Art Museum
More than 7,000 artists across two venues — the widest single sweep of American art from colonial canvas to the present.
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SAAM holds one of the world's largest collections of art made in the United States, spanning the colonial period to today. The main building is the Old Patent Office Building, shared with the National Portrait Gallery — two major collections on one visit. A separate branch, the Renwick Gallery, handles craft-focused exhibitions.
What to look for
- The Old Patent Office Building itself, which SAAM shares with the National Portrait Gallery
- The breadth of the permanent collection — works stretch from the colonial period through to contemporary American art
- Craft-focused exhibitions, shown not here but at the Renwick Gallery, SAAM's dedicated branch museum
The Renwick Gallery is a separate branch venue; if craft exhibitions are your focus, confirm which building is showing what before you go.
Smithsonian American Art Museum is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Washington, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Washington pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Washington
- White HouseBritish forces torched it in 1814. It has been the U.S. president's home and office ever since.
- The PentagonDesigned and built in 16 months during World War II — 17.5 miles of corridors, a five-acre central courtyard, and a 9/11 memorial at the exact point of impact.
- United States CapitolEvery street address in Washington DC radiates outward from this building — it is literally the zero point of the city.
- Washington MonumentThe faint color seam partway up the shaft marks where construction stopped for 23 years.
- Smithsonian InstitutionBritish scientist James Smithson left a bequest that became 157 million objects, 21 museums, and a zoo — almost all free to walk into.
- Arlington National CemeteryThe ground holding 400,000 graves was seized from Robert E. Lee's own family over an unpaid tax bill in 1864.