#Smithsonian American Art Museum

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Death of Cleopatra by Edmonia Lewis

As a Black and Indigenous woman, Edmonia Lewis overcame prejudice and defied societal expectations to become a successful sculptor. Her Death of...

Catriona Miller 1 October 2024

Lily Furedi, Subway, 1934, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Subway by Lily Furedi

Subway by Lily Furedi is a masterpiece of New Deal art that expresses the excitement of modern transportation. It is populated with commuting workers...

James W Singer 21 July 2024

Frederic Edwin Church aurora borealis: Frederic Edwin Church, Aurora Borealis, 1865, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Aurora Borealis by Frederic Edwin Church

Aurora Borealis is an American national treasure. It explores the relationship between the land, its viewer, and its destiny. It is a masterpiece of...

James W Singer 5 May 2024

Women Artists

The Fabulous Sculpture and Mysterious Life of Edmonia Lewis

Edmonia Lewis (c. 1844-1907) was quite a force of nature. She was an African American and Native American woman who became an...

Alexandra Kiely 25 March 2024

Romanticism. Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, 1819, Musée de Louvre, Paris, France. Romanticism

Art History 101: Everything You Need to Know About Romanticism

At the end of the 18th century, artists began to reject the ideas of the Enlightenment which prioritized reason above all. They wanted to consider...

Jimena Escoto 4 September 2023