Art & Design

On October 17, 1966, the painter and filmmaker Alfred Leslie (1927–2023) watched as his entire studio was destroyed in a massive conflagration that engulfed three Manhattan buildings and killed twelve firefighters.

Nora Naranjo Morse’s unique vision gives art a life of its own. Her family of clay sculptures in the National Museum of the American Indian’s landscape evoke the homes and vessels of her Kha’p’o Owingeh (Santa Clara Pueblo) people.

We’ve just purchased an early eighteenth-century Korean fan painting depicting Mount Fuji that was made during a 1719 Korean diplomatic mission to Japan.

Two sketchbooks and two paintings by Japanese American artist Chiura Obata have joined our collection as gifts from the artist’s family.

Three research assistants spent years scouring archives, interviewing artists, and conducting historical research to uncover women’s stories from state fairs. Their discoveries are now on display in the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery.

Learn about our work in the museum’s Department of Conservation and Scientific Research, one of the oldest conservation labs in the country.