Art & Design

The 1930s was a heady time for artists in America. Through President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, the federal government paid them to paint and sculpt and urged them to look to the nation’s land and people for their subjects. For the.... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Pullout frames display tens of thousands of stamps and pieces of mail from the National Philatelic Collection, along with the Postmaster General’s Collection and the Benjamin K. Miller Collection. A large case displays medals, including the .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Encounter the world’s first postage stamp—the 1840 Penny Black, with its profile of young Queen Victoria—and learn how it revolutionized communication. Learn how stamps have shaped history and honored people and places around the world. See .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

International stamps make up more than half of the museum's collections. See some of the rarest and most famous stamps from 24 countries on six continents. Browse more than 700 stamps, one from every country that has ever produced stamps—.... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

This site-specific installation by Barbara Kruger (American, b. Newark, NJ, 1945) wraps the entire lower-level lobby in text-printed white vinyl against fields of black and red. Covering the walls, floor, and escalator sides, this immersive .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

A towering and visually striking sculpture of Haitian leader Toussaint Louverture by contemporary Senegalese artist Ousmane Sow is the centerpiece of an exhibition of important acquisitions of the past decade at the Smithsonian’s National .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

This exhibition of some 700 works of Native art from throughout North, Central, and South America demonstrates the breadth of the museum's renowned collection and highlight the historic importance of many of these iconic objects. Chosen to .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

The Struggle for Justice showcases major cultural and political figures—from key 19th-century historical figures to contemporary leaders—who struggled to achieve civil rights for disenfranchised or marginalized groups. The exhibition, featuring.... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.