Page 104 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Washington, DC

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Exploring the Smithsonian Other Modernist artists
American Art Museum (SAAM) featured in this fascinating
collection include Georgia
O’Keeffe, Joseph Stella,
The SAAM houses one of the world’s largest collections of Robert Rauschenberg,
American art, revealing the country’s artistic and cultural and David Hockney.
history from the colonial era to today. The museum has been
a leader in collecting significant aspects of American visual American Folk Art
culture, including folk, African-American, and Latino art. The The collection of American folk
SAAM has vast collections of contemporary craft, American art includes some truly amazing
impressionist paintings, and masterpieces from the Gilded pieces of work, created from a
Age, as well as the largest collection of New Deal art. wide range of materials. James
Hampton’s Throne of the Third
Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium
Caitlin. This was also a popular General Assembly (c.1950–64)
19th-century and Early subject for Charles Bird King and is one of the star pieces in
20th-century Art
John Mix Stanley. American the collection.
Some of the highlights in this Impressionists are also well
collection from the last two represented in the museum,
centuries are the Thomas including Mary Cassatt, William
Moran Western landscapes Merritt Chase, John Henry
and those of Albert Bierstadt. Twachtman, and Childe Hassam.
This subject matter can be Hassam’s paintings, inspired by
seen in Among the Sierra the French Impressionists, are
Nevada, California (1867–8), refreshing yet tranquil. The calm
Bierstadt’s evocative depiction seascape of The South Ledges,
of the landscape. Appledore (1913) is typical of
Many of the American his style.
artists such as Albert Pinkham
Ryder, Winslow Homer, and
John Singer Sargent, were American Modernists
contemporaries to the The enormous canvases of the
Impressionists. Homer’s High American Modernists provide William H. Johnson’s Café (1939–40) is a
Cliffs, Coast of Maine (1894) is a a dramatic contrast to the snapshot of Harlem’s vibrant scene
dramatic meeting of land and landscapes and portraits
sea. Seascapes were also a of 19th- and 20th-century
popular subject for Ryder. Jonah, artists. Franz Kline’s black- Contemporary Art
painted c.1885, illustrates the paint slashes on a white Roy Lichtenstein’s 6.5-ton
Bible story of Jonah and the canvas in Merce C (1961), (5,900-kg) sculpture Modern
whale, depicting Jonah which was inspired by his Head (1989) greets visitors at the
floundering in the sea during involvement with dancer main entrance to the museum,
a storm, overlooked by God. and choreographer Merce and reflects SAAM’s dedication
The museum holds a striking Cunningham, are the to the acquisition of modern and
religious sketch by Henry antithesis of the delicacy contemporary works. Inside are
Ossawa Tanner, and hundreds of of the Impressionists. Kenneth works by Nam June Paik, Christo,
paintings of Native Americans, Noland’s geometrical composi- and Mark Bradford, among
many of them works by George tions resemble firing targets. others. Mickalene Thomas’s
Portrait of Mnonja (2010) is a
powerful representa tion of
black female identity in sequins,
rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel
paints on a wood panel.

Luce Foundation Center
The three-story Luce Foundation
Center for American Art holds
about 3,300 artworks from the
museum’s main collection.
The items on display include
paintings and sculptures,
contemporary craft objects,
Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii by Nam June Paik (1995) folk art, and jewelry.

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