Smithsonian American Art Museum is a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The museum, which was founded in 1829, houses the first federal art collection. The museum began with gifts from private collections and art organizations. Today, the collection consists of tens of thousands of works, including paintings, sculptures, folk art, prints, drawings, and photographs. The collection of craft objects and decorative arts is housed in the Renwick Gallery near the museum. The collection covers American art from early colonial days to the present. The museum also presents special exhibitions, provides facilities for research, and offers educational programs.
The museum building ranks among the finest examples of the Greek Revival style of architecture. It was completed in 1868. The building closed for renovation in 2000 and reopened in 2006, with a new atrium designed by the British architect Norman Foster.
