Top 13 Art Museums in Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. the nation's capital, has a vibrant arts scene that is reflected in the plethora of captivating museums and galleries.
Washington D.C. is home to some of the best museums in the United States, where you can immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of art, culture, and history. While not all the museums featured on this list are solely dedicated to art, they each offer a remarkable collection of art exhibitions, artifacts, and immersive displays that showcase the beauty and diversity of artistic expression.
Whether you're an avid art lover or simply curious about the artistic treasures housed within the city, these must-see museums will leave you inspired and awestruck.
One of the greatest aspects of exploring art in Washington D.C. is that many of these remarkable cultural institutions offer free admission, ensuring that art is accessible to all. In this article I take a closer look at the top 13 art museums and galleries in the nation's capital that are sure to captivate your senses.
I have included opening times for each museum that are correct at the time of writing this article, but please check the latest information before your visit.
If you would like to read more about American artists or other places in the United States where you can view artwork, please click here.
Table of Contents
3. Smithsonian American Art Museum
4. National Museum of African American History
5. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
6. National Museum of the American Indian
7. National Museum of Asian Art
9. National Museum of Women in the Arts
1. National Gallery of Art
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The National Gallery of Art is a national art museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The museum is widely considered to be one of the greatest museums in the United States, often ranking alongside the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Visitor Information
Location: The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between Third and Ninth Streets at Constitution Avenue NW.
Admission: Admission to the National Gallery of Art is free to all visitors
Hours: The National Gallery of Art is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm
Getting There: The easiest way to reach the National Gallery of Art is via Metrorail or the DC Circulator. The closest Metro stop is Archives – Navy Memorial – Penn Quarter on the Green and Yellow Lines. The DC Circulator’s National Mall route will take you near the Gallery’s buildings and Sculpture Garden
Permanent Collection
The National Gallery of Art is home to some of the world's greatest masterpieces, including over 140,000 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, decorative arts, and new media tracing the development of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present.
The East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. houses the museum's collection of modern and contemporary art. Where as, the West Building houses the museum's collection of European and American art from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century.
Here are some notable works of art at the National Gallery of Art:
The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434 - Jan van Eyck: This painting is one of the most famous and discussed paintings in Western art history. It is a portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, and it is known for its intricate details and symbolism.
Self-Portrait, 1889 - Vincent van Gogh: This painting is one of the most famous self-portraits by Vincent van Gogh. It is known for its bold colours and expressive brushstrokes.
The Alba Madonna, 1510 - Raphael: This painting depicts the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, with Saint John the Baptist standing to the side. It is known for its beautiful composition and use of light.
Ginevra de' Benci, 1474-1478 - Leonardo da Vinci: This painting is the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas. It is a portrait of Ginevra de' Benci, a young Florentine noblewoman, and it is known for its delicate details and enigmatic smile.
Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664 - Johannes Vermeer: This painting is a portrait of a woman holding a balance, with a painting of the Last Judgment in the background. It is known for its use of light and colour, and for its symbolic meaning.
These are just a few examples of the many notable works at the National Gallery of Art.
Visitors can explore the sculptures in the Sculpture Garden. The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden is a beautiful outdoor space located on the National Mall between the National Gallery's West Building and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History.
The collection is centred on a fountain which, from December to March, is converted to an ice-skating rink. The garden features a number of other sculptures, including works by Leonardo Da Vinci, Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, and Roy Lichtenstein. Some notable sculptures to look out for include:
Marc Chagall's Orphée: This sculpture is a mosaic designed by Marc Chagall in 1969. It was originally located in the garden of Chagall's friends and patrons, Evelyn and John Nef, until it was given to the National Gallery of Art by Evelyn as part of a larger bequest.
Joan Miró's Personnage Gothique: This sculpture is a bronze statue of a tall, thin figure with a pointed head. It was cast in 1974 and is one of Miró’s late works.
Christopher Wool's Untitled: This sculpture is the National Gallery's first sculpture by Christopher Wool. It is a large aluminium sculpture that was acquired by the museum in 2017.
The National Gallery of Art also regularly features temporary exhibits that highlight distinctive works of art from numerous countries and time periods.
2. National Portrait Gallery
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Visitors to the National Portrait Gallery can explore the museum's collections and learn about the lives of famous Americans through their portraits
The National Portrait Gallery was founded in 1962 and opened to the public in 1968. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution.
Visitor Information
Location: The National Portrait Gallery is located at 8th and G streets NW, inside the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Admission: Admission to the National Gallery of Art is free for all visitors
Hours: The National Portrait Gallery is open daily from 11.30am to 7pm.
Getting There: The National Portrait Gallery is located near the Gallery Place-Chinatown Station. Visitors can take the Green and Yellow Lines to reach the station. The closest Metro stop is Archives – Navy Memorial – Penn Quarter on the Green and Yellow Lines.
Visitors can also take the DC Circulator's National Mall route to get near the National Portrait Gallery. The route makes it easy to continue exploring the National Mall afterward.
Permanent Collection
The National Portrait Gallery's collections focus on images of famous Americans, including portraits of nearly all American presidents. The museum also features portraits of poets, visionaries, actors, and activists whose lives form the American story.
Here are some notable portraits in the National Portrait Gallery:
George Washington, including the Lansdowne portrait by Gilbert Stuart.
Abraham Lincoln, including the "cracked plate" photograph by Alexander Gardner.
Martin Luther King Jr., including a painting by Robert Templeton.
Barack Obama, including the official portrait by Kehinde Wiley.
Elvis Presley, including the portrait by Ralph Wolfe Cowan.
Marilyn Monroe by Richard Avedon.
Rosa Parks by Robert Shetterly.
Neil Armstrong by Louis Glanzman.
Visitors can explore the museum's collections to discover more portraits of famous Americans.
3. Smithsonian American Art Museum
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The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) is a museum in Washington, D.C. that is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The museum captures the aspirations, character, and imagination of the American people throughout three centuries.
The museum has two locations: the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery. The Renwick Gallery is SAAM’s branch location for contemporary craft, showcasing the dynamic landscape of American craft today.
The glass-enclosed Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard at SAAMs is one of the most magnificent gathering spaces in Washington, D.C. and a great place to relax and unwind.
Visitor Information
Location: The Smithsonian American Art Museum is located at 8th and G Streets NW in Washington, D.C.
Admission: Admission to the Smithsonian American Art Museum is free for all visitors
Hours: The Smithsonian American Art Museum is open daily from 11.30am to 7pm.
Getting There: The nearest Metro station is Gallery Place/Chinatown, which is served by the Red, Green, and Yellow lines. There are also several bus stops nearby.
Permanent Collection
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is home to one of the largest and most inclusive collections of American art in the world, with more than 7,000 artists represented in the collection. The collection captures the aspirations, character, and imagination of the American people throughout three centuries.
The museum's collections include early American art, 19th and 20th-century art, contemporary art, photography, modern folk and self-taught art, African American art, Latino art, New Deal art, and the Luce Foundation Center for American Art, an interactive public study center.
The collection at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, includes major masters such as John Singleton Copley, Gilbert Stuart, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, Mary Cassatt, Georgia O'Keeffe, Edward Hopper, Jacob Lawrence, Helen Frankenthaler, Christo, David Hockney, and Jenny Holzer.
4. National Museum of African American History
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The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The museum is a place where all Americans can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience and how it helped shape the nation.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the world's largest museum dedicated to African-American history and culture. It is a must-visit destination to learn about the African American experience and its impact on American history and culture.
Visitor Information
Location: The museum is located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW on the National Mall.
Admission: General admission to the NMAAHC is free, but due to its immense popularity, timed-entry passes are required.
Hours: The NMAAHC’s doors open at 10am and close at 5.30pm, with the exception of Mondays, when it opens at 12pm.
Getting There: The NMAAHC is located on the National Mall, next to the Washington Monument. Visitors can get there by public transportation, and the closest Metro stations are Federal Triangle and Smithsonian (Mall exit). The museum is also a short walk from many other destinations on the National Mall.
Permanent Collection
The museum has a variety of exhibits that cover nearly every aspect of the African American experience, including the arts, slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, and more.
The museum's collections include Harriet Tubman's hymnal, Nat Turner’s bible, a plantation cabin from South Carolina, a guard tower from Angola Prison, Michael Jackson's fedora, and works by prolific artists such as Charles Alston, Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, and Henry O. Tanner.
5. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a living memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, located on the National Mall. It is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust and is dedicated to the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history.
Visitor Information
Location: The Museum is located on the National Mall, just south of Independence Avenue, SW, between 14th Street and Raoul Wallenberg Place (15th Street) in Washington, DC.
Admission: General admission to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is free.
Hours: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is open seven days a week from 10am to 5.30pm. Free timed-entry tickets are required to enter the museum's permanent exhibition only.
Getting There: The easiest way to get to the museum is via Metrorail or the DC Circulator's National Mall route, with the closest Metro stop being the Smithsonian station on the Orange, Blue, and Silver lines.
Permanent Collection
The museum's collections database contains more than 270,000 records, including documents, photographs, and artifacts related to the Holocaust.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has a permanent exhibition titled "The Holocaust" that covers three floors and uses artifacts, photographs, and film to provide a chronological account of the Holocaust. The exhibition explores modern genocide, its methods, and its effects. Throughout the exhibition, visitors will also encounter personal objects and the eyewitness testimonies of individual survivors. The museum's permanent exhibit begins with the Nazi rise to power and includes examples of the hateful propaganda common to the day. The exhibition is a powerful lesson in the fragility of freedom, the myth of progress, and the need for vigilance in preserving democratic values.
6. National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum is one of three branches: National Museum of the American Indian in the National Mall (Washington, D.C.), George Gustav Heye Center in New York City, and the Cultural Resources Center in Maryland.
The museum cares for one of the world's most expansive collections of Native objects, photographs, and media, covering the entire Western Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego.
The museum's sweeping curvilinear architecture, its indigenous landscaping, and its exhibitions, were all designed in collaboration with tribes and communities, and combine to give visitors from around the world the sense and spirit of Native America.
Visitor Information
Location: The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. is located at Third Street and Maryland Avenue S.W.
Admission: Entrance to the National Museum of the American Indian is free.
Hours: The museum is open daily from 10am to 5.30pm.
Getting There: The National Museum of the American Indian is located between two metro stations: L'Enfant Plaza Station and Federal Center SW Station.
Permanent Collection
The National Museum of the American Indian has one of the most extensive collections of Native American arts and artifacts in the world, representing over 12,000 years of history and more than 1,200 indigenous cultures throughout the Americas.
The museum's permanent collection is divided into four components: the Object Collection, the Photo Archive, the Media Archive, and the Paper Archive. The Object Collection includes more than 800,000 objects, as well as a photographic archive of 125,000 images.
7. National Museum of Asian Art
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The National Museum of Asian Art is part of the Smithsonian Institution and is committed to preserving, exhibiting, researching, and interpreting art in ways that deepen our collective understanding of Asia, America, and the world.
The museum includes the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, both of which preserve, exhibit, and interpret Asian art.
Visitor Information
Location: The National Museum of Asian Art is located at 1050 Independence Avenue SW in Washington, DC.
Admission: Entrance to the museum is free.
Hours: The museum is open daily from 10am to 5.30pm
Getting There: The National Museum of Asian Art is steps from the Smithsonian Metro stop, along the Orange/Silver/Blue Lines.
Permanent Collection
The museum has a collection of more than 40,000 objects, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics, textiles, and photographs from across Asia.
The Freer Gallery of Art houses a collection of American art as well as Asian art, while the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery focuses solely on Asian art. The museum's collections include works from China, Japan, Korea, South and Southeast Asia, and the Islamic world.
8. Hirshhorn Museum
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum located on the National Mall. It is a leading voice for contemporary art and culture and provides a national platform for the arts and artists of our time. The museum was initially endowed by Joseph Hirshhorn, a Latvian-born American entrepreneur and art collector.
The museum was designed by Gordon Bunshaft and features a cylindrical building with adjoining plaza and sunken sculpture garden.
Visitor Information
Location: The museum is located at the corner of 7th Street and Independence Avenue SW on the National Mall.
Admission: Admission to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is free.
Hours: The museum is open daily from 10am to 5.30pm
Getting There: Visitors can get to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden by taking the metro to the L'Enfant Plaza Station, which is the closest metro station to the museum.
Permanent Collection
The Hirshhorn features international modern and contemporary art, including sculpture, digital media, photography, video, and performance-based pieces.
The permanent collection boasts a fine range of pioneering sculpture, digital media, photography, video, performance-based pieces, and more, from 21st-century innovators.
9. National Museum of Women in the Arts
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The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) is the world's only major art museum solely dedicated to championing female artists.
Since opening in 1987, it has acquired a collection of more than 5,500 works of art from around the world, including paintings, sculpture, photography, and decorative arts.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts is currently closed for a major renovation, with plans to reopen towards the end of 2023.
The museum was founded to reform recorded histories of art and is dedicated to discovering and making known women artists who have been overlooked, erased, or unacknowledged, and assuring the place of women in contemporary art.
Visitor Information
Location: NMWA is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., in a landmark building near the White House.
Admission: The admission fee for the National Museum of Women in the Arts is $10 for adults, $8 for visitors 65 and over and students, and free for NMWA members and youth 18 and under.
Hours: Before the closure, the museum was open Sunday from 12pm to 5pm and Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm. Expect similar hours when it reopens.
Getting There: Visitors can take the Green, Red, or Yellow Metro lines to Gallery Pl-Chinatown, or take the Red, Blue, Orange, or Silver lines to Metro Center.
Permanent Collection
The National Museum of Women in the Arts has a permanent collection of over 5,000 works from the 16th century to the present day, created by more than 1,000 artists, including Mary Cassatt, Frida Kahlo, Alma Thomas, Lee Krasner, Louise Bourgeois, Chakaia Booker, and Nan Goldin, along with special collections of 18th-century silver tableware, botanical prints, and artists’ books. The National Museum of Women in the Arts holds Frida Kahlo's Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky.
10. Natural History Museum
The National Museum of Natural History is administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The National Museum of Natural History is a popular and fascinating destination for visitors to Washington, D.C. who are interested in learning about the natural world and our place within it.
Visitor Information
Location: The museum's address is 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
Admission: The admission to National Museum of Natural History is free.
Hours: The National Museum of Natural History is open seven days a week, from 10am to 5.30pm.
Getting There: The closest Metro to the accessible entrance on Constitution Avenue is the Federal Triangle Metro station, which is located on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines. The closest metro along the Green and Yellow line is Archives/Navy Memorial.
Permanent Collection
The museum has a wide range of exhibitions and activities that explore the natural world. It holds the world's most extensive collection of natural history specimens and human artifacts, including the remains of dinosaurs and tools used by early humans.
There are many popular exhibits at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. Here are some of the most notable:
The Hope Diamond: This famous diamond is one of the most popular exhibits at the museum. Visitors can see the diamond up close and learn about its history and legends.
The David H. Koch Hall of Fossils: This exhibit features approximately 700 specimens, including Tyrannosaurus rex and triceratops dinosaurs. The 31,000-square-foot exhibit's theme is "Deep Time," which illustrates how Earth's ecosystems have changed over time.
The Ocean Hall: This exhibit explores the world's oceans and features a 1,000-gallon aquarium, a replica of a North Atlantic right whale, and a giant squid.
These are just a few of the many exhibits that visitors can explore at the National Museum of Natural History.
11. The National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum, located on the National Mall, maintains the world's largest and most significant collection of aviation and space artifacts. It is a vital centre for historical research and education and is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.
Visitor Information
Location: The museum is located at two locations: 6th Street and Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC; and 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, ChantillyAdmission: The admission to National Air and Space Museum is free.
Hours: The National Air and Space Museum is open seven days a week, from 10am to 5.30pm.
Getting There: The nearest bus station is Independence Ave SW and 6th St SW, which is a 1-minute walk from the museum.
Permanent Collection
The museum maintains the world's largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft. It exhibits aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, rockets, and other flight-related artifacts.
The National Air and Space Museum holds in trust over 60,000 artifacts and more than 20,000 cubic feet of archival materials, making it the world's largest and most significant collection of aviation and space artifacts.
Visitors can also search over 20,000 of the 60,000+ air and space objects in the collection, as well as thousands of historic photographs and materials, on the museum's website.
Additionally, the museum has a new permanent exhibition called ‘Time and Navigation: the untold story of getting from here to there”, which explores how revolutions in timekeeping over three centuries have influenced how people find their way.
12. National Postal Museum
The National Postal Museum is located in Washington, D.C. and covers large portions of the postal history of the United States and that of other countries.
Visitor Information
Location: The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. It is next to Union Station in DC's NoMa neighbourhood.
Admission: Admission to the National Postal Museum is free.
Hours: The National Postal Museum is open daily from 10am to 5.30pm.
Getting There: The closest Metro station to the museum is Union Station, which is served by the Red Line.
Permanent Collection
The National Postal Museum has one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of stamps and postal material in the world.
The museum's galleries explore America's postal history from colonial times to the present. The museum's permanent collection includes more than 6 million objects, making it the second-largest collection of all Smithsonian museums.
The National Postal Museum's collection includes some of the rarest items in the world of philately. The museum's most famous and valuable item is the British Guiana One-Cent Magenta, which is considered the rarest stamp in the world and is valued at $9.5 million. The museum also has a vast collection of stamps and postal rarities and objects that enable postal operations.
13. Street Art in Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. is home to a vibrant street art scene, with many murals and installations located throughout the city. Here are areas worth exploring for street art in Washington D.C.:
Columbia Heights: The Columbia Heights neighborhood is full of street art celebrating the area's culture and diversity.
Blagden Alley: Blagden Alley is a historic alleyway in the Shaw neighborhood that has become a hub for street art in recent years.
Dupont Underground: Dupont Underground is a former trolley station that has been transformed into an underground art space. The space features a rotating selection of street art and murals. It is located at 19 Dupont Cir NW, Washington, DC 20036.
U Street Corridor: The U Street Corridor is a historic neighborhood that has become a hub for street art in recent years. The area features a variety of murals and installations that celebrate the area's culture and history.
NoMa and Union Market: The NoMa and Union Market neighborhoods are home to dozens of new and old murals, many of which can be seen on the DC Mural Tour.
Visitors to Washington D.C. can explore the city's street art scene by taking a walking tour or simply exploring the city's neighbourhoods on foot.
I hope you have found my list of museums and galleries in Washington D.C. useful. If you have visited any of these places, I would love to hear your thoughts or if you feel one of your favourites is missing from the list, please email me and let me know at sarahransomeart@gmail.com.
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