Covering a vast range of artistic styles and mediums, there’s something for every art aficionado in Washington, DC. Here are 15 museums, galleries, and other artsy destinations worth visiting.
American Art Museum
The Smithsonian’s museum for American art and craft, this museum offers both revolving and ongoing exhibits, including the nearly-100-foot-long sculpture “Bridge,” which artist Glenn Kaino created in collaboration with Tommie Smith, the winner of the men’s 200-meter race at the 1968 Olympic Games whose image on the podium along with another athlete—both with heads bowed and fists raised, in “an assertion of Black solidarity in the fight for human rights”—became an icon of the time.
8th and G streets, NW, 202-633-1000; americanart.si.edu. Metro station: Gallery Place/Chinatown.
Artechouse DC
Where art meets technology, this trendy destination’s current exhibit, “Best of Spring,” celebrates DC’s Cherry Blossom season. It’s on view through May 4.
1238 Maryland Ave., SW; artechouse.com/location/dc. Metro station: Smithsonian, or L’Enfant Plaza. Tickets starting at $24 for adults; $17 for children 4-17; free for children under 4.
Freer and Sackler Galleries
Part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery feature a range of art mediums, including particularly significant collections of, respectively, works by James McNeill Whistler (including paintings, and his famous Peacock Room) and ancient Chinese jades and bronzes.
Made up of two buildings, connected underground, the Freer is in the West building at Jefferson Drive and 12th St., SW; https://www.si.edu/museums/freer-gallery. The Sackler is in the East building at 1050 Independence Ave., SW; https://www.si.edu/museums/sackler-gallery. Metro station: Smithsonian. Free
Glenstone
Just outside DC, in Potomac, Maryland, Glenstone blends art, architecture, and nature, giving visitors space for “ongoing reflection and contemplation.” There’s an outdoor trail, a cafe, a soothing central courtyard, and regularly scheduled live music on the patio.
12100 Glen Rd., Potomac; 301-983-5001; Glenstone.org. Free.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
A hub for contemporary art, the Hirshhorn Museum’s rotating exhibits have included two wildly popular, interactive displays from Yayoi Kusama, and currently on view, Basquiat × Banksy. Note: The sculpture garden is currently closed for renovations.
Independence Ave. SW and 7th St. SW; 202-633-1000; hirshhorn.si.edu. Metro station: Smithsonian or L’Enfant. Free.
The Kreeger Museum
Largely made up of the personal collection of David and Carmen Kreeger, this museum favors 19th and 20th century paintings, including works by such artists as Monet, Picasso, and Braque, in addition to those by local artists including Sam Gilliam, and Simmie Knox, whose work is currently on view as part of the museum’s DC-artist-focused program called The Collaborative. Outside, the museum hosts an array of events, including a jazz series, yoga, and more, in its sculpture garden.
2401 Foxhall Rd., NW, 202-337-3050; kreegermuseum.org. $15 for adults; $10 for students, educators, seniors, and military; free for members and people 18 and under.
The National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art’s neoclassical West Building is home to paintings, sculpture, and other works dating from the 13th to the 20th century. The I.M. Pei–designed East Building opened in 1978 and houses mostly modern and contemporary art. It reopened in 2016 after a total overhaul; don’t miss the Mark Rothko room and the 15-foot Blue Rooster on the roof terrace. The best way to enter the West Building is through the Mall entrance on Madison Drive, which leads into the building ’s impressive central rotunda. Take a right and you’ll find the 19th-century French galleries, which are home to works by Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, and others. On the west side of the building, don’t miss “Ginevra de’ Benci,” the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas—which features a special surprise on its back. An underground tunnel on the concourse level leads past the bookstore to a larger museum store and dining area.
Constitution Ave. between Third and Seventh Sts., NW; 202-737-4215; nga.gov. Metro station: Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter. Free.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Within four months of its 2016 opening, the National Museum of African American History and Culture—designed to highlight the richness and diversity of the African American experience—tallied more than one million visitors. On the outside, it’s an architectural beacon with symbolism in every detail of its design. Inside, its collection of more than 40,000 pieces includes artwork by African American artists, a hymnal that belonged to Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner’s bible, a plantation cabin from South Carolina, and a guard tower from Angola prison, with exhibits that explore slavery, segregation, the African American military experience, sports, music and theater, Black women’s activism, and more.
1400 Constitution Ave., NW; nmaahc.si.edu. Metro station: Smithsonian or Federal Triangle.
National Museum of African Art
The Walt Disney-Tishman African art collection, including more than 500 pieces of African art, is among the highlights of this museum, which is dedicated to “the collection, exhibition, conservation, and study of the arts of Africa,” and celebrated its 60th birthday last year.
950 Independence Ave., SW; 202-633-4600; africa.si.edu. Metro station: Smithsonian. Free.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
The collection at this recently renovated downtown museum includes more than 5,500 pieces from more than 1,000 artists, spanning the 16th century to today. Currently on view is the exhibit Uncanny, which explores Freud’s concept of the “psychological experience of something that is strangely familiar, yet alien, eliciting a sense of anxiety,” specifically as it pertains to the historical representation of women, through painting, sculpture, photography, and videography.
1250 New York Ave., NW, 202-783-5000; nmwa.org. Metro station: Metro Center. $16 for adults, $13 for seniors and DC residents. Visitors 21 and under, and those with disabilities, are free.
National Portrait Gallery
Spanning four floors of permanent and rotating exhibits, the National Portrait Gallery is perhaps most famous for its American Presidents exhibition, which houses the nation’s only complete collection of presidential portraits outside of the White House. The gallery offers “highlight tours,” with no reservations required, at noon and 2:30 PM daily.
8th and G streets, NW; 202-633-1000; npg.si.edu. Metro station: Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station.
The Phillips Collection
Featuring more than 5,000 works of art—one of the most famous of which is Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party”—this intimate gallery was founded by Duncan and Marjorie Phillips in 1921.
1600 21st St., NW; 202-387-2151; phillipscollection.org. Metro station: Dupont Circle. $20 for adults; $15 for seniors (62+); $10 for students and educators; $12 for military; free for members and children 18 and under.
The Renwick
Part of the Smithsonian Art Museum, the Renwick Gallery is across the street from the White House. Inside, the gallery is home to craft and decorative art. Contemporary quilts and a colorful fiber and lighting installation are currently on view.
Pennsylvania Ave. at 17th St., NW; 202-633-7970; americanart.si.edu/visit/renwick. Metro station: Farragut West. Free.
Rubell Museum
This contemporary art museum is housed in a former junior high school. The current exhibit, “American Vignettes: Symbols, Society, and Satire,” showcases more than 100 works by 40 artists, in a variety of mediums including painting and video.
65 I St., SW, 202-964-8254; rubellmuseum.org. Metro station: Navy Yard-Ballpark. Admission is based on a pay-what-you-wish donation Wednesday through Friday, and is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for youth on Saturday and Sunday. DC residents, visitors with disabilities, and military and veterans are free.
