African American Artists and Selected Works

Explore a selection of self-portraits and other works by Black artists in the Smithsonian's collections. Visual Art and the American Experience, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, illustrates the critical role American artists of African descent have played in shaping the history of American art. Additionally, the Smithsonian American Art Museum is home to one of the most significant collections of art by African American artists in the world, with more than 2,000 works by more than 200 African American artists.