The American art collection comprises more than 12,000 paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and multimedia artworks from the 18th century to today.
The historical collection includes Colonial and Federal portraits, outstanding examples of Hudson River landscape paintings, and one of the earliest folk art collections in the country. Modern and contemporary holdings reflect the institution’s early and sustained commitment to collecting broadly and inclusively. The African American art collection, which encompasses some 400 historical, modern, and contemporary works, was launched in 1929 with the acquisition of Henry Ossawa Tanner’s painting The Good Shepherd.
Joseph Stella’s monumental Voice of the City of New York Interpreted, acquired in 1937, is considered a landmark of American modernism. Other collection highlights include paintings by Joaquín Torres Garcia, Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Motherwell, Carmen Herrera, and Norman Lewis. Today’s contemporary collection features artworks by an exceptional group of local, national, and globally recognized artists from throughout the Americas.
