It is the centerpiece of a new exhibit chronicling Alexander von Humboldt’s trip to the United States in the early 1800s.

The Smithsonian has created an app that lets viewers virtually walk through the museum with 360-degree, 3D panoramic views.

Global Visionary follows the development of Nam June Paik’s art over four decades, surveying some of the his best-known works created in media including sculpture, painting, installation and performance art.

In the early 1980s, John Gossage photographed a small pond on his commute between Washington and Queenstown, Maryland. Or so goes the story. These images went into his first and now classic book, The Pond, and are gathered for the first time in a gallery setting at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The handsome volume was first released in 1985 by Aperture, and is slated for re-release later this month.

This snap by andertho is indisputably a picture from the National Portrait Gallery. But have you noticed how everyone refers to that building — the Old Patent Office Building and the two museums it contains — as the National Portrait Gallery? Have you ever heard anyone refer to it casually as the Smithsonian American Art Museum? Because half of it is, in fact, the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Have you ever heard anyone call…

Ansel Adams, Saint Francis Church Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, c. 1929 Gelatin silver print, 13 5/16 x 17 9/16 inches Collection Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams: Natural Affinities, which opened at the Smithsonian American Art Museum last week, shows that works of art can indeed converse with each other. With photographs by Adams and paintings by O’Keeffe, Natural Affinities…

The Harlem Renaissance comes alive in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s newest show, Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist. The exhibit consists of eighty works including paintings, murals, prints and book illustrations that are a testament to Douglas’s range of talent and his contributions to modern American art. Douglas was born in Topeka, Kansas in 1899 and taught and studied in Kansas and Nebraska before moving to New York in 1925. His arrival in New York…

From Hieronymus Bosch to Asher B. Durand to John James Audubon, the influences inherent in John Alexander’s work are clear. His paintings and drawings run the gamut from landscapes to abstractions, making for a diverse and extraordinary exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. John Alexander: A Retrospective, with 40 paintings and 27 works on paper, opens today and runs through March 16. Alexander explores politics and religion in many of his works, infusing them…

As you might imagine, there’s not a whole lot going on in the art world this week, and unlike the last holiday, even the Smithsonians close on Christmas Day. Nevertheless, we found a few exhibits for you to poke around this weekend. And if you’re one of those last minute gift buyers and can’t bear to wage war at the mall, don’t forget our guide to art museum memberships for something a little more unique…

This week the big news is the appointment (PDF) of Dorothy Kosinski as the new Director of The Phillips Collection. She’s currently the Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Dallas Musuem of Art, and comes with an impressive résumé that include extensive curating, acquisitions, and teaching experience. Kosinski will officially take over next spring, to replace retiring Director Jay Gates, just in time to take the reins on a five-year strategy the…