From the skyscapes to shoelaces — art as diverse as our contemporary culture.
Beth Harris
Artists during this period asserted their individuality, but also brought mass-produced objects and mass media into their art.
The Cold War, media, and popular culture
We think about the city and the country as opposites, but they have more to do with one another than you would expect.
City and country
The United States is a country of immigrants, but the issue of immigration has long divided its citizens.
Immigration
The expansion of the United States and the removal of Native Americans were bound up in the idea of Manifest Destiny.
The Frontier, Manifest Destiny, and The American ...
Though the Civil War began in 1861, its roots go back decades, and its effects continue to be seen today.
Antebellum America, Civil War and Reconstruction
Native American art has always been part of the history of the United States.
Native American culture, 1500 – present
From a renegade colony to the early years of the United States. What did this transitional period look like?
The American Revolution and Early Republic
American art shows us the reality and effects of racism and slavery, and often points the way to social justice.
From slavery to civil rights
Teaching guides: National identity
We often think about the history of the United States as linked with Britain, but what about the Spanish, Dutch and French?
European colonies in the Americas
America had large cities (some with pyramids) connected by trade networks long before the arrival of Europeans.
Native America before colonization
Seeing America
Ancient Rome in 12 works of art
Courses
Ancient Greece: 12 essential works of art
The Baroque: 12 brilliant works of art
Just published
It's never been harder to define "art" than it is today, but one thing is for sure — artists are always having a conversation with the time they live in.
1980 – present
In the unstable postwar world, the United States works to maintain a position of global leadership, with far-reaching domestic and international consequences.