SDMA | Art of the Americas - San Diego Museum of Art

Art of the Americas reveals the diverse creativity that has flourished within this expansive range of geographies and cultures in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Presenting select dialogues across time and place, the exhibition is organized according to three themes: Site, Spirit, and Self and Society.

Showcasing works of art that delve into fundamental aspects of experience, this presentation highlights numerous perspectives, media, and artistic approaches. Taken together, the installation explores stories of the earthly and spiritual realms and highlights the range of human bonds that form the basis of everyday life.

The history of the art of the Americas is as complex as the history of the region itself. The San Diego Museum of Art’s collection consists of over four thousand works of art from the Americas. It is a formidable collection, but as with most museum collections, we can learn as much from what we do not see—from what is absent—as from what we do see. This history is inherently tied to the visual culture that it has produced—some of which has been embraced in generations past and some that is only now coming to the forefront of institutional recognition. Great strides have been made in rectifying the occlusion of groups or peoples from the history of the art of the Americas, but there is still much to be done. We encourage you to enjoy, explore, and question what you see as well as what you do not.