Smithsonian Associates lecturer Paul Glenshaw leads brisk, engaging tours of the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum focused on several of the great works featured in his popular Art + History series.

Participants view the masterpieces and learn the stories they tell and how the artists came to create them. Works include The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial by Augustus Saint-Gaudens; Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley; Napoleon in His Study by Jacques-Louis David; The Railway by Édouard Manet; Among the Sierra Nevada by Albert Bierstadt; and several others.

Glenshaw has drawn detailed studies of these pieces and shares the insights he’s gained through deep looking and detailed research. The tour begins at the National Gallery of Art, followed by lunch at a local restaurant and visits to the Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum.

This tour is limited to 25 participants.

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit*

Know Before You Go

• Tour participants meet at 10 a.m. at the rotunda of the National Gallery of Art’s West Building and end at 3:30 p.m. at the American Art Museum.
• The tour involves 3+ hours of walking and standing; comfortable shoes are recommended.

Additional Date Option for this Tour

• January 17

General Information

• Registration for this tour will end by 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 9, 2025.
• Smithsonian Associates is a mask-friendly environment. Please feel free to bring and wear a mask at any time during a tour, both for your safety or the safety of others.
• As we aim to move away from single use water bottles, guests are strongly encouraged to get in the habit of bringing their own reusable water bottle on tour.
• For additional tour information:
• Study Tour Policies
• Refund/Cancellation Policy

*Enrolled participants in the World Art History Certificate Program receive 1/2 elective credit. Not yet enrolled? Learn about the program, its benefits, and how to register here.