Grant Wood's Studio March 10, 2006

Visit Grant Wood’s virtual studio.

Grant Wood’s iconic work, American Gothic, makes a return visit to Washington for the first time in 40 years. See it—along with lesser-known gems, such as Corn Cob Chandelier— in Grant Wood’s Studio: Birthplace of American Gothic, which opens today at SAAM’s Renwick Gallery. The exhibition presents for the first time Grant Wood’s decorative art and design within the context of his paintings.

Paul Richards of The Washington Post wrote about Wood and American Gothic.

I don’t know whether Wood expected “American Gothic” to become an American icon, but he wouldn’t have been surprised. In the early 1930s, mythic American icons were very much on his mind.

Had you asked him to identify America’s best-known paintings, you can bet he would have named two pictures of George Washington: Gilbert Stuart’s likeness, the so-called Atheneum Portrait of 1796, the one that’s on the dollar; and “Washington Crossing the Delaware” (1851), Emanuel Leutze’s famous river scene with ice floes. In fact, both of these chestnuts can be found in Wood’s own art.

Preview the exhibition with our newest feature in the Interact series. Explore our virtual studio of Wood’s paintings and designs. Can you find Washington Crossing the Delaware?

And if you’re in Washington, D.C., come see the show. American Gothic will be on display until June 11. The rest of the exhibition remains open until July 16.

• Grant Wood, American Gothic, American Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum