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The 20th century

Works made in the 20th century, anywhere in the world.

189 works · hang 908 ·

The rooms are imagined; every work on their walls is real.

Walk this roomRehang this room

Section 1, north wall

  1. The Stubble Field, by Henry Golden Dearth, c. 1909
    The Stubble FieldHenry Golden Dearth, c. 1909Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. The image shows a painted decoy of a bird mounted on a wooden stake. The decoy has intricate details with spots of yellow and green on top of a dark body. The colors are naturalistic with brown, black, yellow, white, and beige. In the lower left section of the image, there are two line drawings of a bird.
    Snipe DecoyLawrence Flynn, 1941Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. My Day at Home, by William H. Howe, 1906
    My Day at HomeWilliam H. Howe, 1906Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  4. The sculpture depicts a male figure standing upright with one hand raised and the other resting on his hip. The subject is wearing a garment that drapes over one shoulder and a feather-patterned skirt, accessorized with a headband. The colors of the sculpture are predominantly earth tones, including browns and a green headband. The material appears to be a type of stone or ceramic with a polished finish. The figure is slightly larger than everyday objects, allowing viewers to appreciate the intricacies of the carving and the details in the drapery and texture. The statue stands on a rectangular base that is consistent with the overall color palette.
    Cigar Store IndianRosamond P. Gray, 1935/1942Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 1, south wall

  1. This is a painting of a decorative box with pastoral scenes. The box has an oval lid and rectangular base adorned with intricate pastoral scenes in earthy tones. The scenes depict landscapes with trees, hills, and figures engaged in various activities against a warm backdrop. The lid has a similar scene, creating a cohesive decorative theme. The style resembles 19th-century European art focusing on pastoral genre scenes and decorative arts. The artwork delicately balances detail and composition, evoking calm and nostalgia.
    BandboxJohn Tarantino, c. 1937Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. In the Desert, by H. Siddons Mowbray, 1915-1925
    In the DesertH. Siddons Mowbray, 1915-1925Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  3. André Bénac, by Édouard Vuillard, 1936
    André BénacÉdouard Vuillard, 1936Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  4. The image shows two large quilt blocks with a matching design, side by side. Each block consists of red and beige fabric with quilted stitching creating a textured appearance. The color palette includes primarily red, beige, and dark stitching outlining the patterns. The quilt blocks are placed centrally on a light-colored surface.
    Patchwork QuiltPaul Ward, c. 1936Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 2, south wall

  1. From under an elevated train track, we look at a cluster of people hammering and working on the far side of a wooden fence, all against a silvery-blue building that fills most of the background in this horizontal painting. The scene is loosely painted mostly in tones of hazy and saturated blues, so many of the details are indistinct. About a quarter of the way in from the right edge of the composition, a thin iron column holds up the train platform. The column nearly spans the height of the painting, and the track it supports runs across the top edge of the canvas. At the foot of the column, along the bottom edge, are two parallel tracks embedded in an area otherwise painted with short, diagonal strokes in topaz blue, olive green, and straw yellow. Just beyond the tracks, the split-rail wooden fence runs across most of the painting, though there is an opening at the left edge of the canvas. A man sits with his back to us on the railing to our right of center. He wears a dark cap, a lapis-blue shirt, and navy-blue pants. Several men work on or near a mound-shaped form, perhaps a piece of machinery, just beyond the fence, near the center of the painting. One man holds a hammer high overhead while another reaches down or strikes the mound with his feet planted wide. More people work together to our left, and a man to our right stands near a crane. The people and these areas are painted with broad strokes and touches of cobalt blue, charcoal gray, khaki brown, and a few swipes of shell pink and bright white. A puff of white smoke billows up behind the central group, before the land drops precipitously away. The chasm is painted with shimmering tones of aquamarine and cerulean blue. A sky-blue, rectangular building perches at the far edge. A few windows are outlined in royal blue to our left but the rest of the building is loosely painted with long, vertical strokes so no architectural details can be made out. Behind this structure are more city buildings, suggested with strokes of muted rust red, parchment and bright white, and cobalt blue. The ice-blue sky fills the band between the top of the buildings and the train track running overhead. The artist signed his name near the lower left corner, “BELLOWS.”
    Blue MorningGeorge Bellows, 1909Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. The image shows a person standing upright. They have a round face with simple facial features, wearing a hat with a red flower and dark ribbon. Their outfit includes a belted dress or coat, pleated texture, a cape, and arm coverings. The person is holding a matching umbrella in their right hand. The background is plain and light tan.
    Corn Husk DollMina Lowry, c. 1936Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. A six-story, narrow building stands alone in an otherwise unoccupied lot under the deck of a high bridge, with a river and cityscape in the background in this horizontal painting. Dozens of people, small in scale, are each painted with a few swipes of black and some with peach-colored faces. They gather at the foot of the building and around a fire to our left, near the lower left corner of the composition. The fire is painted with a dash of orange, a few touches of canary yellow, and a smudge of gray smoke. Several more people stand and sit against the building, which has a streetlamp near its entrance. The back end of the building angles away from us to our right, so we see the narrow, front entrance side to our left. Each of the six floors of the building has two windows with fire escape ladders on the narrow side we can see. Some strokes in red and white on the lower levels of the long, flat side of the building suggest signs or posters. The top story glows a warm sienna brown in sunlight, while the rest of the building and the scene below are in shadow. More people walk along a grayish-violet fence that encloses the lot beyond the building. The ground is painted thickly with slate gray, pale, sage green, and one smear of white to suggest snow. To our right and a short distance from us, a white horse pulls a carriage near the foot of the bridge. The ivory-white, concrete piling rises up and off the right edge of the canvas and supports the deck of the bridge above. Only a sliver of the brick-red underside of the bridge is visible, skimming the top edge of the painting in the upper right corner. Two twiggy, barren trees grow up beyond the muted purple fence, and the landscape beyond is bright in the sunlight. A terracotta-orange building rises along the left edge of the painting, with the area between it and the lot under the bridge filled with thickly painted patches of butter yellow, amethyst purple, and sage green. Beyond that, an ice-blue river flows across the composition. The shore beyond is lined with patches of beige and tan paint that could be buildings. A black tugboat puffs bright white smoke in the river. The sky above is frosty white. The artist signed the work with dark blue in the lower left corner of the painting, “Geo Bellows.”
    The Lone TenementGeorge Bellows, 1909Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 2, north wall

  1. A work made of oil on canvas.
    VétheuilClaude Monet, 1901Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. The image shows a wooden drop-leaf table with four turned legs and two drawers. The table's surface includes two side panels that can be raised or lowered. The color palette is warm brown tones. The table is centered in the image, with both leaves partially visible.
    Shaker TableAlfred H. Smith, c. 1938Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. The Stranger, by Albert Sterner, 1916
    The StrangerAlbert Sterner, 1916Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Section 3, north wall

  1. The image displays a detailed drawing of a vintage wall-mounted lamp. The color palette consists of primarily browns and earthy tones, with hints of a metallic sheen. The lamp is centered in the image, with its base attached to the right side and extending to the left. A subtle shadow and highlights give the lamp a three-dimensional appearance against a plain, light beige background.
    Binnacle LampHerman O. Stroh, 1938Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. Artist: Marion H. Beckett, Sitter: Theresa Helburn, Current owner: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
    Theresa HelburnMarion H. Beckett, 1922Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution