New Acquisitions

Newsroom of the Smithsonian

Gilded dish — Writing box (*suzuribako*) in the form of a plum blossom, Japan, Edo period, late 18th century, Lacquer, gold, silver, tin alloy, wood,

Diameter: 24.8cm (9 ¾ in), RLS2023.4.29, Gift of the Avant Family, Credit: National
Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

National Museum of Asian Art Announces Major Gift of Japanese Lacquer Objects From the Avant Family, Leaders in the Arts, Philanthropy and Politics

From the Prized Collection of Jacqueline Avant, the Late Wife of Music Industry Legend Clarence Avant, This Gift Is Her Legacy to the Nation

05.16.2023

Asian Art Museum New Acquisitions

Nuro self-driving delivery vehicle — Photo by Jaclyn Nash

Nuro’s Autonomous Delivery Vehicle Drives Into the Smithsonian’s Collections This Earth Day

Self-Driving Prototype Powered by Sustainable Energy

04.17.2023

American History Museum New Acquisitions

Electronic vehicle with no discernible front or back — Jaclyn Nash for the Smithsonian Institution

Nuro's Self-Driving Delivery Vehicle

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Faceted green gem on black background — Jeff Scovil, courtesy of Bridges Tsavorite

Lion of Merelani (dark background)

The Lion of Merelani, the world’s largest square-cushion cut tsavorite gem with 177 glimmering facets.

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Uncut green gem on neutral gray background — Jeff Scovil, courtesy of Bridges Tsavorite

Rough Lion of Merelani

The 283.74 carat crystal rough of tsavorite before it was cut into the Lion of Merelani.

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Faceted green gem on neutral gray background — Jeff Scovil, courtesy of Bridges Tsavorite

Lion of Merelani

The Lion of Merelani tips the scale at 116.76 carats and was cut by world-renowned gem cutter Victor Tuzlukov.

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Exterior of Brutalist style building with green grass and flowers in front of it

Smithsonian Adds Collections From Lillian Vernon, Kitchen Table Entrepreneur

Women’s History Month Donation Highlights Her Business Acumen and Achievement

03.20.2023

American History Museum New Acquisitions

A white dress, white overcoat and blue coat ensemble with matching accessories — Photo by Jaclyn Nash

Smithsonian Adds First Lady Jill Biden’s Inaugural Ensembles to Its Historic First Ladies Collection

Addition to First Ladies Collection Continues a 100-Year Tradition

01.25.2023

American History Museum Exhibitions New Acquisitions

Multiple large open shelving units filled with gray archival boxes

National Museum of American History Adds Key Blues Archive

Legendary McCormick Archive Is Foundational To Understanding American Music

11.17.2022

New Acquisitions

Official portrait of man in military uniform holding an American flag — Cpl. Joseph O. “Jose” Quintero with his flag. Credit: Smithsonian Institution

WWII POW Flag Added to National Museum of American History Collections

Flag Reflects Pacific-Front Survival and Resilience Story of Cpl. Jose Quintero

11.10.2022

American History Museum New Acquisitions

Two elephants facing each other while in their zoo enclosure — Asian elephants Trong Nhi (left) and Nhi Linh (right) in their habitat at the Rotterdam Zoo Oct. 13. After a more than 4,000-mile-long journey, they arrived at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C., Nov. 6. Credit: Rotterdam Zoo

Two Female Asian Elephants Welcomed to Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

11.07.2022

National Zoo & SCBI New Acquisitions

Two well-dressed people standing together — Delbert and Dottie McKinney in a South Texas railway station as part of their labor organizing work. Circa 1940s.

Texas Family Donates Rare 1932 Ford Model B Car Purchased by Pullman Porter Patriarch to the National Museum of American History

10.13.2022

American History Museum New Acquisitions

Architectural detail of brutalist style Hirshhorn building

Landmark Acquisitions Reflect the Hirshhorn’s Expansive Curatorial Mission and Programming

Additions by 60 Artists Deepen International Holdings in the Permanent Collection of the National Museum of Modern Art

08.24.2022

Hirshhorn Museum New Acquisitions

Black and white backstage image of singer James Brown in a suit, with a person behind him running their hand over James's hair — Singer James Brown is captured off stage around Memphis, Tenn. (Ted Williams/Johnson Publishing Company Archive). Courtesy Ford Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Smithsonian Institution.

Ford, Mellon and MacArthur Foundations Transfer Sole Ownership of Historic Ebony and Jet Photo Archive to Getty and NMAAHC

Getty Trust Commits $30 Million to Digitize the Johnson Publishing Company Archive Which Features More Than 4 Million Prints and Negatives That Chronicle 20th Century Black Life

07.28.2022

African American Museum New Acquisitions

Chris Haslam performs a skateboard trick on a ramp in front of NMAH — Chris Haslam gives a skateboarding demonstration at Innoskate 2013 in front of the National Museum of American History. Image courtesy Innoskate.

Smithsonian To Collect Skateboard Decks and Iconic Skate Film

Professional Skateboarders and Filmmakers Jason Lee and Chris “Dune” Pastras Donate Personal Objects to the National Collections During Ceremony at Innoskate Festival

07.07.2022

American History Museum New Acquisitions

Cast From First Tommy John Surgery To Be Donated to Smithsonian

Cast Was Worn in 1974 After the First Elbow Surgery To Save a Pitcher’s Career

06.01.2022

American History Museum New Acquisitions

Quilt of multiple figures in lush background — Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Smithsonian American Art Museum Acquires More than 200 Artworks for its Craft Collection Including Major Works by Bisa Butler, Sonya Clark, Roberto Lugo, Preston Singletary and Wanxin Zhang

New Acquisitions Will Debut at the Renwick Gallery in the Exhibition “This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World”

05.10.2022

American Art Museum New Acquisitions

Group of people stand outside with a protest banner

Smithsonian Accepts “Fight the Virus, NOT the People” COVID-19 Banner

San Francisco Donation Ceremony May 10 Heralds Banner Being Added to National Collections

05.05.2022

American History Museum New Acquisitions

Evidence collection kit for sexual assault examination — Vitullo Evidence Collection Kit for Sexual Assault Examination; photo by Jaclyn Nash, courtesy of the Smithsonian.

In Recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Smithsonian Acquires Pathbreaking Evidence Collection Kit

National Museum of American History and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Partner in Documenting Invention by Martha “Marty” Goddard

04.29.2022

American History Museum Cooper Hewitt New Acquisitions

Smithsonian Collects COVID-19 Artifacts in Pandemic’s Second Year

Masks, PPE, Health and Safety Signs, Fundraising- and Vaccine-Related Materials and Oral-History Interviews Added to National Museum of American History’s Collections

03.17.2022

American History Museum New Acquisitions

Colorful spheres with polka-dots in a mirrored room — Yayoi Kusama, “Infinity Mirrored Room—My Heart Is Dancing into the Universe,” 2018. Wood and glass mirrored room with paper lanterns, 119 5/8 x 245 1/8 x 245 1/8 in. (304 x 622.4 x 622.4 cm). Courtesy Ota Fine Arts and Victoria Miro, London/Venice. © YAYOI KUSAMA. Purchased jointly by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (Joseph H. Hirshhorn Purchase Fund, 2020), and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, with funds from the George B. and Jenny R. Mathews Fund, by exchange.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and Albright-Knox Art Gallery Jointly Acquire Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Mirrored Room—My Heart Is Dancing into the Universe”

01.20.2022

Hirshhorn Museum Exhibitions New Acquisitions

Exterior of National Museum of American History

Smithsonian Continues Collecting Artifacts From Jan. 6 Capitol Attack

Rally Signs, Photographer’s Protective Vest, Rep. Kim’ s Suit and National Guard Insignia Part of National Museum of American History’s Effort To Document the Day

01.03.2022

American History Museum New Acquisitions