Join us for a virtual tour of the Polonica in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum - one of the most important cultural institutions in the United States. We focus on what interests us most: objects related to Polish cultural heritage.

This is just the beginning! The list you will find here is based on publicly available data from museum catalogues and independent research. It is not closed - we plan to expand, supplement and verify it over time. Perhaps we've missed something? Get in touch - we are creating this database together with you!

What do we want to achieve?

Our aim is not only to identify polonics in the museum's collection. Our aim is also to:

- to prepare artistic analyses that show its significance in a broader context.

- investigating where a given work of art comes from (i.e. its provenance),

- to describe where and when it was exhibited.

And where are the photographs?

Due to copyright regulations, we cannot share most reproductions. However, where possible, we link directly to the museum catalogue or other catalogues, as long as they publish reproductions respecting the law.

Worth knowing:

The objects we describe are in the museum collection but this does not mean that they are on display - most are placed in storage however, if this is not the case the object is marked 'on display', nevertheless the works may have been removed from the exhibition or moved to another location since publication - changes in galleries are normal. If something has changed or you know more than we do - let us know! If you plan to visit a museum to see a work that should be on display contact the institution in advance or check the catalogue to see if the work is available.

This project lives on through the commitment of passionate people and researchers. Click, explore, get inspired! And if you want to add your contribution to this map of Polish heritage overseas - get in touch with us!

Works by Paweł Althamer
The collection of the Guggenheim Museum in New York includes eighteen sculptures by Paweł Althamer belonging to the "Almech" project, launched in 2011 for an exhibition at the German branch of the museum.

• "Trang" (2011)
• "Richard" (2011)
• "Peter" (2011)
• "Paul" (2011)
• "Nat" (2011)
• "Lutz (2011)
• "Leander (2011)
• "Judith (2011)
• "Fritzi (2011)
• "Gabriela" (2011)
• "Gerlinde" (2011)
• "Elo" (2011)
• "Daniela" (2011)
• "Cornelia" (2011)
• "Ari" (2011)
• "Andre" (2011)
• "Cristina and Marcin" (2012)
• "Ruth" (2011-2012)

Creation time: 2011-2012
Creator: Paweł Althamer
More information

Works by Aneta Grzeszykowska
The collection of the Guggenheim Museum in New York includes three works by Aneta Grzeszykowska: two untitled photographs ('#33' and '#11', both from 2006) and 'Love Book' (2010), a photo album containing eighteen photographs.

Creation time: 2006-2010
Creator: Aneta Grzeszykowska
More information

Paintings by Wilhelm Sasnal
The collection of the Guggenheim Museum in New York includes two untitled oil paintings by Wilhelm Sasnal, painted in 2005.

Time of creation: 2005
Creator: Wilhelm Sasnal
More information

Piotr Uklański's installation
Piotr Uklański's installation, presented at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, is a dance floor made of colourful, illuminated square panels. The untitled work was created in 1996.

Time of creation: 1996
Creator: Piotr Uklański
. More information