Art Photographers

Completed in 2011, the Stuttgart City Library is one of the country’s most photographed locations.

Discover These 15 Enchanting Libraries Sure to Thrill Any Book Lover

Wall-to-wall books tell an interior design story without saying a word

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See 60 Remarkable Finalists From the 22nd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

From stunning landscapes to captivating portraits, the photographs showcase the diverse beauty of the world around us. Vote for your favorite, too, for the Readers' Choice competition

With a sunny “halo” to point the way, a truck climbs into the Brooks Range towards Atigun Pass, heading for Fairbanks after departing the oilfields of Prudhoe Bay.

See the Glorious Beauty of Alaska With 15 Images From the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

See why the 49th state is a No. 1 destination

Lynx Spider by Manfred Auer won third place in the invertebrate portrait category of this year's Close-up Photographer of the Year contest.

See 15 Winning Images From the Close-Up Photographer of the Year Competition

The annual contest offers a glimpse into the hidden world of tiny scenes, from insects to fish to fungi

The iridescent abdomen of a cuckoo wasp (Hedychrum gerstaeckeri) looks beautiful when viewed under a microscope.

See 15 Mesmerizing Photos of Hidden Scenes Only Visible Through a Microscope

Winners of the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition captured insects, cancer cells, cat claws and more

New Orleans’ first Gay Pride Parade was held in 1980, and the tradition continues today. 

Celebrate Pride Month With 15 Photos of LGBTQ Joy

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest capture vibrant parades and festivals around the world

Photographer Ansel Adams adjusting his camera

Ansel Adams Estate Condemns Adobe for Selling A.I.-Generated Images Mimicking the Photographer's Style

The black-and-white landscape dupes, which have since been taken down, violated Adobe's generative A.I. policies

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See the Winners of the 21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

This year’s top photographs capture the quiet and chaotic from the American South to East Asia

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View This Year's 60 Stunning Finalists From the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

The photographs come from all corners of the world, capturing the beauty of everyday life

Elton John and David Furnish pictured at home in their art gallery in Windsor, England, in 2019

See Hundreds of Photographs From Elton John and David Furnish's Private Collection

Never-before-seen images of celebrities, performers and important moments in history are going on display in London

“From the Deep: In the Wake of Drexciya With Ayana V. Jackson” is currently on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art through April 2024 (above: When the Spirit of Kalunda Comes So Does Kianda, Ayana V. Jackson, 2018-2022).

Meet the Inhabitants of the Mythic World of Drexciya

Artist Ayana V. Jackson creates an undersea realm honoring those who jumped or were thrown overboard during the trans-Atlantic slave trade

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Announcing the Winners of Smithsonian Magazine’s 20th Annual Photo Contest

From Norway to Nepal, this year’s winning images span the globe to capture the extraordinary

“A Window Suddenly Opens: Contemporary Photography in China” (above: Chinese Landscape Series No. 3 by Huang Yan, 1999) continues at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. through January 7, 2024.

A Window Opens on China’s Avant-Garde With This Explosion of Photographic Art

The Hirshhorn Museum displays dynamic works of Chinese self-expression

Family Portrait from the series "The Lams of Ludlow Street," by Thomas Holton, 2004

How These Contemporary Artists Are Redefining Family and Kinship

Explore the enduring bonds and intimacies of modern love at the National Portrait Gallery

Dora Maar or Lee Miller, Dora Maar sur fond végétal, circa 1936

The Strange Surrealist Magic of Dora Maar

More than simply Picasso's muse, the French artist won renown for her striking paintings and photographs

This image of an axolotl highlights components of its nervous system

Stunning Images Reveal the Complex Beauty of Life Under a Microscope

Nikon’s Small World Photomicrography contest winners captured a gecko hand, breast tissue cells and dozens of other minuscule moments

A Union Pacific locomotive makes its way through Cajon Pass in Southern California. The “Building America” slogan is not just puffery: Union Pacific is the nation’s largest railroad, and was also one of the original companies responsible for constructing the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s.

These Photographs Capture the Indescribable Glory of Trains

America’s fascination with trains is fast-tracked in this study of passing freight

A self-portrait of Vivian Maier from 1953

How Vivian Maier, the Enigmatic Nanny Who Took 150,000 Photographs, Found Her Place in History

The late artist is getting her first full-scale exhibition in the United Kingdom this summer

Barbara Kruger's rendering of exhibition entryway at the Art Institute of Chicago, 2011/2020

Major Barbara Kruger Exhibition Spills Out Into the Streets of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago's new show adorns the city's buses, trains, billboards and more with the feminist artist's creations

Three firefighters—George Johnson, Dan McWilliams and Bill Eisengrein—raising the American flag on September 11, 2001. This last of the series remains the most striking, yet least-known depiction of this scene.

A Lesser-Known Photo of an Iconic 9/11 Moment Brings Shades of Gray to the Day's Memory

On the 20th anniversary of the attacks, photographers who immortalized the famous scene reflect on what their images capture and what remains out of frame

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