The Addison Gallery, located on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, is free and open to the public. Plan your visit >
Our Mission
Home to a world-class collection of American art, the Addison Gallery, located on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, presents an adventurous exhibition program, hosts a vital artist-in-residence program, and works collaboratively with students and faculty at the Academy and in neighboring communities. Through our ongoing query What is America?, the Addison seeks to engage with the history of American art and American experience—past, present, and future.
About Our Collection
Comprised of more than 29,000 works in all media—painting, sculpture, photography, drawings, prints, and decorative arts—from the 18th century to the present, the Addison Gallery’s collection of American art is one of the most important in the world.
The museum’s founding collection included major works by such prominent American artists as John Singleton Copley, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Maurice Prendergast, John Singer Sargent, John Twachtman, and James McNeill Whistler.
In the nine decades since, aggressive purchasing and generous gifts have added works by such artists as Mark Bradford, Alexander Calder, Stuart Davis, Arthur Dove, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Marsden Hartley, Hans Hofmann, Edward Hopper, Kerry James Marshall, Eadweard Muybridge, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, Charles Sheeler, Lorna Simpson, John Sloan, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Frank Stella, Kara Walker, and Stanley Whitney.
We’re inquisitive and ACQUISITIVE here at the Addison! We thought we’d share just a few of the remarkable works that have entered the Addison’s permanent collection over the past year. These works variously build on extant strengths, fill gaps in our holdings, and expand the scope of our remarkable collection of 29,000+ objects that chart the course of the art of the United States across media from the 17th century to the present day. Most of all, these works offer greater nuance to our ongoing inquiry—what is America?
Of course, none of this would be possible without the incredible generosity of our dedicated supporters—some of whom are mentioned by name in the credit lines accompanying each work (see the pinned comment below). Thank you all for making this year a banner year for acquisitions at the Addison!
1. Betye Saar (b. 1926). A Different Destiny, 2024. Mixed media assemblage.
2. F. Holland Day (1864-1933). Pilate, 1906. Platinum print.
3. Jeremy Frey (Passamaquoddy, b. 1978). Untitled, 2023. Basket relief print.
4. Ralston Crawford (1906-1978). Lifeboat Davit, 1940. Oil on canvas.
5. Peter Hujar (1934-1987). Man in Park, c. 1969. Gelatin silver print.
6. Liz Collins (PA 1986, b. 1968). Spring, 2025. Linen, polyester, and silk.
7. Robert Frank (1924-2019). Mabou Winter Footage, 1977. Gelatin silver print.
8. Martin Puryear (b. 1941). Jug, 2001. Spit bite aquatint with drypoint and chine collé.
9. LaToya Ruby Frazier (b. 1982). Grandma Ruby’s Refrigerator, 2007. Gelatin silver print.
10. Nina Katchadourian (b. 1968). Lavatory Self Portrait in the Flemish Style #10, 2012. Chromogenic print.
GivingTuesday is here, and the Addison Gallery of American Art needs your support! We’re so grateful for your donation of any size. Together, we can sustain world-class exhibitions and inspire lifelong learning. And don’t forget—as thanks for your contribution of $100 or more, you’ll receive free admission and discounts to more than 1,000 museums through the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association. Thank you! Visit the link in our bio to make an impact.
The Addison will be closed tomorrow (Thursday, November 27th) in observance of Thanksgiving. We’ll return to our regular hours on Friday—come for a visit! Remember, we’re 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 free!
Winslow Homer (1836-1910). Thanksgiving Day in the Army. After Dinner: the Wish-Bone, 1864. Wood engraving on paper. Gift of Thomas E. Weil, Jr. (PA 1966), 1991.169
Please join us in wishing our dear friend @dawoudbey a very happy birthday! You can find Bey’s work on view right now at the Addison in two exhibitions—Family Portrait and Captive Lands!
Did you know that Dawoud Bey has been an Edward E. Elson Artist-in-Residence here at the Addison a record-breaking four times?
In 1992, Addison director Jock Reynolds invited Dawoud Bey to campus, offering him access to Polaroid’s large studio camera if he would spend a number of months working with both @phillipsacademy and Lawrence High School students. Bey was intrigued by the idea of an intensive photographic portrait project and accepted. Immersing himself within the community, he met with students and faculty in classrooms and the museum while also making multiple trips to the Polaroid studio at @massartboston to take their portraits. The resulting work was exhibited at the Addison and the experience was a formative one for the artist:
“It provided the sustained environment and support that made it possible for me to figure out where I wanted to be in my work, and it also allowed me to wrap my ideas about picture making around a single subject— teenagers—for two months of unrestrained creative and intellectual whorl. It was tremendously important to my growth as an artist. I do believe that the whole of my career since 1992 rests on the ideas, processes, and methodologies that I was able to develop during that initial Addison residency.”
Bey made additional visits to Andover in 1997, 2005, and 2007, all of which resulted in new and increasingly innovative work.
See Bey’s spectacular Polaroid triptych portrait of the celebrated Harvard sociologist Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot and her son, Martin David, and daughter, Tolani, on view now in Family Portrait.
Dawoud Bey (born 1953). Sara, Martin David, and Tolani, 1992. Polaroid ER prints (triptych). 30 x 66 inches. Museum purchase, 1993.36a-c
#dawoudbey
Looking for a quiet place to get work done? Join us for Study Hours at the Addison on Wednesday evening, November 19, from 5:00 to 8:00pm. Tables will be set up for studying and a coffee cart and snacks will be available to keep you energized. All are welcome, no reservations required. Please note that the 2nd floor galleries will be closed at this time.
MINI PRINT VENDING MACHINE ALERT!
Portland, Maine–based artist Ana Inciardi’s Mini Print Vending Machines can be found throughout the United States and are rapidly expanding. The Addison Gallery is excited to offer a rotating selection of limited-edition works, including the museum’s iconic Venus Anadyomene fountain by Paul Manship.
The mission behind this project is to share art that is accessible and affordable, so please be considerate and limit your prints to 10 per person. Visit the front desk to exchange up to $3 in quarters (cash only).
Come for the mini prints, stay for the world-class exhibitions and collections.
Many thanks to the Boston Globe for this incredibly thoughtful and engaging review of Making Their Way: The Florida Highwaymen Painters. Murray Whyte notes, “For all the communion the show can offer with individual works, its power lies in something much larger and more powerful — in how, in a time of severe repression, a creative impulse shared across a community of the like-minded can start to look something like freedom, made by hand.”
See the Highwaymen painters’ “vivid and dizzying kaleidoscope of acidic color and scene gloriously out of synch with the upright environs of a respected art museum” now through January 4th!
#makingtheirway #floridahighwaymenpainters #highwaymen
Join curator Ricardo Mercado for a special bilingual tour in Spanish and English, exploring highlights from the museum’s collection. Whether this is your first time visiting the Addison or you are an art enthusiast, we can’t wait to share a bit of our collection with you! This event is free and open to all ages, but registration is required.
Acompañe al curador Ricardo Mercado en un tour bilingüe en español e inglés, explorando obras importantes de la colección del museo. Si esta es su primera visita al Addison o es un entusiasta del arte, ¡ deseamos compartir un vistazo a la colección con usted! Este evento es gratuito y para todas las edades, pero es necesario registrarse.
If you know anything about the Addison, you know that we get around. By we I mean our renowned collection of nearly 30,000 objects that chart the course of the art of the United States across media from the 17th century to the present, of course! Works from our collection are frequently requested for inclusion in exhibitions organized by institutions all around the globe. The Addison is committed to sharing its collection beyond Andover—there’s a big world out there and we want as many people as possible to benefit from our resources. Here are a few works from the collection that can currently be found in institutions both close to home and far away.
Kerry James Marshall’s Souvenir II, 1997 is on view at the @royalacademyarts through January 18, 2026 in “Kerry James Marshall: The Histories.” Later to @kunsthauszuerich and @museedartmodernedeparis.
Allan Rohan Crite’s Meeting at St. Gaudens Shaw Memorial, 1944 in on view at the @bostonathenaeum through January 24, 2026 in “Allan Rohan Crite: Griot of Boston.”
Jackson Pollock’s Phosphorescence is on view at the @museothyssen through January 25, 2026 in “Warhol, Pollock, and Other American Spaces.”
Ruth Asawa’s Figures in Green, 1947-48 is on view at @themuseumofmodernart through February 7, 2026 in “Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective.” Later to @museoguggenheim and @fondationbeyeler.
Winslow Homer’s The West Wind is on view at the @villamaninofficial through April 12, 2026 in “Borders from Gauguin to Hopper. A Song with Variations.”
Support the Addison and take home a piece of printmaking history!
This January, the Addison is proud to present Parasol Press: Breaking New Ground, the first retrospective of one of the 20th century’s most innovative print publishers. We’re also excited to offer a special opportunity for you to add one of Parasol Press’s prints to your own collection.
Thanks to a generous donor, anyone who makes a gift of $2,500 or more in support of the exhibition will receive an original signed Richard Estes screenprint published by Parasol Press and printed by Edition Domberger. Depicting a Venetian storefront, Estes’s 1982 print Andy Capp embodies the artist’s hallmark blend of urban imagery, shimmering reflective surfaces, and meticulous detail. Estes’s screenprints are remarkable technical feats, built up from dozens of layers of color. Don’t miss this chance to own an exceptional work that celebrates Parasol Press’s legacy.
For more information, contact Jennifer Pieroni at jpieroni@andover.edu
Richard Estes, Andy Capp, 1982. Screenprint printed in colors on Fabriano Cottone. Edition of 250. Sheet: 26 1/4 x 23 3/4 inches
Elson Artist-in-Residence and Hayes Prize recipient Tommy Kha (@tommykha) was on campus this past week to meet with classes from Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Andover High School, and Lowell High School, as well as Phillips Academy english, theater, and art classes. He hosted a dinner conversation with students and faculty, and a maskmaking and photography workshop. We’re keeping him busy, to say the least! There was even a surprise visit from Pee-wee Herman (last slide) on October 31st!
His exhibition Hayes Prize 2025: Tommy Kha, Other Things Uttered, currently on view at the Addison, examines how we construct belonging and otherness through photography, inventing new models for self-portraiture with a critical eye toward the medium’s long history of absences and erasure.
Tommy will be back at the Addison in December as part of a film screening and exhibition tour, where the subject of the documentary “Bluff City Chinese,” which explores the history of Chinese immigration in Memphis, will be here and in conversation with Tommy. Stay tuned!
The exhibition Hayes Prize 2025: Tommy Kha, Other Things Uttered will be on view until January 25.
Happy Halloween! 🎃
Hollis Frampton (1936-1984, PA 1954) and Marion Faller (1941-2014). 482. Pumpkin Emptying from Sixteen Studies from Vegetable Locomotion, 1975. Gelatin silver print. Gift of Frank Stella (PA 1954), 1990.52.8
Addison Stories
