On view July 1 through December 31, 2026, at 63 Park Street in New Canaan, Connecticut.

The exhibition offers rare public access to artworks typically seen only at US embassies—spaces not generally open to the public—and explores how art and architecture have shaped the United States’ diplomatic presence abroad from the Cold War to today. Presented on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 40th anniversary of the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE), the exhibition draws from FAPE’s Site-Specific, Print, and Photography collections. It includes maquettes of sculptures commissioned for major embassies, as well as works by leading American artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, Sarah Sze, Julie Mehretu, and Robert Rauschenberg. A replica of the 1823 William J. Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence—gifted by David M. Rubenstein to each US embassy—will also be on view. A parallel section focuses on the evolution of US embassy architecture, featuring buildings designed by leading mid-century architects such as Edward Durell Stone and Walter Gropius, alongside more recent contributions by firms including Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and Kieran Timberlake, among others.

AMERICA ABROAD invites visitors to experience the cultural environments in which diplomacy unfolds. It traces how embassy art and architecture have evolved since the Cold War and draws attention to many original midcentury embassies that are now being decommissioned, with uncertain futures.

Image captions and credits

• Ellsworth Kelly, Beijing Panels, 2003. Painted aluminum, two reliefs; each panel: 18 ft 9 in × 11 ft × 11½ in. Installed at the US Embassy in Beijing, China, July 4, 2011. Photo © Jack Shear.

• Martin Puryear, Connecting, 2018. Stainless steel with granite base, 31 feet high. Installed at the US Embassy in Beijing, China. Courtesy of the artist.