For the first time since 1965, the museum will showcase its substantial holdings of John Smart’s (English, 1741–1811) portrait miniatures in the exhibition John Smart: Virtuoso in Miniature. The show will feature a signed and dated example from nearly every year the artist worked, making it the largest, most comprehensive collection of his portraits in the world.

Visitors will immerse themselves in a visually striking array of small, jewel-like portraits that span Smart’s entire career in metropolitan London and Madras, India, from 1760 to 1811. This exhibition highlights an era of artistic innovation that also saw the growth of modern self-identity. Prior perspectives on Smart have often overlooked his global impact, an omission this exhibition aims to rectify. Presented chronologically, visitors will have the opportunity to see Smart’s progression of style and technique, explore themes of self-presentation, British colonialism, gender roles, and changing fashions of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and delve into the fascinating stories of Smart’s sitters.

Timed to coincide with the final launch of the digital Starr Catalogue of Portrait Miniatures in spring 2025, this exhibition offers a preview of the detailed scholarly revelations to come, shedding new light on John Smart’s life, techniques, and more.

The Starr Collection of Miniatures in the Bloch Galleries
Presented to the Nelson-Atkins by Mr. and Mrs. John W. Starr in two major gifts in 1958 and 1965, and numerous additional gifts throughout the years, the Starr Collection of Portrait Miniatures illustrates the history of European miniatures across more than 250 objects.

Organized by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Image credits: Header: John Smart (English, 1741–1811), Portrait of Mr. Holland, 1806, watercolor on ivory, sight: 3 1/2 x 2 3/4 in. (8.89 x 6.99 cm), framed: 4 3/8 x 3 1/16 in. (11.11 x 7.78 cm), Gift of the Starr Foundation, Inc., F65-41/47

Tours

For groups interested in learning more about the artwork on view in this exhibition, please request a European Art Collection tour and request in the notes that the exhibition be included as part of the tour.

Library resources

Visit the Spencer Art Reference Library, on the second floor of the Bloch Building, to explore books on the artist John Smart and portrait miniatures. View a complete library resources guide.

Extend your engagement with the Starr Collection by visiting two complementary exhibitions in the library. The Starr Collection: A Legacy in Miniature tells the story of how the collection of miniatures came to be at the Nelson-Atkins and features 19^th century manuscripts associated with the Smart family, which were also donated by the Starrs. Through books from the library’s Special Collections, Setting the Scene provides a brief tour of fashion, style, and architecture from the Georgian period, when Smart was active, and reflects the world he and his sitters inhabited.

These free exhibitions are on view through Aug. 25 in Spencer Art Reference Library. Learn more about the library’s hours and offerings.

Related exhibition programming