Clarice Smith “Amber” Paintings on Display at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile

Four paintings by Clarice Smith, including three from her 2002 “Amber” series, are at the Barnes House, the Chief of Mission Residence at the United States Embassy in Santiago, Chile, until 2028. The exhibition was curated by the Office of Art in Embassies at the United States Department of State.

Best known as a traditional painter trained through life drawing and works in oil, Clarice Smith’s oeuvre includes portraits, florals, landscapes, still lifes, equestrian, and sport. An artist from Virginia, she spent significant time in France and was a devout advocate for cultural diplomacy. Inspired by painters like James McNeil Whistler, Manet, and John Singer Sargent, her works depict the verdant Provence, stunning Riviera, and life in the Virginia countryside.

: Artist Clarice Smith

Amber – 2002 / oil on canvas

Amber Pot – 2002 / oil on canvas

Amber Vase – 2002 / oil on canvas

Thank You Mr. Homer – undated / watercolor on paper

: “Amber,” “Amber Vase,” “Amber Pot” by Clarice Smith

: Clarice Smith “Amber” Paintings

: Lobby at the Barnes House

: Lobby at the Barnes House

: “Thank You Mr. Homer” by Clarice Smith in the Library (Far Right)

: “Thank You Mr. Homer” by Clarice Smith

: Library at the Barnes House

During each four-year presidential cycle, nearly 200 new American ambassadors are appointed to represent the United States around the world. They coordinate with Art in Embassies to create custom exhibitions for their residences with loaned or gifted works.

In 2024 Smith’s paintings were featured in the American Art Accelerating Democracy Exhibition at the U.S. Embassy Residence in Paris. Ten paintings by the artist will be exhibited long term at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence in Montevideo, Uruguay in the summer of 2026.

About Art in Embassies

Envisioned by the Museum of Modern Art in 1953 and formalized by John F. Kennedy a decade later, Art in Embassies is an official visual arts office within the U.S. Department of State. For six decades, Art in Embassies has played a leading role in U.S. public diplomacy through a focused mission on generating cross-cultural dialogue through exhibitions, permanent collections, site-specific commissions, and two-way artist exchanges at more than 200 U.S. embassies, consulates, and partner institutions around the world.

The program showcases the innovation and cultural prowess of the United States and fosters cross-cultural connections.