Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

A Right to the City

A Right to the City explores the history of neighborhood change in the nation’s capital.

April 21, 2018 – October 1, 2020

We Return Fighting: The African American Experience in World War I

The exhibition highlights nine African American historical luminaries to explore how the experience of African Americans during World War I laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement.

December 13, 2019 – September 6, 2020

African American History and Culture Museum

Grand Piano made by Bluthner, Leipzig, Germany, 1900

This piano has a version of the ornate Jubilee cast-iron plates Blüthner produced from 1898 to 1907.

August 13, 2014 – March 14, 2020

American History Museum

Snapshots of African American Communities

To celebrate the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of American History presents a special display of 25 photographs that reflect the diversity of the African American experience.

September 9, 2016 – March 13, 2020

American History Museum

Forgotten Workers: Chinese Migrants and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad

Marking the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, Hidden Workers focuses on the forgotten Chinese workers who built the western leg of the railroad across the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

May 10, 2019 – March 13, 2020

American History Museum

One Life: Marian Anderson

This exhibition examines the ways in which artists, concert promoters, and others wielded Marian Anderson's iconic likeness as a powerful symbol in the pursuit of civil rights.

June 28, 2019 – March 13, 2020

Portrait Gallery

50 Years from Tranquility Base

This case, installed for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, contains artifacts from that historic journey.

March 25, 2019 – March 13, 2020

Air and Space Museum

In Memoriam: Freeman Dyson

Mathematician and physicist Freeman Dyson contributed impressive theories to the scientific world.

March 3, 2020 – March 13, 2020

Portrait Gallery

Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation's Armed Forces

Patriot Nations tells the remarkable history of the brave American Indian and Alaska Native men and women who have served in the United States military.

May 25, 2018 – March 13, 2020

American Indian Museum New York

Resound: Bells of Ancient China

Re-sound investigates oval-shaped bells with displays of early instruments including a graduated set of matched bells discovered together in a Chinese tomb, videos of ancient bells being played, and chances for visitors to compose their own music on virtual bronze bells.

October 14, 2017 – March 13, 2020

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 Spacesuit

Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit from the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing is on display for the first time in 13 years in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11.

July 16, 2019 – March 13, 2020

Air and Space Museum

Recent Acquisitions

The annual exhibition Recent Acquisitions showcases 25 portraits to recently enter the Portrait Gallery’s renowned collection.

November 15, 2019 – March 13, 2020

Portrait Gallery

Age Old Cities: A Virtual Journey from Palmyra to Mosul

This exhibition immerses visitors in the history and splendor of three Arab World cities which are major centers of world heritage—Mosul, Aleppo, and Palmyra.

January 25, 2020 – March 13, 2020

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

A Glimpse of Ancient Yemen

A Glimpse of Ancient Yemen highlights a small selection of objects that were excavated from the region by the pioneer archaeologist Wendell Phillips and his team in 1950 and 1951.

August 18, 2018 – March 13, 2020

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

In Memoriam: Kobe Bryant

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery presents a portrait of the late Kobe Bryant (1978 – 2020), marking the death of the famed American athlete.

January 27, 2020 – March 1, 2020

Portrait Gallery

Portrait of Julie Packard by Hope Gangloff

On display is a newly commissioned painting of Julie Packard, a leading figure in science and ocean conservation and the executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

April 23, 2019 – February 24, 2020

Portrait Gallery

Jeffrey Veregge: Of Gods and Heroes

This site-specific work includes an epic battle between Marvel characters and aliens invading the streets of New York City.

October 6, 2018 – February 17, 2020

American Indian Museum New York

Section 14: The Other Palm Springs, California

This exhibition chronicles the story of Section 14, a square-mile section of land in downtown Palm Springs that forms the heart of the Agua Caliente Reservation.

March 1, 2019 – February 17, 2020

American Indian Museum DC

Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women

Good as Gold examines the production, display, and circulation of gold in Senegal as it celebrates a significant gift of gold jewelry to the National Museum of African Art’s collection.

October 24, 2018 – February 2, 2020

African Art Museum

Ella's Books: Volumes from the Library of Ella Fitzgerald

Books that were once part of Ella Fitzgerald’s personal library are on display in the museum library’s exhibit case.

January 1, 2019 – January 31, 2020

African American History and Culture Museum

In Memoriam: Don Larsen, 1929–2020

In the 1956 championship series pitting the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers, Yankee hurler Don Larsen entered the record books by pitching the first and only perfect game in World Series history.

January 6, 2020 – January 27, 2020

Portrait Gallery

Pony Express: Romance vs. Reality

This exhibition examines fictional and actual stories from the history of the world's best known mail carriers.

April 3, 2010 – January 26, 2020

Postal Museum

None Swifter Than These: 100 Years of Diplomatic Couriers

The U.S. Department of State's 100 badged diplomatic couriers travel the globe safeguarding our nation's most sensitive information and materials.

September 14, 2019 – January 26, 2020

Postal Museum

Superheroes

This rotating showcase display presents artifacts from the museum’s collections that relate to superheroes, including comic books, original comic art, movie and television costumes and props, and memorabilia.

November 20, 2018 – January 12, 2020

American History Museum

American Stories

See more than 100 historic and cultural touchstones of American history from the museum’s vast holdings.

April 12, 2012 – January 5, 2020

American History Museum