Past Exhibitions

Legend, Memory, and the Great War in the Air

This gallery features the emergence of air power in World War I and contrasts the romance of aerial combat with the reality.

November 13, 1991 – January 2, 2019

American Indian Museum DC

Trail of Tears: A Story of Cherokee Removal

This powerful exhibition takes a deeper look at Indian removal from the Cherokee perspective.

April 12, 2018 – January 2, 2019

World War II Aviation

The story of World War II is too big for a single gallery, so this one focuses on land-based fighter aviation.

July 1, 1976 – January 2, 2019

America by Air

This exhibition traces the history of commercial air transportation in the U.S. from 1914 to today and discusses how technological innovations have revolutionized air travel.

November 17, 2007 – January 2, 2019

In Memoriam: George Herbert Walker Bush

In memory of George Herbert Walker Bush, the National Portrait Gallery has added a drape to his portrait in the America's Presidents gallery. Visitors may pay their respects and record their thoughts in a journal next to the portrait.

December 1, 2018 – January 1, 2019

My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I

Through personal correspondence written on the frontlines and home front, this centennial exhibition uncovers the history of America’s involvement in World War I.

April 6, 2017 – December 2, 2018

Postal Museum

Artist Soldiers: Artistic Expression in the First World War

This exhibition examines artistic expression in WWI by first-hand participants, both official art by commissioned AEF combat artists, and spontaneous works by individual soldiers.

April 6, 2017 – November 11, 2018

Celebrate: Leonard Bernstein's 100th Birthday

The National Portrait Gallery recognizes the the 100th birthday of the late American composer, conductor, author, music lecturer, and pianist, Leonard Bernstein by displaying a portrait of Bernstein.

August 23, 2018 – September 23, 2018

Cultivating America's Gardens

Highlights early horticulture publications using books and objects from Libraries and Gardens collections of the Smithsonian.

May 4, 2017 – September 16, 2018

In Memoriam: Senator John S. McCain III

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery recognizes the life and legacy of late Senator and former presidential nominee John S. McCain III with a photograph by the British-born photographer Steve Pyke.

August 27, 2018 – September 9, 2018

In Her Words: Women's Duty and Service in World War I

Through the letters and artifacts of four women, visitors can explore unique, personal perspectives on life, duty, and service during the war.

February 2, 2018 – September 5, 2018

Postal Museum

T is for Television

This exhibition features treasured objects from children’s television.

November 27, 2017 – September 4, 2018

World on the Horizon: Swahili Arts Across the Indian Ocean

World on the Horizon explores Swahili arts as objects of mobility, outcomes of encounter, and as products of trade and imperialism.

May 9, 2018 – September 3, 2018

African Art Museum

The Sweat of Their Face: Portraying American Workers

The Sweat of Their Face combines art and social history with representations of American laborers across genres and centuries of art.

November 3, 2017 – September 3, 2018

In Memoriam: Aretha Franklin

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery recognizes the life of acclaimed singer and musician Aretha Franklin.

August 17, 2018 – August 22, 2018

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

The Prince and the Shah: Royal Portraits from Qajar Iran

Through a selection of about thirty works from the Freer and Sackler collections, this exhibition explores how Persian artists transformed modes of representing royalty and nobility.

February 24, 2018 – August 5, 2018

The First Lady of Song: Ella Fitzgerald at 100

Highlighting Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), one of the greatest American singers.

April 1, 2017 – July 15, 2018

Remembering Robert F. Kennedy

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery celebrates the life and legacy of Robert (“Bobby”) Kennedy with a portrait created by Roy Lichtenstein in 1968, commissioned for the cover of Time magazine.

June 6, 2018 – July 8, 2018

Anacostia Community Museum

Bridging the Americas: Community and Belonging from Panama to Washington, D.C.

This exhibition highlights major themes that link the U.S. and Panama and the makings of community.

April 13, 2015 – June 12, 2018

Secrets of the Lacquer Buddha

Secrets of the Lacquer Buddha unites the only sixth- and seventh-century, life-size Chinese lacquer buddha sculptures known: one from the Walters Art Museum, one from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and one from the Freer Gallery of Art.

December 9, 2017 – June 10, 2018

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Antebellum Portraits by Mathew Brady

This Daguerreian Gallery exhibition traces the trajectory of Brady’s early career through portrait daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and salted-paper prints in the National Portrait Gallery’s collection.

June 16, 2017 – June 3, 2018

Religion in Early America

Through dozens of objects and images, Religion in Early America considers the intersection of religious freedom, religious diversity, and religious growth from the colonial era through the first decades of U.S. history.

June 28, 2017 – June 3, 2018

2001: A Space Odyssey Immersive Art Exhibit

Immerse yourself in “The Barmecide Feast,” a fully realized, full-scale reflection of the iconic, neo-classical hotel room from the penultimate scene of Stanley Kubrick’s and Arthur C. Clarke’s landmark film.

April 8, 2018 – May 28, 2018