Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

In the Realm of the Buddha

Visit two distinct exhibitions that offer fascinating encounters with the sacred art of Tibetan Buddhism.

March 13, 2010 – July 18, 2010

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Moving Perspectives: Yeondoo Jung

Step into the dreams and memories of others through photography and video by Yeondoo Jung (b. 1969, Jinju, Korea).

November 21, 2009 – March 14, 2010

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Perspectives: S-Curve by Anish Kapoor

Two lengths of polished steel that gently curve to create a continuous convex and concave curve engage the viewer in a powerful physical experience.

November 22, 2008 – February 28, 2010

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Falnama: The Book of Omens

Witness the most splendid tool devised to foretell the future, a type of illustrated text known as Falnama (Book of Omens).

October 24, 2009 – January 24, 2010

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Moving Perspectives: Shahzia Sikander/Xun

See works by Shahzia Sikander and Sun Xun, shown continuously as part of the year-long series Moving Perspectives, focusing on contemporary Asia.

July 18, 2009 – November 8, 2009

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

The Tale of Shuten Doji

Explore modes of visual narration through the museum's exceptional collection of works illustrating the Tale of Shuten Doji.

March 21, 2009 – September 20, 2009

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

The Tsars and the East: Gifts from Turkey and Iran in The Moscow Kremlin

View some 64 objects offered as lavish gifts and tributes by the Ottomans and Safavids to the Tsars, and understand the aesthetic and ceremonial etiquette they inspired.

May 9, 2009 – September 13, 2009

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Moving Perspectives: Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba and Fiona Tan

See video works by Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba and Fiona Tan that provide rich sensory experiences of the many changes taking place in contemporary Asia.

March 14, 2009 – July 5, 2009

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Seascapes: Tryon & Sugimoto

For the first time since the opening of the Freer Gallery of Art in 1923, works from its American collection are shown with works from outside the museum.

July 12, 2008 – January 25, 2009

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur

See a groundbreaking exhibition of recently rediscovered Indian paintings from the royal court collection of Marwar-Jodhpur (in the modern state of Rajasthan) that has three sections devoted to garden and cosmos leitmotifs.

October 11, 2008 – January 4, 2009

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Moving Perspectives: Yang Fudong, Cao Fei and Ou Ning

View the first installation in a year-long series of video art from Asia with these two contrasting works -- one dreamlike and lyrical, the other fast and pulsating.

September 6, 2008 – November 30, 2008

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Perspectives: Y.Z. Kami

See three new monumental works by artist Y.Z. Kami as part of the Perspectives series of contemporary Asian art.

March 15, 2008 – October 13, 2008

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Yellow Mountain: China's Ever-Changing Landscape

See prints and paintings depicting the scenic Yellow Mountain (Mount Huangshan or Huangshan) in Anhui province, arguably the most beautiful mountain in China.

May 31, 2008 – August 24, 2008

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

MURAQQA': Imperial Mughal Albums from the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin

See 82 masterpieces from lavish imperial albums (called muraqqa' in Persian) depicting images of the imperial family in private settings, Sufi saints and mystics, allies and courtiers, and natural history objects.

May 3, 2008 – August 3, 2008

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Patterned Feathers, Piercing Eyes: Edo Masters from the Price Collection

See a selection of 109 Japanese Edo Period (1615-1868) paintings that reflect a remarkably creative span in Japan's history of visual culture.

November 10, 2007 – April 13, 2008

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Wine, Worship and Sacrifice: The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani

See more than 100 objects that provide a rich archaeological view of the ancient Asian country Colchis—land of the Golden Fleece.

December 1, 2007 – February 24, 2008

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Portugal in the Contemporary World

Visit four contemporary works that address the enduring social and cultural impact of the global exchange that was initiated more than 500 years ago between Portugal and the world.

June 24, 2007 – September 16, 2007

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries

Visit an exhibition bringing together approximately 250 objects reflecting the unprecedented cross-cultural dialogue that followed the establishment of Portugal's world trading network.

June 24, 2007 – September 16, 2007

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

East of Eden: Gardens in Asian Art

Explore garden traditions practiced by Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Persian, Turkish, and other cultures as seen through some of the world's most exquisite works of art.

February 24, 2007 – May 13, 2007

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Perspectives: Simryn Gill

Visit a mini retrospective of contemporary artist Simryn Gill (b. 1959) featuring three works created between 1992 and 2006.

September 2, 2006 – April 29, 2007

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Ancient and Medieval Metalwork from Dumbarton Oaks

View 36 objects on loan from the Byzantine Collection at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.

December 16, 2005 – April 23, 2007

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Luxury Arts of the Silk Route Empires

Explore the rich artistic interactions that resulted from commercial ties along the Silk Route in this collection of luxury possessions.

May 9, 1993 – January 28, 2007

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Fountains of Light: Islamic Metalwork from the Nuhad Es-Said Collection

Visit a group of 27 inlaid precious metal objects from the Nuhad Es-Said Collection, considered one of the finest collections of Islamic metalwork in private hands.

January 15, 2005 – January 21, 2007

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

In the Beginning: Bibles Before the Year 1000

See many of the most important codices in the world from the 2nd to 10th centuries.

October 21, 2006 – January 7, 2007

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Facing East: Portraits from Asia

Through some 70 masterpieces, explore how portraits expressed cultural identities in Asia and the ancient Near East throughout millennia.

July 1, 2006 – September 4, 2006

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery