Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

"Save the Whale" Children's Art

Paintings by school children in the U.S. and abroad center on the theme of the threatened extinction of the whale.

May 2, 1974 – June 30, 1974

Natural History Museum

"The Rocket" Tourmaline Crystal

On public display for the first time is a multimillion dollar rubellite tourmaline.

December 1, 1980 – January 30, 1995

Natural History Museum

100 Years of America's National Park Service: Preserve, Enjoy, Inspire

The National Park Service turns 100 this year! To celebrate, the National Park Service has teamed up with the National Museum of Natural History to present over 50 images by award-winning photographers, showcasing America's national parks.

August 4, 2016 – August 14, 2017

Natural History Museum

1989 Discover Graphics

See etchings, lithographs, and other prints by high school students from the Washington, D.C. area.

May 20, 1989 – July 20, 1989

Natural History Museum

2006 Nature's Best Photography: Windland Smith Rice International Awards

View the winners in 15 categories from the 2006 Nature's Best International Windland Smith Rice Awards, and the winners in 9 categories from the National Wildlife Photography Awards.

November 10, 2006 – October 9, 2007

Natural History Museum

2007 Nature's Best Photography: Windland Smith Rice International Awards

See winners in 15 categories from the 2007 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice Awards and winners in 9 categories from the National Wildlife Photography Awards.

October 30, 2007 – April 27, 2008

Natural History Museum

2008 Nature's Best Photography: Windland Smith Rice International Awards

On view are 45 winners in 19 categories from the 2008 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards.

November 8, 2008 – May 3, 2009

Natural History Museum

2010 Nature's Best Photography: Windland Smith Rice International Awards

On view are winners in various categories from the 2010 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards.

April 16, 2011 – September 25, 2011

Natural History Museum

2011 Nature's Best Photography: Windland Smith Rice International Awards

On view are winners in various categories from the 2011 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards.

March 30, 2012 – April 7, 2013

Natural History Museum

2012 Nature's Best Photography: Windland Smith Rice International Awards

On view are winners in various categories from the 2012 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards.

June 7, 2013 – March 3, 2014

Natural History Museum

2013 Nature's Best Photography: Windland Smith Rice International Awards

Witness nature and wildlife through the eyes of some of the most talented amateur and professional photographers in the world.

October 24, 2014 – April 20, 2015

Natural History Museum

20th-century Dinosaurs

Marvel at 24 large, colorful, welded sculptures of dinosaurs by Jim Gary, made out of automobile and truck parts.

April 12, 1990 – August 10, 1990

Natural History Museum

21st Annual Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards

Named for nature photographer and conservationist, Windland Smith Rice, the 21st annual Nature’s Best Photography Awards exhibition presents a collection of 83 fine art prints accompanied by an HD video.

October 19, 2016 – September 5, 2017

Natural History Museum

22nd Annual Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards

Selected from more than 26,000 submitted entries, see 60 extraordinary images that capture the beauty and diversity of the natural world.

October 24, 2017 – September 3, 2018

Natural History Museum

23rd Annual Nature's Best Photography: Windland Smith Rice International Awards

Named for nature photographer and conservationist Windland Smith Rice, Nature’s Best presents breathtaking fine art prints and short videos that highlight the best of nature photography—and our spectacular planet.

October 29, 2018 – September 3, 2019

Natural History Museum

400-million-year-old Trilobite

In conjunction with Smithsonian Resident Associate Program's 25th Anniversary, this exhibition features a 400-million-year-old trilobite found by RAP member Y. Kirkpatrick Howard during a RAP course collecting trip in Strasburg, Virginia.

September 1, 1990 – November 30, 1990

Natural History Museum

5,000 Years of Korean Art

Thought to be the largest and most important exhibition of Korean art to ever tour the U.S., the show includes over 300 objects from the National Museum of Korea and other Korean collections.

July 15, 1981 – September 30, 1981

Natural History Museum

A Jeweler's Art: Masterpieces from Van Cleef & Arpels

View brooches, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, vanity and powder boxes, watches, evening bags, and special commissions dating from the 1920s through the 1950s.

July 13, 1990 – November 30, 1990

Natural History Museum

A Journey Through Chinese Hell: "Hell Scrolls" of Taiwan

View two rare sets of Chinese "Hell Scrolls," which depict the 10 stages or "courts" of hell, as envisioned by this culture.

September 6, 1990 – March 10, 1991

Natural History Museum

A Korean American Century

This comprehensive display of photographs focuses on the historic events affecting Korean immigration, and on the achievements of Korean Americans.

January 22, 2003 – June 8, 2003

Natural History Museum

A Korean Village in Transition: An Anthropological Field Trip

See more than 150 objects -- handicrafts juxtaposed against their factory-made replacements--that illustrate the effect of modernization on the traditions and techniques in Korea.

November 1, 1977 – December 15, 1977

Natural History Museum

A Passion for Plants: Botanical Art from the Shirley Sherwood Collection

See 100 works by 67 artists from the collection of Dr. Shirley Sherwood, an independent scholar and collector of botanical watercolors and paintings.

March 28, 2003 – September 2, 2003

Natural History Museum

A Permanent Record of India: The Photographs of Bourne & Shepherd

See 19 photographs selected from a 19th-century catalog by Bourne and Shepherd Co. that include ethnological and scenic subjects and portray the British influence of the 1860s and 1870s in India as well as Afghanistan, Burma, and Nepal.

August 5, 1983 – November 30, 1983

Natural History Museum

A Place Called Home: Bird Photographs by Keith Logan

This exhibition features 40 photographs of North American birds by Canadian artist and birder Keith Logan.

November 1, 2001 – October 14, 2002

Natural History Museum

A Rare Encounter: The Hope and Wittelsbach-Graff Diamonds

The Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond is displayed together with the Hope Diamond for the first time.

January 29, 2010 – September 6, 2010

Natural History Museum