Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Art Treasures from the Imperial Collection

See 36 objects, including folding screens, embroidered hangings, paintings, and porcelains from the Imperial Collection.

September 30, 1975 – October 5, 1975

Smithsonian Castle

19th-Century American Landscape Paintings

See 18 paintings on loan from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, including 6 from the private collection of banker-philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran, the original benefactor of the Corcoran Gallery.

November 1975 – January 5, 1976

Smithsonian Castle

Treasures of London

See outstanding examples of 500 years of British silver work, including modern jewelry and pieces.

June 26, 1976 – July 18, 1976

Smithsonian Castle

Eminent Figures from the American Catholic Religious Tradition

In conjunction with the Papal visit, see portraits of notable American Catholics.

October 8, 1979 – November 22, 1979

Smithsonian Castle

Arts of Ancient Egypt: Treasures in Another Scale

See 50 small-scale antiquities dating from the pre-dynastic period through the age of the Ptolemies, on loan from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

March 16, 1981 – April 26, 1981

Smithsonian Castle

By Sea and By Land: Independence with the Help of France

See portraits, paintings, letters, swords, cannon, and other objects commemorating the bicentennial of the Battle of Yorktown, the decisive battle of the Revolutionary War.

October 10, 1981 – November 30, 1981

Smithsonian Castle

Paintings of Frederic Clay Bartlett and Evelyn Fortune Bartlett

View paintings executed in the 1920s and 1930s by Frederic Clay Bartlett and Evelyn Forture Bartlett, along with supplementary photographs.

September 17, 1982 – November 8, 1982

Smithsonian Castle

Germans to America: 300 Years of Immigration 1683-1983

Examine the history and the reasons behind the immigration of the largest single nationality in the U.S. through some 50 panels of photographs.

March 23, 1983 – April 7, 1983

Smithsonian Castle

Winston S. Churchill: Painting as a Pastime

View 50 paintings by the renowned statesman and honorary American citizen that make up a virtual diary of his private life after 1915, including landscapes from his home and travels and portraits of his family and friends.

September 21, 1983 – November 2, 1983

Smithsonian Castle

Oman: Heritage of a Civilization

Discover the history of the Sultanate of Oman, the 2nd largest country in the Arabian Peninsula, from the 3rd millenium B.C. to present times through handicrafts and seafaring traditions.

April 18, 1984 – April 26, 1984

Smithsonian Castle

Treasures from the Smithsonian

These photo panels are an adaptation of an exhibition of Smithsonian artifacts on view at the Edinburgh Festival, Scotland.

August 1, 1984 – September 30, 1984

Smithsonian Castle

Traditional Architecture of Saudi Arabia

See 22 graphite drawings by Syrian architectural historian/artist Professor Wahbi Al-Hariri-Rifai that document diversity of architectural styles, building materials, and geographic regions in Saudi Arabia today.

October 10, 1984 – November 7, 1984

Smithsonian Castle

Christmas Tree Decorated by Associates in 1984

See holiday decorations in the Great Hall including the Christmas tree decorated with handcrafted ornaments made locally, and collected from the U.S. and abroad.

December 9, 1984 – January 1, 1985

Smithsonian Castle

Christmas Tree Decorated by Associates in 1985

See holiday decorations in the Great Hall including the Christmas tree decorated with handcrafted ornaments made locally, and collected from the U.S. and abroad.

December 7, 1985 – January 2, 1986

Smithsonian Castle

Christmas Tree Decorated by Associates in 1986

See holiday decorations in the Great Hall including the Christmas tree decorated with handcrafted ornaments made locally, and collected from the U.S. and abroad.

December 7, 1986 – January 5, 1987

Smithsonian Castle

The Federal City: Plans & Realities

Explore the planning history of the City of Washington in photographs, prints, paintings and 3-dimensional models.

February 1, 1976 – August 30, 1987

Smithsonian Castle

Art in the Parks Contest Entries

View 100 entries, including 6 finalists, in the recent Art in the Parks contest, sponsored by the National Park Foundation and the National Park Academy of the Arts.

December 1, 1987 – December 18, 1987

Smithsonian Castle

Casting the Smithsonian Bell

See photographs, prints, and text explaining the casting and installation of the Smithsonian bell.

January 28, 1997 – April 28, 2000

Smithsonian Castle

Indian Peace Medals from the Schermer Collection, National Portrait Gallery

View 19 peace medals presented by the U.S. government to Indian tribal leaders between 1793 and 1881 to secure treaties and cement political loyalties. Also see a complete 3-volume set of The History of Indian Tribes of North America by Thomas L. McKenney and James Hall, one of the 19th century's most important works on the American Indian.

January 26, 2001 – June 4, 2001

Smithsonian Castle

The West Wing: A Chronology

Use images and text to trace the history of the west wing of the Castle -- from its first use as the Institution's library to its use as The Commons restaurant (closed May 12, 2003).

April 5, 2002 – September 30, 2003

Smithsonian Castle

Eight Wonders from the Salvador Dali Museum

To celebrate the centennial of Salvador Dali's birth, see 8 of his small oil paintings dating from 1918 to 1958 that provide a view of his work over four decades.

April 2, 2004 – April 20, 2004

Smithsonian Castle

National Museum of the American Indian On the Mall Display

See a model of the National Museum of the American Indian, scheduled to open on the National Mall Sept. 21, 2004.

December 23, 2003 – November 30, 2004

Smithsonian Castle

Holiday Display: Gingerbread Rendering of the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building

See an artistic rendering of the Arts & Industries Building -- created entirely of gingerbread, sugar paste, herbs, grains, and hand-carved chocolate figures -- made by artist Jan Curry.

December 2, 2004 – January 5, 2005

Smithsonian Castle

Porcelains from the Collections of the Correale Museum of Sorrento, Italy

Explore 12 examples of 18th- and 19th-century porcelain from the Correale Museum in Sorrento, Italy.

April 27, 2004 – January 31, 2005

Smithsonian Castle

Skitch Henderson: A Man and His Music

On view are approximately 10 photographs highlighting the work of Skitch Henderson, musician, composer, bandleader, and founder and music director of The New York Pops.

January 30, 2005 – March 13, 2005

Smithsonian Castle