Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

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

American Heroes of the Olympic Spirit

See 49 medals and 4 torches, along with photos and stories, that highlight Olympic and Paralympic athletes and their achievements over several decades in a variety of sports.

June 20, 2008 – October 12, 2008

Smithsonian Castle

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

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

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

Bradley and Hubbard: Masters of Metal Work

View selected decorative metal objects from the Smithsonian Institution Castle Collection that trace the history of the Bradley and Hubbard Manufacturing Company from its start in 1852 to 1940.

November 5, 2010 – mid-May 2012

Smithsonian Castle

Building America's National Collection: 175 Years of Collecting

See selected objects representing all of the museums that offer a tantalizing sample of the breadth and depth of the Smithsonian's vast collections.

May 8, 2005 – December 14, 2022

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

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

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

Classically Greek: Coins and Bank Notes from Antiquity to Today

View bank notes and coins that vividly portray Greek culture, history, and mythology. These common objects of everyday exchange preserve rich stories about people, politics, and the powerful forces that shaped both ancient and modern Greece.

April 10, 2008 – June 15, 2008

Smithsonian Castle

Colombia at the Smithsonian: Colombian Presence in the Collections of the Smithsonian Institution

Enjoy approximately 80 rarely-seen objects and artworks selected from the Smithsonian's varied collections that reflect Colombia's rich artistic, historic, cultural, and natural heritage.

September 6, 2006 – January 17, 2007

Smithsonian Castle

Design Models: National Museum of African American History and Culture's Architectural Design Competition

View six architectural design models submitted to the Smithsonian in a design competition for the new National Museum of African American History and Culture to be built on the Mall and completed in 2015.

March 27, 2009 – April 19, 2009

Smithsonian Castle

Editors' Picks: The Best of Smithsonian Magazine's 7th Annual Photo Contest

See the finalists from Smithsonian magazine's 7th annual photo contest. View 30 photographs from the 45,000 entries received from around the world .

July 1, 2010 – February 28, 2011

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

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

Experience Civil War Photography: From the Home Front to the Battlefront

See stereo-view (3-D) photographs from the Civil War to learn how Americans experienced the conflict.

August 1, 2012 – July 7, 2013

Smithsonian Castle

Eyes on the World: Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

View 36 finalists from the thousands of photographs submitted to Smithsonian magazine's 5th Annual Photo Contest from the United States and around the world.

July 1, 2008 – February 17, 2009

Smithsonian Castle

First 3-D Printed Presidential Life Mask and Bust

The first presidential portraits created from 3-D scan data are on display. The portraits of President Barack Obama were created based on data collected by a Smithsonian-led team of 3-D digital imaging specialists and include a digital and 3-D printed bust and life mask.

December 2, 2014 – December 31, 2014

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

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

In Tribute...Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-87) Secretary Smithsonian Institution 1878-87

Learn about the accomplishments of the Smithsonian's second Secretary, Spencer F. Baird, and see some of the natural history specimens he collected.

May 4, 1978 – Closed

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