Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Art and Physics

See Astralites and other light sculptures by Washington artist Adam Peiperl.

December 1, 1972 – March 31, 1973

American History Museum

Contemporary Paintings from India

See 54 oils by 18 artists, surveying the modern scene in India.

March 16, 1973 – April 15, 1973

Renwick Gallery

The Eighth Dulin National Print and Drawint Competition

See some 65 drawings and prints from the 8th annual open competition conducted by the Dulin Gallery or Art in Knoxville.

March 23, 1973 – April 22, 1973

American Art Museum

Objects for Preparing Food

See more than 500 historic and contemporary objects ranging from a crocodile-shaped grater from Egypt to the most modern industrially designed utensils.

February 9, 1973 – April 29, 1973

Renwick Gallery

Mutoscopes

See 3 mutoscopes, hand-cranked at a 5-cent charge.

July 1, 1972 – April 30, 1973

American History Museum

The Copernican Century 1450-1550

Visit Renaissance science, technology and culture with 15th-century astronomical instruments on loan from the University of Cracow, along with other instruments relating to Christopher Columbus, printing, and cultural history.

April 7, 1973 – April 30, 1973

American History Museum

The Lazzaroni

See 19 portraits, assembled from throughout the country, of a small group of intelligentsia--mostly scientists--who dominated the American scientific community in the mid-19th century and whose efforts resulted in the establishment of the National Academy of Science.

December 27, 1972 – May 6, 1973

Portrait Gallery

Noted American Authors

See 26 portraits of writers from the permanent collection; organized to coincide with National Library Week, which begins April 9.

April 8, 1973 – May 13, 1973

Portrait Gallery

Tropical Blossoms

See 35 color photos by Dr. Edward Ayensu, Chairman of the Smithsonian's Department of Botany, and Smithsonian photographer Kjell Sandved.

March 16, 1973 – May 15, 1973

National Zoo

The Magnificent West: American Heritage

Take in 45 color photos of landscapes taken in U.S. wilderness areas by Milton Goldstein.

April 4, 1973 – May 15, 1973

Natural History Museum

Alfred H. Mauer

Visit a retrospective exhibit of this American artist, including about 90 paintings and some drawings, including figure studies, landscapes, still-lifes and portraits.

February 23, 1973 – May 15, 1973

American Art Museum

Graphics '73: Rawlston Crawford

See some 65 drawings, watercolors and prints by the American artist; organized by the University of Kentucky.

April 27, 1973 – May 28, 1973

American Art Museum

Recent Acquisitions

View 25 new portraits, including the only known painting of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and also a painting of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts.

February 1, 1973 – May 30, 1973

Portrait Gallery

New Zealand - A Nation's History in Stamps

See an exhibition from the Postal Administration of New Zealand.

April 1, 1973 – June 4, 1973

American History Museum

Masterpieces of Eskimo Ivory Carving

See examples of ivory carving in this exhibit prepared in conjunction with the National Gallery of Art's show The Far North: 2000 Years of American Eskimo and Indian Art.

April 1, 1973 – June 10, 1973

Natural History Museum

Chaim Goldberg's Shtetl

See paintings, drawings, and prints by the artist on his childhood in a Polish-Jewish community.

March 1, 1973 – June 15, 1973

American History Museum

5 Sense Store: An Aesthetic Design for Education

An experiential exhibition, planned for groups of 30 children, is divided into 3 areas of exploration: Sound/Image Society, the Activity Area and the Space Place.

April 10, 1973 – June 17, 1973

American Art Museum

The Dusseldorf Academy and the Americans

Organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, this exhibition presents 150 watercolors and drawings by major American artists and their German instructors at an art school prominent nearly 150 years ago.

April 27, 1973 – June 24, 1973

American Art Museum

The Design Necessity

See photographic panels, texts and a film that document case histories of good design in Federal projects, including restoration of the Renwick and the Fine Arts and Portrait Galleries.

April 5, 1973 – June 30, 1973

Renwick Gallery

2500 Years of Persian Art

See decorative work from manuscripts, metalwork, ceramics and architectural decorations.

February 1, 1973 – June 30, 1973

Asian Art Museum Freer Gallery

Three Contemporary Printmakers: Jacob Kainen, Albert Christ-Janer, Tadeusz Lapinski

View recent lithographs by 3 American artists showing their highly original personal reaction to images, ideas, and the surrounding world.

June 1, 1973 – July 1, 1973

American Art Museum

Anacostia Today: The Evolution of a Community, Part 2: Continued

Originally shown in 1972 as part of Museum’s fifth anniversary, this exhibit continues its focus on five major topics of deep concern to the residents of Anacostia, a neighborhood in southeast Washington, DC.

March 1, 1973 – July 31, 1973

Anacostia Community Museum

Five Years Later

The 5th anniversary of the founding of the Federal City College Art Department is celebrated in a two-room environmental production: paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, ceramics and photos are blended with tape-recorded sounds, real city objects and projected images.

June 25, 1973 – August 5, 1973

American Art Museum

A Measure of Beauty: The Diffusion of Style in Early 19th-Century America

Visit about 80 prints, drawings, watercolors, bank notes, bandboxes and pieces of wallpaper by artists of the early 1800s, who emulated the standards of the antique works of Greece and Rome.

July 6, 1973 – August 5, 1973

American Art Museum

Fourth of July

Objects and music set the mood of the holiday; a color slide presentation guides the visitor to exhibits of interest inside the museum.

July 1, 1973 – August 15, 1973

American History Museum