Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Out of the Ordinary: Domestic and Ritual Furnishings from Africa

View an exhibit of domestic furnishings that illustrates the aesthetic and spiritual qualities they have in common with ritual objects.

September 17, 1981 – October 31, 1981

African Art Museum

In Touch: Printing & Writing for the Blind in the 19th Century

Presented are mechanical devices and methods representing the history of printing and writing for the blind from 1780 through the 19th century.

September 22, 1980 – October 18, 1981

American History Museum

Highlights in Radio Astronomy

This exhibition presents the highlights of the development of radio astronomy, one of the most sophisticated astronomical aids.

August 11, 1981 – October 14, 1981

American History Museum

Two Contemporary Bird Painters in Oregon Territory

Oregon birds in their natural habitats from the coast, mountain, and desert are the subject of 40 oils and watercolors by professional bird painters, L.B. McQueen and Jon Janosik.

August 8, 1981 – October 4, 1981

Natural History Museum

In Their Own Way

Reflect on 14 paintings, 4 sculptures, and 1 watercolor made by a diverse group of 19th- and 20th-century American artists, each of whom show a marked independence from the traditional.

May 1, 1981 – October 4, 1981

American Art Museum

The History of Contact Lenses

The development of the contact lens is illustrated with examples of contact lenses dating to the early 20th century.

July 1, 1981 – September 30, 1981

American 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

Hair: 1800-1899

See approximately 70 objects pertaining to the subject of hair in 19th-century American society.

August 13, 1981 – September 30, 1981

American History Museum

Contemporary Korean-American Arts

In celebration of the artistic heritage of Korea, the Korean Artists Association of the Great Washington Area organized this exhibition. Ceramics, paintings, prints, metal works, wall hangings, and furniture are included.

July 9, 1981 – September 30, 1981

Natural History Museum

Peace Corps Photography Contest Winners

See 12 winning photographs and approximately 15 that received honorable mention, all taken by current or former Peace Corps volunteers.

August 11, 1981 – September 27, 1981

Natural History Museum

Larry Rivers: From the Museum's Collection

View 43 of this contemporary artist's works including paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media compositions selected from the permanent collection.

July 16, 1981 – September 20, 1981

Hirshhorn Museum

Champions of American Sport

View likenesses and objects associated with 100 American sports personalities from the 1830s to the present.

June 23, 1981 – September 20, 1981

Portrait Gallery

An American Perspective: Selections from the Bequest of Frank McClure

See 66 prints and drawings by 20th-century artists, chosen from the noted biochemist and printmaker's collection, a 1979 gift to NMAA.

May 15, 1981 – September 20, 1981

American Art Museum

Selection of Korean Ceramics and Paintings from the Freer Collection

View more than 60 pieces of Korean ceramics, painting and metalwork, spanning the third century B.C. through the 19th century.

July 15, 1981 – September 15, 1981

Asian Art Museum Freer Gallery

The Fleetwood Scroll Saw

Featured is a Fleetwood Scroll saw, designed for the amateur of the 1870s. Made of ornate cast iron and foot-powered, it allowed the user to produce detailed cabinetry.

July 17, 1981 – September 15, 1981

American History Museum

George Catlin: The Artist and the American Indian

Executed by Catlin between 1830 and 1848, the landscapes, portraits, and scenes of Indian life were intended to document a vanishing race for posterity.

June 5, 1981 – September 13, 1981

American Art Museum

Ancient Egyptian Art

View Egyptian glass vessels dating from the 15th to 10th centuries B.C. as well as a famous sculpture of a king wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt (c. 2525 B.C.)

March 16, 1981 – September 7, 1981

Asian Art Museum Freer Gallery

Costumes and Jewelry of the Maasai

See costumes, jewelry, dress, and accessories of the people of Kenya and parts of Tanzania.

July 1, 1981 – September 7, 1981

African Art Museum

Recent Acquisitions on View

See 2 significant purchases now on view: a painting by Joan Miro and a sculpture by Gaston Lachaise.

July 1, 1981 – August 31, 1981

Hirshhorn Museum

Selections from the Permanent Collection

View 450 objects, including sculpture, masks, jewelry, ceremonial costumes, and textiles.

June 26, 1980 – August 31, 1981

African Art Museum

The Animal Image: Contemporary Objects and the Beast

View both literal and fanciful representations of animals included in the 114 sculptural and functional objects on view by contemporary American artists and craftsmen.

March 13, 1981 – August 30, 1981

Renwick Gallery

A Renwick Bestiary

Admire and purchase animal images depicted on objects ranging from baskets, bowls, and furniture to toys, jewelry, mugs, molds, and rubber stamps.

June 19, 1981 – August 30, 1981

Renwick Gallery

California Condor Sculptures

See 3 life-size figures of the endangered California Condor, created by Erwin Hauer.

August 1, 1981 – August 28, 1981

National Zoo

How Fleeting Is Fame

Visit with some 19th-century lithographic portraits of celebrities of the period whose fame did not withstand the test of time.

February 6, 1981 – August 23, 1981

Portrait Gallery

Egypt Today: Embroidered Pictures from Akhmim

View 24 works created by contemporary craftsmen at Akhmim, a city which has flourished as a weaving center from some 4,000 years.

March 14, 1981 – August 23, 1981

Renwick Gallery