Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

From Royal Mail to Public Post

To mark the United Kingdom postal service's 500th anniversary, a temporary display of original documents from 1635 and 1840 is presented.

October 21, 2016 – January 16, 2017

Postal Museum

A New Moon Rises: New Views from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera

A New Moon Rises showcases breathtaking images from Apollo landing sites to majestic mountains that rise out of the darkness of the lunar poles.

February 26, 2016 – January 10, 2017

Air and Space Museum

In Memoriam: John Glenn

The National Portrait Gallery celebrates the accomplishments of astronaut and Senator John Glenn with a watercolor and graphite portrait by Henry C. Caselli Jr.

December 9, 2016 – January 9, 2017

Portrait Gallery

The Outwin 2016: American Portraiture Today

Every three years the National Portrait Gallery invites artists from across the nation to submit their best works of portrayal. Jurors select the finest works that showcase mastery and innovation in the form.

March 12, 2016 – January 8, 2017

Portrait Gallery

Ragnar Kjartansson

This comprehensive mid-career survey of Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson charts his wide-ranging practice across film, performance, painting, and drawing.

October 14, 2016 – January 8, 2017

Hirshhorn Museum

E Mau Ke Ea: The Sovereign Hawaiian Nation

This exhibitions takes visitors through the history of the Hawaiian Nation, from the consolidation of the islands by King Kamehameha I, through annexation, to the rise of the Hawaiian rights movement in the late 1960s and the resurgence of Hawaiian nationalism today.

January 17, 2016 – January 2, 2017

American Indian Museum DC

Bird House

The National Zoo is home to hundreds of birds from all over the world.

1928 – January 2, 2017

National Zoo

Heirloom Garden

The Heirloom Garden is a treasury of favorites from what may be considered the classic American flower garden.

1998 – December 31, 2016

Smithsonian Gardens

Unbound: Narrative Art of the Plains

This exhibition reflects the dynamic tradition of narrative art among Native nations from the Great Plains. The exhibition traces the evolution of the art form from historic hides, muslins, and ledger books to more than 50 contemporary works commissioned by the museum.

March 12, 2016 – December 4, 2016

American Indian Museum New York

Art of the Airport Tower

Smithsonian photographer Carolyn Russo elevates airport towers to beautiful objects of art.

November 11, 2015 – November 30, 2016

Air and Space Museum

Cyrus Field and the Transatlantic Telegraph Cable

Using Archives Center collection materials, this display commemorates American businessman and financier Cyrus Field’s accomplishment in laying the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable in July 1866.

July 1, 2016 – November 27, 2016

American History Museum

Giving in America

The Giving in America display explores civic philanthropy over the past century. In the 21st century, private giving continues to shape our culture and communities.

December 1, 2015 – November 21, 2016

American History Museum

Hooray for Politics!

This display juxtaposes historic voting devices with contemporary candidate rally signs to encourage our visitors to reflect on the relationship between the nation’s democratic traditions and the current swirl of election news, and draw visitors into conversations on the importance of civic engagement.

February 1, 2016 – November 14, 2016

American History Museum

In Memoriam: Arnold Palmer

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery recognizes the life and accomplishments of professional golfer Arnold Palmer with an oil painting by Paul Burns installed in the museum’s “In Memoriam” space.

September 26, 2016 – October 30, 2016

Portrait Gallery

Recent Acquisitions

This annual exhibition features 29 objects that tell the story and identity of America through the art of portraiture and showcase some of the newest additions to the museum’s collection.

November 6, 2015 – October 30, 2016

Portrait Gallery

Celebrate: Bob Dylan

The National Portrait Gallery celebrates the accomplishments of the singer and songwriter Bob Dylan, who was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature Oct. 13.

October 17, 2016 – October 30, 2016

Portrait Gallery

Thom Browne Selects

In this installment of the museum’s Selects series, fashion designer Thom Browne explores ideas of reflection and individuality with an installation that includes more than 50 of the museum’s historic and contemporary mirrors and frames.

March 4, 2016 – October 23, 2016

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Twelve Years that Shook and Shaped Washington: 1963-1975

Between 1963 and 1975, national and local change transformed the nation’s capital, Washington, DC. On display are photos, paintings, recordings, period clothing, and artifacts, such as a pen used to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

December 14, 2015 – October 23, 2016

Anacostia Community Museum

Kevin Spacey as President Francis J. Underwood

The Portrait Gallery unveiled a new portrait of Kevin Spacey as his Golden Globe-winning character Frank Underwood from the Netflix original series, House of Cards. The monumental painting, which measures six feet by six feet, was painted by Jonathan Yeo.

February 24, 2016 – October 10, 2016

Portrait Gallery

Romaine Brooks

This exhibition brings together 50 paintings and drawings from the museum’s permanent collection.

June 17, 2016 – October 2, 2016

American Art Museum

From the Permanent Collection: Artists of the Spiral Collective, 1963-1965

From 1963 to 1965, Spiral, a diverse group of African American artists, met weekly to discuss the role of artists in the Civil Rights Movement and the relationship of aesthetics and political expression.

January 18, 2016 – September 25, 2016

Anacostia Community Museum

Symbolic Cities: The Work of Ahmed Mater

Born in 1979 in southern Saudi Arabia and trained as a medical doctor, Ahmed Mater has been a practicing artist since the early 1990s, creating works that offer an unparalleled perspective on contemporary Saudi Arabia.

March 19, 2016 – September 18, 2016

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Science Under Glass

An examination of our collection of scientific glassware, from the 1770s to the 1970s, reveals the underlying story of the growth of laboratory science in America.

September 15, 2015 – September 18, 2016

American History Museum

Kay WalkingStick: An American Artist

This major retrospective of the Cherokee artist Kay WalkingStick, includes 75 of her most notable works.

November 7, 2015 – September 18, 2016

American Indian Museum DC

Artists' Books and Africa

African artists are experimenting with the genre of artists’ books, while international artists are exploring African themes in theirs. Artists’ Books and Africa is the first exhibition to focus on African artists books from the Smithsonian Libraries’ Warren M. Robbins Library and the National Museum of African Art.

September 16, 2015 – September 11, 2016

African Art Museum