Past Exhibitions

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

John Henry Belter and the Rococo Revival

Admire rare examples of laminated hardwood furniture made by Belter between 1844 and 1863 as well as pieces attributed to him and examples of the work of his contemporaries.

March 10, 1981 – May 24, 1981

David Anderson Gift

Included among approximately 40 paintings, sculptures, and mixed media objects are works by Sam Francis, Alma Thomas, and Antonia Tapies. Anderson of Buffalo, N.Y., recently presented his collection of contemporary art as a gift to the HMSG.

April 15, 1981 – May 30, 1981

Traditional Costumery and Jewelry in Africa

View costumes from Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, and Kenya as well as jewelry of the Berber people of Algeria and Morocco, the Masai of Tanzania, the Zulu of southeastern Africa, the Baule of the Ivory Coast, and the Bobo of Upper Volta

February 27, 1981 – May 31, 1981

African Art Museum

Pressed on Paper: Fish Rubbings and Nature Prints

See approximately 40 plant, fish, and marine animal rubbings made by an ancient Japanese technique, Gyotaku.

April 4, 1981 – May 31, 1981

Traditional Art of Angola and Cameroon

View selections from the permanent collection.

December 18, 1980 – May 31, 1981

African Art Museum

Kathakali Dance Case

Kathakali is India's theater form that combines music, signing, acting, mime, and dance. Models of the performers, their costumes, and jewelry are displayed in a single case.

May 20, 1981 – June 1, 1981

The Evolution of Dental Articulators

An articulator is an apparatus used by a dentist when preparing false teeth or dentures.

March 20, 1981 – June 1, 1981

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

German Stage Design of the Nineteenth Century

Visit 80 designs for sets and costumes for major theater and opera productions in Germany during the 19th century, selected from the German Theater Museum, Munich.

April 7, 1981 – June 7, 1981

American Porcelain Artists

Admire and purchase place settings, bowls, vases, and vessels as well as ornamental and structural sculptures created by 11 of the artists whose work is included in the current Renwick exhibition, American Porcelain: New Expressions in an Ancient Art.

April 3, 1981 – June 14, 1981

Renwick Gallery

Robert Natkin: Prints and Painted Prints

See 26 color lithographs that reflect the American artist's previous explorations in non-representational painting.

March 19, 1981 – June 14, 1981

Paul Gauguin's Cylinder Decorated With Figure of Hina & 2 Attendants

This prized wooden sculpture by the modern French master was recently purchased by the museum. Measuring just over one foot in height, the carved cylindrical log of tamanu wood depicts Hina, the Polynesian moon goddess, and two worshipers.

May 7, 1981 – June 30, 1981

Simon Lake: Submarine Advocate and Inventor

Simon Lake (1866-1945) was one of the outstanding submarine designers of this century. The half models and literature on display illustrate his achievements in both commercial and military submarine engineering.

May 8, 1981 – July 1, 1981

The Development of Modern Physical Therapy

See equipment and photographs plus many objects on loan from the Armed Forces Medical Museum and the American Physical Therapists' Association.

June 28, 1981 – July 3, 1981

Jefferson and Science

View materials relating to Jefferson's scientific research, inventions, and samples from his study collections such as fossils and Indian artifacts.

April 13, 1981 – July 5, 1981

Geometric Abstraction

View approximately 12 works sharing the characteristic of geometric abstraction. Among the artists represented are Glarner, Bolotowsky, and Diller.

February 26, 1981 – July 5, 1981

A Feast of Color: Corpus Christi Dance Costumes from Ecuador

Delight in 4 complete fiesta costumes of cotton decorated with beads, ribbon, and foil, as well as individual pieces used during Corpus Christi festivities.

January 9, 1981 – July 12, 1981

Renwick Gallery

Bret Harte

Visit portraits of Harte, the humorous chronicler of California's goldmining camps, and of his literary contemporaries, as well as poems, drawings, and first-edition books.

January 22, 1981 – July 12, 1981

Portrait Gallery

Beyond the Ocean, Beneath a Leaf

Kjell Sandved's photographs celebrate Nature's grandeur as well as her intricacies, such as the irridescent scales of a butterfly's wings.

June 1, 1981 – July 14, 1981

Diplomats in Buckskins: Indian Delegations to Washington, D.C., 1863-1976

See 12 large black-and-white photographs of Indians who visited Washington for political and treaty activities during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century.

January 20, 1981 – July 15, 1981

Renaissance of Islam: Art of the Mamluks

See approximately 130 objects in the first major exhibition of Mamluk art to be shown in the U.S. The Mamluks, bodyguards of the 13th-century rulers of Egypt and Syria, rose to become one of the major dynasties of the Middle Ages, ruling the area for some 150 years.

May 15, 1981 – July 19, 1981

Barbara Hepworth: The Hirshhorn Museum Collection

Take in a special installation of 13 sculptures and one drawing by the British artist (1903-1975), a contemporary and colleague of Henry Moore.

May 1, 1981 – July 19, 1981

Scenes of Contemporary Egypt

Ancient monuments as well as contemporary Egyptians and their activities are the subjects of approximately 50 color photographs by Donald and Betty Wiechec.

March 13, 1981 – July 30, 1981

Pre-Columbian Art

View 7 examples from the permanent collection and fragments from two Mayan Stalae (monoliths) on loan from the National Institute of Anthropology and History, Mexico.

August 1, 1980 – July 30, 1981