Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Ai Weiwei: According to What?

This major solo exhibition of works by Chinese conceptual artist Ai Weiwei introduces viewers to his broad spectrum of artistic practice.

October 7, 2012 – February 24, 2013

Hirshhorn Museum

Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The first U.S. venue of this unprecedented exhibition reveals the unknown past of the Arabian Peninsula with newly discovered artifacts from ancient trade routes stretching from Yemen in the south to Iraq and Syria in the north.

November 17, 2012 – February 24, 2013

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Enlightened Beings: Buddhism in Chinese Painting

Learn about four main categories of enlightened being in Buddhism through 27 works dating from the Song to Qing dynasties.

September 1, 2012 – February 24, 2013

Asian Art Museum Freer Gallery

The Mexican Revolution! American Legacy

Objects in this case reveal how U.S. involvement in the Mexican Revolution affected politics and society on both sides of the border.

September 16, 2010 – February 11, 2013

American History Museum

Sweet & Sour

Learn about the evolution of Chinese food in the U.S. and the long history of Chinese immigration in this case.

March 17, 2011 – February 11, 2013

American History Museum

COBOL

Learn about COBOL, or Common Business Oriented Language, one of the first computer-programming languages to run successfully on different brands of computers, in this case.

March 17, 2011 – February 11, 2013

American History Museum

Shadow Sites: Recent Work by Jananne al-Ani

Inspired by archival archaeological and aerial photographs, as well as contemporary news reportage, al-Ani has created a new body of video works that examines enduring representations of the Middle Eastern landscape.

August 25, 2012 – February 10, 2013

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

40 under 40: Craft Futures

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, the museum presents works by 40 artists under the age of 40.

July 20, 2012 – February 3, 2013

Renwick Gallery

1812: A Nation Emerges

Learn about key people who influenced the outcome of the War of 1812, which transformed and unified the United States.

June 15, 2012 – January 27, 2013

Portrait Gallery

The Confederate Sketches of Adalbert Volck

View some of German immigrant Adalbert J. Volck's pictorial propaganda in support of the Confederacy.

March 30, 2012 – January 21, 2013

Portrait Gallery

Fly Marines! The Centennial of Marine Corps Aviation: 1912-2012

See artwork and artifacts tracing the 100-year history of Marine Corps aviation.

January 14, 2012 – January 13, 2013

Air and Space Museum

Directions: Antonio Rovaldi

View The Opening Day, a video installation by Antonio Rovaldi, and become part of whatever destructive game is being played.

July 6, 2012 – January 13, 2013

Hirshhorn Museum

Sustaining/Creating: A National Juried Exhibition for Emerging Artists with Disabilities, Ages 16-25

See how emerging artists with disabilities illustrate their innovative viewpoints on sustainability and contemporary creativity.

September 11, 2012 – January 13, 2013

Ripley Center

A Song for the Horse Nation

Witness the epic story of the horse's influence on American Indian tribes from the 1600s to the present.

October 29, 2011 – January 7, 2013

American Indian Museum DC

Juliette Gordon Low and the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts

Celebrate the centennial of the Girl Scouts of the United States, founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912. The Girl Scouts has grown from 18 members in 1912 to 3.3 million today.

January 13, 2012 – January 6, 2013

Portrait Gallery

Dark Matters: Selections from the Collection

Dark Matters brings together works from the Hirshhorn’s collection that draw upon the associations and implications of darkness. The meanings of darkness are many, and throughout this exhibition, seeing in the dark involves questioning what you see.

February 3, 2012 – January 6, 2013

Hirshhorn Museum

The Beautiful Time: Photography by Sammy Baloji

Sammy Baloji’s images introduces viewers to an important conversation taking place in Africa today about postcolonial history, urbanization, and the aspirations of 21st-century Africans.

January 7, 2012 – January 6, 2013

Natural History Museum

Abstract Drawings

Some 46 works on paper reveal the rich possibilities of abstraction as a mode of artistic expression.

June 15, 2012 – January 6, 2013

American Art Museum

Titanoboa: Monster Snake

See a model of Titanoboa cerrejonensis, an extinct snake measuring 48 feet long and weighing 2,500 pounds, which was discovered at a Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute-organized dig at the Cerrejon Mine in Colombia.

March 30, 2012 – January 6, 2013

Natural History Museum

Arctic Journeys/Ancient Memories: The Sculpture of Abraham Anghik Ruben

View Abraham Anghik Ruben's sculptures as they give new life and expression to the myths and legends of ancient northern cultures of the North American Arctic.

October 5, 2012 – January 2, 2013

American Indian Museum DC

Jessie Cohen: An Eye for Animals

See stunning animal portraits by long-time Zoo photographer Jessie Cohen.

October 27, 2011 – December 31, 2012

National Zoo

Ancient Iranian Ceramics

See a distinctive type of pottery from the Sackler's collection of ancient Iranian ceramics.

July 16, 2011 – December 31, 2012

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Gifts to the Collection: 1987-2012

See a selection of gifts, including scholar's rocks and seals, made by subsequent benefactors to the Sackler Gallery.

June 23, 2012 – December 15, 2012

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Pure Land: Inside the Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang

Colorful murals in a Chinese Buddhist cave temple of Dunhuang come alive with floating figures, performing musicians, and Buddhist sculpture in this hyper-real tour of one of the world's important treasures.

December 1, 2012 – December 9, 2012

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

African Cosmos: Stellar Arts

See some 90 African art objects that were inspired by astronomical observations and phenomena, including rainbows and eclipses.

June 20, 2012 – December 9, 2012

African Art Museum