Past Exhibitions

The Art of Turned Wood Bowls: The Edward Jacobson Collection

See 90 examples of lathe-turned wood bowls in many styles and in a variety of woods, created by 21 American master turners in the past decade.

April 17, 1986 – September 28, 1986

Davy Crockett: Gentleman from the Cane

Get to know Crockett and his contemporaries through mementos and first editions in an exhibition that traces the transformation of a relatively obscure farmer, hunter, and politician from Tennessee into a larger than life hero.

June 14, 1986 – September 14, 1986

Featured Object

View The Unveiling of the Statue of Liberty, a wall hanging by Katherine Westphal.

July 1, 1986 – September 14, 1986

Figure Prints: The Washington Print Club 11th Members' Biennial Exhibition

See 70 prints documenting artists' view of the human figure from the late 19th century to the present

May 16, 1986 – September 7, 1986

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Embroidered Ship Portraits

View some 50 embroidered "ship portraits", which, like scrimshaw, were the work of 19th-century sailors during slow times at sea.

June 3, 1986 – September 7, 1986

Recent Acquisitions

See 9 collages and box constructions by Joseph Cornell selected from 119 of his works recently given to the Joseph Cornell Study Center at NMAA.

August 1, 1986 – September 1, 1986

Frank Lloyd Wright and the Johnson Wax Buildings: Building a Corporate Cathedral

Admire two masterpieces of 20th-century architecture, the Johnson Wax Co.'s administration building (1936) and research tower (1943) in Racine, Wisconsin, documented by 22 original drawings and sketches from Wright's unpublished archives as well as photographs, correspondence, models, furniture, and a videotape of Wright discussing the buildings.

April 26, 1986 – September 1, 1986

Fields of Grass

A worldwide selection of grasses is shown in drawings, watercolors, and prints executed by artists from all over the world.

June 6, 1986 – August 31, 1986

Natural History Museum

The Excellent Mr. Ray

This exhibition celebrates the 300th anniversary of the publication of John Ray's book, Historia Planetarum, the first scientific work on botany.

June 3, 1986 – August 29, 1986

Portraits by Brady: Imperial Photographs from the Harvard College Library

See 60 imperial prints selected from a collection recently located at Harvard University's Fogg Museum.

April 25, 1986 – August 24, 1986

John Frazee, Sculptor

Examine the life and work of Frazee (1790-1852), the first native-born American to carve a successful portrait in marble, and the first to receive federal patronage, through the exhibition of all his major sculpted portraits.

April 25, 1986 – August 24, 1986

25 Years of National Poison Prevention Week

See 25 posters originally prepared for the annual campaigns of National Poison Prevention Week.

August 5, 1986 – August 18, 1986

Patrick Ireland: Drawings 1965-1985

See 61 drawings, including examples from all of his major series, and a rope installation, created especially for this exhibition.

April 4, 1986 – August 17, 1986

Symbols and Ceremonies: Pueblo Indian Watercolors

Most of the approximately 68 works, dating from 1917 to the early 1940s, are from NMAA's Alice Corbin-Henderson Collection.

March 28, 1986 – August 17, 1986

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Treasures of Hungary: Gold & Silver from the 9th to the 19th Century

See some 70 gold and silver objects from the National Museum in Budapest and other Hungarian collections, including spectacular personal jewelry and adornments, elegant domestic tablewares, and major examples of ecclesiastical metalwork.

May 20, 1986 – August 10, 1986

1986 Discover Graphics

See intaglio etchings in a juried exhibition of works by promising young art students who have participated in the 1986 Discover Graphics training program.

May 31, 1986 – August 3, 1986

Recent Acquisitions

See Tom Wesselman's collage Still Life #12.

July 1, 1986 – July 31, 1986

Interiors: Prints and Drawings from the Museum's Collection

See works on paper from the HMSG collection, including artists Archipenko, Matisse, Henry Moore, and Jody Mussoff.

April 1, 1986 – July 28, 1986

Hirshhorn Museum

Learning Mathematics With Objects

See nearly 30 teaching aids, including a 19th-century slate with numeral frame and geometric models, as well as textbooks.

April 1, 1986 – July 17, 1986

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Bon Voyage: Design for Travel

Explore some 200 objects, dating from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, that illustrate a range of design solutions for travel necessities and luxuries--suitcases and wardrobes, valises, trunks, collapsible and portable furniture, and personal accessories.

April 29, 1986 – July 13, 1986

A Decade of Print Collecting: The Highlights

See some of the most significant prints acquired during the past ten years.

March 1, 1986 – July 13, 1986

Recent Acquisitions (1986)

See a sampling of the portraiture of influential Americans past and present--painting, sculpture, and photographs (including a rare daguerreotype portrait of Mathew Brady).

January 18, 1986 – July 13, 1986

Noses by Design

See graphics and medical instruments in a brief overview of nasal plastic surgery.

May 5, 1986 – July 10, 1986

Crafts from Vermont

Admire and purchase the work of 24 artisans ranging from pewter to pottery, from collapsible wooden baskets to tapestry scarves and jackets.

April 10, 1986 – July 7, 1986