Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Multiplicity

This exhibition features more than 80 prints by outstanding contemporary artists who have expanded the idea of multiplicity beyond editions of identical impressions.

November 11, 2011 – March 11, 2012

American Art Museum

Watch This! New Directions in the Art of the Moving Image

In this permanent rotating gallery dedicated to the media arts, the museum examines the history and the latest developments in the art of the moving image.

November 15, 2011 – March 6, 2012

American Art Museum

Steve Jobs Portrait

View a portrait of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs (1955-2011) by photographer Diana Walker.

October 12, 2011 – March 1, 2012

Portrait Gallery

Gift of the Artist: Photographers as Donors

Images donated by 15 contemporary documentary photographers reveal the diversity of the Archives Center's photographic collection.

November 18, 2011 – February 29, 2012

American History Museum

AIDS Quilt Panel

On view is a panel from the AIDS Memorial Quilt honoring Roger Lyon.

June 3, 2011 – February 28, 2012

American History Museum

Seasons: Arts of Japan

See how seasonal associations permeate Japanese art and culture.

February 5, 2011 – February 12, 2012

Asian Art Museum Freer Gallery

Central Nigeria Unmasked: Arts of the Benue River Valley

See more than 150 works created by the diverse people of the Benue River Valley in Central Nigeria - the source of the most abstract, dramatic, and inventive sculpture in sub-Saharan Africa.

September 14, 2011 – February 12, 2012

African Art Museum

The Wonder of Light: Touch and Learn

View objects from the museums' collections related to light - a symbol of discovery.

October 29, 2010 – February 6, 2012

Smithsonian Castle

Toys from the Attic

This case examines toys produced in 19th-century America that reflect changes in both technology and society.

June 1, 2010 – January 31, 2012

American History Museum

Power/Play: China's Empress Dowager

This exhibition provides a compelling and immersive exploration of the Empress Dowager Cixi -- supreme leader of China for more than 45 years-- through 35 glass-plate negatives, two original prints, and film clips.

September 24, 2011 – January 29, 2012

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Fabric of Survival: The Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz

See more than 30 exquisitely detailed embroidered and appliqued fabric panels that tell the story of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz's harrowing escape from the Nazis as a young girl and her voyage to freedom in America.

November 11, 2011 – January 29, 2012

Ripley Center

Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories

More than 50 artifacts and 100 works of art reveal Gertrude Stein in her many roles.

October 14, 2011 – January 22, 2012

Portrait Gallery

Seasons: Japanese Screens

Visit a selection of seasonal Japanese screens from the nearly 200 screens held by the Freer Gallery.

December 24, 2010 – January 22, 2012

Asian Art Museum Freer Gallery

Momentum: A National Juried Exhibition for Emerging Artists with Disabilities, Ages 16-25

View works by 15 award-winning emerging artists with disabilities, ages 16-25.

September 7, 2011 – January 22, 2012

Ripley Center

Family Matters: Portraits from the Qing Court

Paintings of three generations of the Qing dynasty's imperial family are on view.

June 11, 2011 – January 16, 2012

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Andy Warhol: Shadows

Take this rare opportunity to see Andy Warhol's Shadows—102 large paintings extending almost 450 linear feet—in its entirety.

September 25, 2011 – January 15, 2012

Hirshhorn Museum

Hope Diamond in Its New Temporary Setting

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic donation of the Hope Diamond and the museum's centennial, the museum is exhibiting for the first time ever the Hope Diamond in a new temporary setting called "Embracing Hope."

November 18, 2010 – January 11, 2012

Natural History Museum

Collecting History: 125 Years of the National Philatelic Collection

The National Postal Museum celebrates the 125th anniversary of its National Philatelic Collection, which predates the museum by more than 100 years, with this exhibition that traces the history of this national treasure.

August 8, 2010 – January 9, 2012

Postal Museum

Design with the Other 90%: CITIES

This exhibition examines the complex issues arising from the unprecedented rate of urban growth projected to take place over the next 20 years in informal settlements.

October 15, 2011 – January 9, 2012

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Robots on the Road: Stanley

Stanley, a modified Volkswagen Touareg, offers a glimpse into the future of "smart" cars. It can drive itself without a human in the driver's seat or at remote controls.

November 21, 2008 – January 8, 2012

American History Museum

Seasons: Chinese Flowers

View Chinese art featuring seasonal flowers.

July 2, 2011 – January 8, 2012

Asian Art Museum Freer Gallery

Portraits of John F. Kennedy

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's presidential inauguration, the museum displays five portraits of Kennedy.

January 8, 2011 – January 8, 2012

Portrait Gallery

The Great American Hall of Wonders

This exhibition examines the American ingenuity that energized all aspects of 19th-century society, from the painting of landscapes and scenes of everyday life to the planning of scientific expeditions and the development of new mechanical devices.

July 15, 2011 – January 8, 2012

American Art Museum

Artists in Dialogue 2: Sandile Zulu and Henrique Oliveira

Observe two artists creating site-specific works in response to each other's style and artworks.

February 2, 2011 – January 8, 2012

African Art Museum

Race: Are We So Different?

This traveling exhibition looks at race and racism in the United States through biological, cultural, and historical points of view.

June 18, 2011 – January 8, 2012

Natural History Museum