Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Asen: Iron Altars from Ouidah, Republic of Benin

See two metal altars, called "asen," that typify the blending of European and inland African peoples in the city of Ouidah, once a slave port in what is now the Republic of Benin.

December 17, 1993 – April 24, 1994

African Art Museum

William Daley: Ceramic Works and Drawings

Enjoy this traveling exhibition of 40 works in clay and bronze and on paper that provides the first critical analysis of the career of this prominent Philadelphia artist.

February 18, 1994 – April 17, 1994

Renwick Gallery

KPMG Peat Marwick Collection of American Craft: A Gift to the Renwick Gallery

Admire 22 objects made from clay, fiber, wood, paper, and metal by 18 modern artists, on view for the first time.

February 25, 1994 – April 17, 1994

Renwick Gallery

On Location: Landscapes and Cityscapes in American Photography from the Museum's Collection

This exhibition features works from Ansel Adams Parmelian Prints of the High Sierra 5" portfolio and other land- and cityscape views by photographers such as Berenice Abbott, William Eggleston, and Frank Gohlke.

December 17, 1993 – April 3, 1994

American Art Museum

Smithsonian Saxophone Photography Display

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Adolphe Sax's death, this exhibit features b&w photos of jazz musicians at work in the 1940s and 1950s by Herman Leonard, who built his reputation photographing performers.

February 4, 1994 – March 31, 1994

American History Museum

Dress Codes: Urban Folk Fashion

See how textiles and clothing are communicators of American values.

November 5, 1993 – March 25, 1994

Arts and Industries Building

Still on the Journey: Photographs from the First 20 Years of "Sweet Honey in the Rock"

The acapella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock sings—and signs—to educate and empower audiences in their hometown of Washington, DC and around the world.

January 15, 1994 – March 20, 1994

Anacostia Community Museum

Earthly Constellation: Photographs by Linda Connor

Admire 45 black-and-white photos from the late 1970s to today that depict spiritual artifacts and landscapes worldwide, including Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Hawaii, and the American Southwest. M

December 17, 1993 – March 20, 1994

American Art Museum

The Arvin Gottlieb Collection: Paintings from the American Southwest

This exhibition features major painters of southwestern landscapes and Indian and Hispanic life such as Kenneth Adams, Oscar Berninghaus, Joseph Henry Sharp, Ernest Martin Hennings, and B.J.O. Nordfelt.

September 24, 1993 – March 20, 1994

American Art Museum

Chiefly Feasts: The Enduring Kwakiutl Potlatch

Northwest Coast Kwakiutl Indian ceremonial potlatches are brought to life through 120 artworks, some exhibited for the first time.

October 29, 1993 – March 6, 1994

Natural History Museum

Before Freedom Came: African American Life in the Antebellum South

View an exhibit that examines the lives of African Americans, free and enslaved, during the Antebellum South.

December 12, 1993 – March 1, 1994

Anacostia Community Museum

1994 Staff Exhibition

This annual exhibition features works of art by staff members from National Museum of American Art, National Portrait Gallery, and Archives of American Art.

February 8, 1994 – February 28, 1994

American Art Museum

Directions: Glenn Ligon: To Disembark

See 2 suites of prints, 9 audio sculptures, and 3 related wall drawings that focus on the life and slavery of Henry "Box" Brown.

November 11, 1993 – February 21, 1994

Hirshhorn Museum

From Concept to Building: A Project in Singapore by Architect Paul Rudolph

Trace the evolution of the Concourse Building in Singapore through artist's drawings, blueprints, and photographs.

November 9, 1993 – February 20, 1994

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Jasper Johns: Love and Death

Visit a select group of drawings, paintings, and lithographs by this 20th-century artist, ranging from his charcoal and pastel drawing Painting with Two Balls (1960), to his series Tantric I, II, and III (1980-81).

October 22, 1993 – February 20, 1994

American Art Museum

Van Der Zee, Photographer, 1886-1983

On view are photographs of the Harlem community by African American photographer VanDerZee.

October 22, 1993 – February 13, 1994

Portrait Gallery

20th-Century Self-Portraits from the NPG Collection

This exhibition features 47 portraits by notable 20th-century American artists such as Chuck Close, Thomas Hart Benton, George Bellows, and Alexander Calder.

October 22, 1993 – February 13, 1994

Portrait Gallery

Fancy Fronts: Men's Waistcoats from the 18th Century

Visit 18th-century European waistcoats from the museum's textile collection that illustrate the technical expertise of the day.

October 19, 1993 – February 13, 1994

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

The Divine Word of Islam

See a Koran (the holy scripture of Islam), books of prayer, folios from dispersed volumes as well as a ceramic tombstone, dating from the 14th through the 18th century from Egypt, Iran, and Turkey.

July 4, 1993 – February 6, 1994

Asian Art Museum, East Building

The Power of Maps

See a variety of maps from around the world, ranging from a 1500 B.C. Mesopotamian clay tablet to 19th-century Native American maps and a superconductor map of the current ozone hole over Antarctica.

November 9, 1993 – January 25, 1994

Ripley Center