Past Exhibitions

Different Drummers

View approximately 80 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by 9 post-World War II, American artists known for idiosyncratic, individualistic approaches to their work.

May 12, 1988 – August 14, 1988

Hirshhorn Museum

Shoowa Design: Raffia Textiles from Zaire

See more than 100 raffia textiles, known for their complex geometric designs, woven by men and embroidered by women of the Shoowa group of Zaire's Kuba peoples.

June 15, 1988 – August 7, 1988

African Art Museum

Music on Stamps: A Selection From the Charles Haywood Collection

See a selection of international postage stamps and first day covers, all conveying a musical theme.

January 1, 1988 – July 31, 1988

Recent Acquisition: The Pilgrim of the World at the End of His Journey (by Thomas Cole)

This painting (circa 1846-48) reflects Thomas Cole's ambition to redirect the moral and political outlook of the young American republic.

July 1, 1988 – July 31, 1988

Focus on Flight (1987 Photography Contest Winners)

See 40 photographs, including 12 award winners, that were entries in a recent photography contest at the museum.

January 27, 1988 – July 30, 1988

Air and Space Museum

1988 Discover Graphics

View etchings, lithographs, and other prints by high school students from the Washington, D.C., area.

June 4, 1988 – July 20, 1988

Masterpieces from Gripsholm Castle: The Swedish National Portrait Collection

In recognition of the 350th anniversary of the first Swedish settlement in North America, this exhibition is part of a program of cultural, social and educational events throughout the U.S. called New Sweden '88.

April 12, 1988 – July 10, 1988

Leroy Grumman and the F-6F Hellcat

See a newly-restored F-6F Hellcat, displayed on a simulated carrier deck, in this exhibition highlighting aircraft and spacecraft developed under the supervision of Leroy Grumman.

October 2, 1985 – July 4, 1988

Air and Space Museum

Recent Acquisition: Looking Out of Battle Harbor (by William Bradford)

William Bradford, internationally acclaimed for his many views of the Arctic, depicts in this vessel scene both the danger and beauty of the northern seas.

June 1, 1988 – June 30, 1988

Asian Art Museum, East Building

The Chinese Scholar's Studio: Artistic Life in the Late Ming Period

View 150 paintings, jades, lacquers, ceramics, musical instruments, and books dating from the neolithic period to the 17th century.

May 1, 1988 – June 26, 1988

The Art That Is Life: The Arts and Crafts Movement in America, 1875-1920

View nearly 200 objects ranging from stained glass, silver, jewelry, books, pottery and architectural drawings that represent the Arts and Crafts Movement.

April 5, 1988 – June 26, 1988

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Wanderlust (Hallmark Exhibition)

Enjoy 64 color photographs (24 color and 40 b&w) by 8 photographers that focus on foreign peoples and places.

April 8, 1988 – June 19, 1988

King Herod's Dream: Caesarea on the Sea

Caesarea served as an important urban center and Mediterranean seaport through 6 historical periods. Examine more than 200 archaeological artifacts from 22 B.C. through the late 13th century A.D.

March 23, 1988 – June 19, 1988

Natural History Museum

City Life: Photographs by Bruce Davidson

Explore the differences and similarities of his approach to urban subjects in New York in 3 series by Davidson, shown together for the first time.

March 4, 1988 – June 19, 1988

The Ice Age Origins of Early Man

See tools and artifacts of the Clovis people, denizens of the Ice Age who were probably the first Americans.

September 24, 1987 – June 16, 1988

Natural History Museum

Man of the Year: Portraits from the Time Collection

Travel through time with 25 examples of original art for Time magazine cover portraits, including the first Man of the Year cover, published in 1928, of Charles Lindbergh.

January 1, 1987 – June 5, 1988

The Artist's Mother: Portraits and Homages

Pay homage to moms everywhere with 40 works in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic art, photography and film by 20th-century artists such as David Hockey, Alice Neel, Raphael Soyer, and George Bellows.

March 26, 1988 – June 5, 1988

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

The Triumph of Simplicity: 350 Years of Swedish Silver

See 80 examples of the art of silversmiths in Sweden, dating from the 17th century to the present day.

March 1, 1988 – June 5, 1988

Color in Clay: New Expressions in Ancient Art

Admire and purchase cups, plates, and vases created in sculptural forms by artists from across the country.

May 1, 1988 – June 5, 1988

Renwick Gallery

Industry, Skill, Ingenuity: Southern Black Expositions, 1880-1915

Featured is a display of objects from the Colored People's Industrial Exhibition at the Cotton Centennial in New Orleans (1884-1885).

February 2, 1988 – June 1, 1988

Pilgrim William Bradford's Silver Wine Cup

A rare 350-year-old wine cup once owned by William Bradford has been acquired jointly by the Smithsonian Institution and the Pilgrim Society of Plymouth, Mass.

June 14, 1985 – June 1, 1988

The Year in Pictures

This display of more than 60 photographs documents events that occurred on or near the National Mall during the previous year.

September 16, 1987 – June 1, 1988