Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Recent Acquisition: The Misses Mary and Hannah Murray (by John Trumbull)

This portrait, painted for the sisters' father, a prosperous New York merchant, reflects Trumbull's mature portrait style at its apogee.

May 1, 1988 – May 31, 1988

American Art Museum

Indian Shawls in America

Trace the popular history of shawls--from its beginning in India to its fashion success in America in the 18th century.

August 1, 1986 – May 31, 1988

American History Museum

Across the Sea and Over the Mountains (APA Heritage Art Contest Winners)

Focus on the hardships and rewards that new immigrants experience in the U.S. through this Smithsonian-sponsored art contest.

May 2, 1988 – May 31, 1988

Natural History Museum

Kate Ericson/Mel Ziegler Works: The Conscious Stone

This outdoor installation features small groups of granite, sandstone, and marble stones that originated from the same quarries used to build several of Washington's well-known structures, including the Smithsonian Castle and the Washington Monument.

March 9, 1988 – May 30, 1988

Hirshhorn Museum

Directions: Sherrie Levine

Featured are 24 works from two of the artist's recent painting series Knots and Lead Checks.

March 9, 1988 – May 30, 1988

Hirshhorn Museum

Sensory Garden

See plants including Harry Lauder Walking Stick trees (Corylus Contorta) and American Elms and annuals, including fragrant herbs.

June 1, 1982 – May 24, 1988

Smithsonian Gardens

Sea and Shore: Selections from the Permanent Collection

Enjoy 29 paintings and constructions from the permanent collection that trace the range of seascape imagery from 19th-century romanticism to 20th-century Abstraction and Surrealism.

October 1, 1987 – May 15, 1988

Hirshhorn Museum

Versailles: The View from Sweden, Drawings from the National Museum and the Royal Palace, Stockholm

See 120 architectural drawings and related designs demonstrating the impact exerted upon the Swedish royal court by Louis XVI's Versailles.

February 23, 1988 – May 15, 1988

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Hemphill Folk Art

Examine 14 objects from the Hemphill Collection of Folk Art.

March 2, 1987 – May 11, 1988

American Art Museum

Recent Acquisition: Foundry in Baltimore (Pastel on Paper by Max Weber)

The modernist artist and writer Max Weber (1881 Russia-1961 U.S.) probably conceived and drew this work during a 1915 trip to Baltimore on the occasion of an exhibition of his works there.

April 1, 1988 – April 30, 1988

American Art Museum

Expressiv: Central European Art Since 1960

Survey the expressionist impulse in central European art of the past three decades through works by more than 30 artists.

February 18, 1988 – April 17, 1988

Hirshhorn Museum

"Gold Rush" Bicycle

See the "Gold Rush," an aerodynamically designed bicycle made of light-weight, synthetic materials, including aramid, spandex fibers, and polyester film.

September 22, 1987 – April 15, 1988

American History Museum

Renwick Featured Object: Orange Swirl (ceramic by Neil Tetowski)

Discover a large-scale wall-mounted disc that features a broad rim, scribed with a series of parallel lines.

November 4, 1987 – April 15, 1988

Renwick Gallery

Invent America Contest Winners

See 9 inventions by American elementary school children, recent winners in the nationwide Invent America contest.

October 23, 1987 – April 14, 1988

American History Museum

Getting Dressed: Fashionable Appearance 1750-1800

See some 45 articles of clothing and accessories worn by elite Anglo-American men and women, as well as 25 depictions of the garments and people of the period.

December 1, 1985 – April 11, 1988

American History Museum

British Ceramics in Maryland, 1750-1800

View some 125 examples of creamware, pearlware, black basalt, and other styles produced by Josiah Wedgwood, Thomas Whieldon, and other potters primarily of Staffordshire, England.

December 1, 1985 – April 3, 1988

American History Museum

Generations

See some 275 artifacts selected from Smithsonian museums and collections worldwide that examine the universality of the birth experience, an event which every culture in the world marks with symbolic images.

September 28, 1987 – March 31, 1988

Ripley Center

Drawings, 1980-1987, The Quadrangle Project, Smithsonian Institution

View some 75 original renderings by architect Jean-Paul Carlhian of the architectural firm Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbot that portray various aspects of the African Art Museum, the Sackler Gallery, and the S. Dillon Ripley Center.

October 1, 1987 – March 31, 1988

Ripley Center

The Search for Life: Genetic Technology in the 20th Century

Genetic technology is examined in this exhibition that chronicles the history of molecular biology and its application and impact on modern-day agriculture and medicine.

December 16, 1987 – March 30, 1988

American History Museum

Birds and Flowers of the Fifty States: The Singer Stamp Series

See the original paintings for two series of United States postage stamps featuring birds and flowers of the 50 states, first issued in 1982.

November 19, 1987 – March 27, 1988

Natural History Museum

Diversity Endangered

This exhibition, featuring 15 posters of animals and environments, offers an overview of the biological diversity issue.

September 1, 1987 – March 25, 1988

Natural History Museum

African Art in the Cycle of Life

See approximately 90 objects in this major international loan exhibition from public and private collections in Europe, the U.S., and Africa that demonstrate that art in Africa intersects most aspects of the life cycle with remarkable consistency.

September 28, 1987 – March 20, 1988

African Art Museum

Taking Sides in South Africa: A Photographic Documentary of the Conflict During 1985-1986

View some 20 photographs by the South African photographers' cooperative, Afrapix, that graphically portray the intense and sometimes violent scenes from the conflict over apartheid

March 1, 1988 – March 15, 1988

Ripley Center

The New Spirit: Artist-Organizers of the Armory Show (Madison Gallery Group)

The exhibition focuses on the overlooked careers and achievements of the original show's five artists-organizers, collectively known as the Madison Gallery Group.

December 21, 1987 – March 13, 1988

Hirshhorn Museum

Color by the Yard: Printed Fabric 1760-1860

Explore both furnishings and clothing fabrics from around the world, from 1760 up to 1860.

November 3, 1987 – March 13, 1988

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum