Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Purchases by the Hirshhorn Museum, 1974-83

On view are 64 paintings, 52 sculptures, and 31 works on paper in this exhibition of major works acquired through purchase over the past ten years.

September 15, 1983 – November 13, 1983

Hirshhorn Museum

Winston S. Churchill: Painting as a Pastime

View 50 paintings by the renowned statesman and honorary American citizen that make up a virtual diary of his private life after 1915, including landscapes from his home and travels and portraits of his family and friends.

September 21, 1983 – November 2, 1983

Smithsonian Castle

The Flying Roosevelts

View 23 photographs revealing FDR's association, on a personal and official level, with aircraft between 1918 and 1945.

January 25, 1982 – October 31, 1983

Air and Space Museum

Wethersfield Meteorites

View two celebrated meteorites that fell in the same town, Wethersfield, Connecticut, eleven years apart.

July 22, 1983 – October 30, 1983

Natural History Museum

American Artists and their Craft

Admire a changing exhibition of the work of American artists and craftmen.

May 6, 1983 – October 30, 1983

Renwick Gallery

A Penny Saved: Architecture in Cast Iron Toy Banks

Take in nearly 100 examples of toy banks in architectural shapes, most fashioned by American craftsmen between 1870 and 1940.

August 2, 1983 – October 23, 1983

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Whiz Bang: A Short History of Sound

This 20-minute slide presentation traces the history of sound from nature--thunder, water and birds--to electronic and industrial sounds.

October 7, 1983 – October 17, 1983

American History Museum

African Art in Color

See 67 objects that explore polychromy in traditional African art.

May 18, 1983 – October 16, 1983

African Art Museum

Photography and Architecture: 1839-1939

View more than 170 photographs that chronicle aspects of the history of architecture through photography, and, conversely, the history of photography as shown in architectural records.

July 26, 1983 – October 16, 1983

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Scandinavian Modern 1880-1980

Document the history of Scandinavian design during the last century with more than 330 works—furniture, ceramics, glass, metalwork, and textiles—from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

July 8, 1983 – October 10, 1983

Renwick Gallery

Portraits on a Page of History: The Career of James B. Longacre (1794-1869)

Trace the development of the American artist's multi-faceted career as engraver, portraitist, and illustrator and chief engraver to the U.S. Mint.

April 9, 1983 – October 10, 1983

Portrait Gallery

From the Earth: African Ceramic Art

View 84 objects made from clay, representing the ceramic art styles of 28 cultures from 19 African nations.

May 18, 1983 – October 9, 1983

African Art Museum

Recent Acquisitions: Benin Bronzes

View 2 outstanding examples of Benin court art.

April 1, 1983 – October 9, 1983

African Art Museum

Crafts from Maine

Admire and purchase jewelry, utilitarian ceramics, and textiles.

July 7, 1983 – October 2, 1983

Renwick Gallery

William Short: First U.S. Career Diplomat

See documents, commissions, and memorabilia from the life of G. Washington's first Charge d'Affairs to France.

May 1, 1983 – September 30, 1983

American History Museum

Works on Paper

See works on paper from the HMSG collection.

August 1, 1983 – September 30, 1983

Hirshhorn Museum

Washington Irving

This small exhibition, commemorating the bicentennial of the author's birth, includes portraits, related paintings, and books.

April 2, 1983 – September 25, 1983

Portrait Gallery

Colorful Kite Tales

See photographs and drawings that illustrate 15 kite stories.

June 21, 1983 – September 19, 1983

Air and Space Museum

Chinese Flower Paintings

Visit some 40 scrolls and album leaves, dating from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Approximately one-half of the paintings are on exhibit for the first time.

March 18, 1983 – September 18, 1983

Asian Art Museum, West Building

Building Brooklyn Bridge: The Design & Construction, 1867-1883

See more than 300 objects, including original drawings of design and construction, models, artifacts, photographs, and representations of the bridge.

May 4, 1983 – September 14, 1983

American History Museum

Charles Bremner Hogg Jackson

Visit highlights from the diverse and numerous objects in the estate of C. Bremner Hogg Jackson, a leading collector.

June 24, 1983 – September 12, 1983

American History Museum

Gifts of Glass, 1885-1920

Take in a special exhibit of some 75 pieces of turn-of-the century glass donated to the Smithsonian Institution by manufacturers of that era.

June 1, 1982 – September 5, 1983

American History Museum

Heritage of Islam (Muslim Treasures)

Celebrate the 14th centennial of Islam, its history and its legacy to the Western world through 250 objects assembled from museums and private collections of 25 countries.

June 2, 1983 – September 5, 1983

Natural History Museum

Mr. Sully, Portrait Painter: Works of Thomas Sully (1783-1872)

Visit a major exhibition that includes 81 paintings and drawings representative of the major phases of Sully's seven decades as a working artist: a sampling of his early miniatures; masterpieces of his maturity; and paintings after photographs done at the close of his career.

June 3, 1983 – September 5, 1983

Portrait Gallery

Silk Screen Mandalas by Kamal Boullata

View 12 contemporary artworks in the Islamic visual tradition. The artist, Kamal Boullata, uses geometric patterns created by the repetition of certain words to re-create Arabic mandalas (ideograms).

June 2, 1983 – September 5, 1983

Natural History Museum