Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

By Sea and By Land: Independence with the Help of France

See portraits, paintings, letters, swords, cannon, and other objects commemorating the bicentennial of the Battle of Yorktown, the decisive battle of the Revolutionary War.

October 10, 1981 – November 30, 1981

Smithsonian Castle

Mast, Foos & Co. Iron Wind Turbine Engine (windmill)

See a recently acquired windmill made by Mast, Foos & Co. around 1898.

November 1, 1981 – November 30, 1981

American History Museum

Ibero-American Art: Selections from the Hirshhorn Museum Collection

See 26 paintings, sculptures, and drawings by various Spanish, Mexican, South American, and Portuguese artists of the 20th century. The exhibition honors the millennium of the Castillian language and the fusion of Iberian cultures.

November 1, 1981 – November 15, 1981

Hirshhorn Museum

Americans in Glass

View blown, cast, fabricated, and engraved pieces of contemporary studio glass by 20 invited artists and 55 selected by jury.

August 25, 1981 – November 15, 1981

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Culture of Okinawa

See a musical instrument, costumes, and other artifacts, which reflect Okinawa's traditional role as a cultural crossroads for Asian arts.

November 4, 1981 – November 15, 1981

Natural History Museum

R.B. Kitaj

This exhibition, the first comprehensive retrospective of this American's works, includes 102 paintings and pastels.

September 17, 1981 – November 15, 1981

Hirshhorn Museum

Atomic Clock (Hydrogen Maser)

Observe the original Hydrogen Maser, the most stable and precise of atomic clocks, invented by Norman F. Ramsey of Harvard University.

August 25, 1980 – November 15, 1981

American History Museum

The Grand Beehive Exhibition

Enjoy approximately 100 objects that are diverse expressions of Utah's state symbol, the beehive, which was first adopted by the Mormon settlers of Utah,

April 24, 1981 – November 8, 1981

Renwick Gallery

Meat Inspection - 75 Years

See meat inspection equipment, photographs, and an autographed copy of "The Jungle," by Upton Sinclair, in this exhibition commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Meat Inspection Act of 1906.

September 30, 1981 – November 6, 1981

American History Museum

China's Inner Frontier

View prints from over 100 photographs taken by F.R. Wulsin's 1923 expedition to northwest China. The photographs, taken on one of the few Western expeditions to this region, portray the people and their way of life as well as panoramic landscapes.

October 8, 1981 – November 5, 1981

Natural History Museum

Magazine Covers: Art for the People

Enjoy more than 100 magazine covers and original art by artists, illustrators, and photographers--primarily European and American--from the mid-19th century to the present.

August 25, 1981 – November 1, 1981

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

New Accessions (20th-Century Art)

View 29 paintings, drawings, and sculptures, that highlight the museum's continuing program of acquiring contemporary works as well as those of historic significance.

June 12, 1981 – November 1, 1981

American Art Museum

Out of the Ordinary: Domestic and Ritual Furnishings from Africa

View an exhibit of domestic furnishings that illustrates the aesthetic and spiritual qualities they have in common with ritual objects.

September 17, 1981 – October 31, 1981

African Art Museum

In Touch: Printing & Writing for the Blind in the 19th Century

Presented are mechanical devices and methods representing the history of printing and writing for the blind from 1780 through the 19th century.

September 22, 1980 – October 18, 1981

American History Museum

Highlights in Radio Astronomy

This exhibition presents the highlights of the development of radio astronomy, one of the most sophisticated astronomical aids.

August 11, 1981 – October 14, 1981

American History Museum

Two Contemporary Bird Painters in Oregon Territory

Oregon birds in their natural habitats from the coast, mountain, and desert are the subject of 40 oils and watercolors by professional bird painters, L.B. McQueen and Jon Janosik.

August 8, 1981 – October 4, 1981

Natural History Museum

In Their Own Way

Reflect on 14 paintings, 4 sculptures, and 1 watercolor made by a diverse group of 19th- and 20th-century American artists, each of whom show a marked independence from the traditional.

May 1, 1981 – October 4, 1981

American Art Museum

The History of Contact Lenses

The development of the contact lens is illustrated with examples of contact lenses dating to the early 20th century.

July 1, 1981 – September 30, 1981

American History Museum

5,000 Years of Korean Art

Thought to be the largest and most important exhibition of Korean art to ever tour the U.S., the show includes over 300 objects from the National Museum of Korea and other Korean collections.

July 15, 1981 – September 30, 1981

Natural History Museum

Hair: 1800-1899

See approximately 70 objects pertaining to the subject of hair in 19th-century American society.

August 13, 1981 – September 30, 1981

American History Museum

Contemporary Korean-American Arts

In celebration of the artistic heritage of Korea, the Korean Artists Association of the Great Washington Area organized this exhibition. Ceramics, paintings, prints, metal works, wall hangings, and furniture are included.

July 9, 1981 – September 30, 1981

Natural History Museum

Peace Corps Photography Contest Winners

See 12 winning photographs and approximately 15 that received honorable mention, all taken by current or former Peace Corps volunteers.

August 11, 1981 – September 27, 1981

Natural History Museum

Larry Rivers: From the Museum's Collection

View 43 of this contemporary artist's works including paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media compositions selected from the permanent collection.

July 16, 1981 – September 20, 1981

Hirshhorn Museum

Champions of American Sport

View likenesses and objects associated with 100 American sports personalities from the 1830s to the present.

June 23, 1981 – September 20, 1981

Portrait Gallery

An American Perspective: Selections from the Bequest of Frank McClure

See 66 prints and drawings by 20th-century artists, chosen from the noted biochemist and printmaker's collection, a 1979 gift to NMAA.

May 15, 1981 – September 20, 1981

American Art Museum