Past Exhibitions

PostSecret: The Power of a Postcard

More than 500 artfully decorated postcards mailed anonymously from around the world reveal regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession, childhood humiliation, and other compelling confessions

August 3, 2015 – January 1, 2018

Postal Museum

Dizzy Gillespie

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery honors the life and legacy of jazz trumpeter, composer and band leader Dizzy Gillespie on the centennial of his birth.

October 26, 2017 – November 26, 2017

Jo Davidson: Biographer in Bronze

On view are portraits made by renowned American sculptor Jo Davidson between 1908 and 1946.

July 1, 2006 – November 5, 2017

Recent Acquisitions

This annual exhibition features 29 objects that showcase some of the newest additions to the museum’s collection

November 18, 2016 – October 30, 2017

Making | Breaking: New Arrivals

More than forty recent contemporary acquisitions from the museum’s permanent collection that push the boundaries of materials, making, and form.

May 19, 2017 – October 29, 2017

Hewitt Sisters Collect

The remarkable story of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt, who in 1897 established a museum within Cooper Union.

December 12, 2014 – October 29, 2017

Before Internet Cats: Feline Finds from the Archives of American Art

Alternatively expressive and aloof, the contradictory attitudes of cats make them compelling sources of inspiration. They are seen in numerous guises: playful subjects, humorous topics of conversation, independent studio companions, and beloved members of the family.

April 28, 2017 – October 29, 2017

Archives of American Art

Through the African American Lens: A Preview of the National Museum of African American History and Culture

These artifacts demonstrate the richness and diversity of the African American experience and provide a preview of the themes and collections to be on view at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

May 8, 2015 – October 1, 2017

American History Museum

Nicolas Party: sunrise, sunset

The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden presents sunrise, sunset, a large-scale, site-specific wall mural by Swiss artist Nicolas Party.

June 7, 2017 – October 1, 2017

The World of Radio

A Depression-era, monumental batik mural entitled The World of Radio is the focus of this exhibition of iconic radios, radio design drawings, and photographs from the early twentieth century through the present day

February 3, 2017 – September 24, 2017

Innovations in Defense

The Mayhem Cyber Reasoning System on exhibit is the first artificial intelligence cyber defense system designed specifically to thwart attacks on our increasingly interconnected—and vulnerable—devices.

April 20, 2017 – September 18, 2017

American History Museum

American Visionary: John F. Kennedy's Life and Times

American Visionary: John F. Kennedy’s Life and Times brings together images culled from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, Getty Images, private collections, and the Kennedy family archives that capture the dramatic scope of Kennedy’s life.

May 3, 2017 – September 17, 2017

American Art Museum

Summer of Yoko Ono

In celebration of the tenth anniversary of Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree for Washington, DC, the Hirshhorn presents a selection of the artist’s most iconic and emotionally charged installations and performances.

June 17, 2017 – September 17, 2017

Markus Lüpertz: Threads of History

Showcases more than 30 paintings from Lüpertz’s formative years in the 1960s and ’70s.

May 24, 2017 – September 10, 2017

Mail Trolleys

Learn about trolley car mail and increased speed in mail delivery. Between trolleys and multiple daily deliveries in large cities, individuals or businesses could send and receive letters as many as three to four times a day!

May 19, 2017 – September 10, 2017

Postal Museum

21st Annual Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards

Named for nature photographer and conservationist, Windland Smith Rice, the 21st annual Nature’s Best Photography Awards exhibition presents a collection of 83 fine art prints accompanied by an HD video.

October 19, 2016 – September 5, 2017

Natural History Museum

America's Presidents Temporary Installation

While the regular gallery space is being refurbished and updated, America’s Presidents will be temporarily installed in the west gallery on the second floor.

March 24, 2017 – September 4, 2017

American Indian Museum New York

Donald Sultan: The Disaster Paintings

The exhibition includes 12 signature paintings from 1984 to 1990, including Plant, May 29, 1985 from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, which will be on view only at SAAM.

May 26, 2017 – September 4, 2017

American Art Museum

Native Fashion Now

From vibrant street clothing to exquisite haute couture, this exhibition celebrates the visual range, creative expression and political nuance of Native American fashion with nearly 100 works spanning the last 50 years.

February 17, 2017 – September 4, 2017

Masterworks from the Hirshhorn Collection

This new rehanging of the third-level permanent collection galleries, features highlights of Joseph Hirshhorn’s original gift alongside some of the newest additions to the collection. Featuring more than 75 works in virtually all media, the exhibition includes several major artworks returning to view after more than a decade, such as Jean-Paul Riopelle’s 1964 Large Triptych, as well as in-depth installations devoted to some of the most important artists in the collection.

June 9, 2016 – September 4, 2017

Jeweled Splendors of the Art Deco Era: The Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan Collection

One hundred extraordinary examples of cigarette and vanity cases, compacts, clocks, and other luxury objects are installed in the Teak Room.

April 7, 2017 – August 27, 2017