Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Baskets and Cylinders: Recent Glass by Dale Chihuly

See 56 designs inspired by American Indian containers or highlighted by thin linear patterns in subtle color variations.

November 17, 1978 – June 3, 1979

Renwick Gallery

Black Hawk and Keokuk:Prairie Rivals

Explore the effects of the rivalry between the leaders of the Confederated Tribes of Sauk and Fox during the settlement of Illinois in the early 1880s.

December 15, 1978 – June 3, 1979

Portrait Gallery

Sales Exhibition: Crafts for the Tabletop

Admire and purchase glass goblets and decanters, woven place mats and table scarves, silver and wrought iron flatware and napkin rings, pottery bowls, and plates and mugs, all the work of craftsmen from around the country.

March 13, 1979 – May 31, 1979

Renwick Gallery

MA, Space/Time in Japan

Explore the ancient concept of time and space as a single entity with these Japanese objects.

April 3, 1979 – May 27, 1979

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Japanese Collections in the Cooper-Hewitt Museum

Visit a three-part collection of Japanese woodblock prints, sword guards, and textile stencils.

April 10, 1979 – May 20, 1979

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Mexican Masks

View 75 contemporary examples of masks, an intimate part of festive and religious life in Mexico.

September 29, 1978 – May 20, 1979

Renwick Gallery

Alaska's Native People

Visit 40 oils of Eskimos, Aleuts and Indians by Lunda Hoyle Gill of McLean, Virginia. Portraits range from those of small babies to old tattooed women, and include details of dress, tools, and implements.

March 24, 1979 – May 20, 1979

Natural History Museum

Adalbert Volck: Fifth Column Artist

Contemplate examples of the scathing pictorial denunciations of the Union cause created by the Baltimore dentist under the pseudonym, "V. Blada".

August 29, 1978 – May 20, 1979

Portrait Gallery

Calder's Universe

See over 125 works -- mobiles, stabiles and other sculpture: paintings, drawings, gouaches, tapestries, toys and jewelry.

March 15, 1979 – May 13, 1979

Hirshhorn Museum

Take your Choice: Contemporary Product Design

Decide between two contrasting designs for each of ten products.

April 17, 1979 – May 13, 1979

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Seymour Lipton: Aspects of Sculpture

View 13 sculptures as well as 47 drawings and 25 maquettes (small working models) by one of the surviving giants of abstract expressionism.

March 16, 1979 – May 6, 1979

American Art Museum

The Brush of the Masters: Drawings from Iran and India

View 82 drawings, executed between 1400 and 1800, by master artists of imperial courts.

October 16, 1978 – April 30, 1979

Asian Art Museum, West Building

Treasures of Mexico

This exhibition marks the first time a major survey of the art of Mexico solely from its public collections has been presented in the U.S. Included among approximately 100 works are objects from the pre-Columbian period through the 19th century, a span of 12,000 years.

March 30, 1978 – April 30, 1979

Natural History Museum

FONZ Photo Contest Winners

See about 50 photographs, including winning prints in a Friends of the National Zoo contest. Zoo subjects are shown in black and white as well as in color.

April 1, 1979 – April 30, 1979

National Zoo

Gabor Peterdi: Forty-five Years of Printmaking

See 42 etchings and engraving, emphasizing those created since 196. Peterdi's contributions to printmaking, particularly in color intaglio prints, are widely recognized.

March 9, 1979 – April 29, 1979

American Art Museum

Artists and Others: Some Portraits from the Collection

View a thematic installation of some 45 works--paintings and sculpture. Included are self-portraits, portraits of other artists and likenesses of others prominent in the arts. Artists range from Rodin to Larry Rivers.

February 1, 1979 – April 29, 1979

Hirshhorn Museum

Lyman B. Smith and Robert W. Read: Taxonomic Studies of Bromeliads

Live bromeliads highlight the work of two MNH botanists. An Herbarium specimen as well as color transparencies and photographs describe their work of identification and classification.

February 15, 1979 – April 15, 1979

Natural History Museum

Japanese Painting from the Ukiyo-e School

View 7 paintings of the Edo Period, including the work of Chikuden, Ikeno Taiga and Hoitsu, as well as 35 ceramics.

November 13, 1978 – April 1, 1979

Asian Art Museum, West Building

Japanese Wood Block Prints: Images of the Floating World

View 30 prints of the Edo Period (1615-1868), including The 36 Views of Mt. Fuji by Hokusai.

November 13, 1978 – April 1, 1979

Asian Art Museum, West Building

Galapagos Islands: Intimate Views

Visit a selection of color photographs of the Islands' unique bird and animal life taken by Nancy Dunn.

February 1, 1979 – April 1, 1979

Natural History Museum

The Question Mark and the Growth of Aerial Refueling

See a model of the Question Mark, the Fokker C-2 aircraft that set an unofficial endurance record for refueled airplane flight in January 1929 (almost 151 hours).

October 16, 1978 – March 31, 1979

Air and Space Museum

Brazilian Princess Topaz

See a 21,327-carat (9 lb. 6 oz.) flawless light blue gem, considered to be the largest cut gemstone in the world.

March 1, 1979 – March 30, 1979

Natural History Museum

Indelible Images: Contemporary Advertising Design

Consider 100 examples in an exhibition which explores the content and style of a number of advertising campaigns.

February 6, 1979 – March 25, 1979

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Collages by Irwin Kremen

Visit 53 intimately-scaled works created by the newly-recognized North Carolina artist, made from electrical tape, rust, wire, felt, celluloid, string and found papers.

January 26, 1979 – March 25, 1979

American Art Museum

The Dream King: Ludwig of Bavaria

See designs for interiors, objects and the famous castles commissioned by Ludwig.

January 23, 1979 – March 25, 1979

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum