Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

American Myth and Memory: David Levinthal Photographs

American Myth and Memory: David Levinthal Photographs brings together six of the artist’s best-known bodies of work to explore some myths found in American popular culture and their place in our collective memory.

June 7, 2019 – October 14, 2019

American Art Museum

Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths

Striking Iron reveals the history of invention and technical sophistication that led African blacksmiths to transform one of Earth’s most basic natural resources into objects of life-changing utility, empowerment, prestige, spiritual potency, and astonishing artistry.

April 17, 2019 – October 14, 2019

African Art Museum

Bloom: Flowers from the Archives of American Art

Sketches and drawings of flowers from our collections provide a fascinating opportunity to examine flowers from both an artistic and scientific point of view.

March 2, 2019 – October 6, 2019

Archives of American Art

The Last American Dinosaurs: Discovering a Lost World

How do we learn about dinosaurs and their ecosystems? Come see some of their fossils and find out!

November 25, 2014 – September 29, 2019

Natural History Museum

T.C. Cannon: At the Edge of America

T.C. Cannon: At the Edge of America celebrates Cannon’s creative range and artistic legacy through numerous paintings and works on paper, as well as his poetry and music.

April 6, 2019 – September 16, 2019

American Indian Museum New York

The Evidence Room

Designed and built for the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016, The Evidence Room draws upon extensive archival research to recreate incriminating architectural features of Auschwitz that were dismantled and destroyed by the Nazis at the end of WWII.

June 12, 2019 – September 8, 2019

Hirshhorn Museum

23rd Annual Nature's Best Photography: Windland Smith Rice International Awards

Named for nature photographer and conservationist Windland Smith Rice, Nature’s Best presents breathtaking fine art prints and short videos that highlight the best of nature photography—and our spectacular planet.

October 29, 2018 – September 3, 2019

Natural History Museum

Scholten & Baijings: Lessons from the Studio

An interactive installation of industrial design from the award-winning Dutch design studio on view in the Process lab, where visitors can explore the studio’s experiments with form, material, and color.

September 14, 2018 – September 2, 2019

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Enrico David: Gradations of Slow Release

Enrico David has distinguished himself as one of the most original artists working today, fashioning a universe of imagery that revolves around the human figure and its many states of being.

April 16, 2019 – September 2, 2019

Hirshhorn Museum

Tiffany Chung: Vietnam, Past is Prologue

Internationally acclaimed artist Tiffany Chung is known for her multimedia work that explores migration, conflict, and shifting geographies in the wake of political and natural upheavals.

March 15, 2019 – September 2, 2019

American Art Museum

Eye to I: Self Portraits from the National Portrait Gallery

As we are confronted each day with “selfies” via social media, and as we continue to explore the fluidity of contemporary identity, this is an opportune time to reassess the significance of self-portraiture in relation to our country’s history

November 2, 2018 – August 18, 2019

Portrait Gallery

Artists Respond: American Art and the Vietnam War, 1965-1975

Artistic reactions to the Vietnam War created during the height of the US intervention in Southeast Asia are explored.

March 15, 2019 – August 18, 2019

American Art Museum

Modern Medicine and the Great War

World War I provided a testing ground for the application of new medical technologies and procedures, and in some cases accelerated their general acceptance or development.

April 6, 2017 – August 11, 2019

American History Museum

Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans and World War II

The exhibition explores this history of Executive Order 9066, with original artwork by Roger Shimomura, along with historic images and objects.

February 17, 2017 – July 31, 2019

American History Museum

In Memoriam: Lee Iacocca, 1924-2019

Automobile executive Lee Iacocca introduced the iconic Mustang to Ford Motor Company’s lineup in 1964. An experienced salesman, Iacocca became the president of Ford in 1970.

July 3, 2019 – July 29, 2019

Portrait Gallery

Rirkrit Tiravanija: Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Green

On view is the newly acquired full-gallery Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Green (2010), an installation work of relational aesthetics by Rirkrit Tiravanija.

May 17, 2019 – July 24, 2019

Hirshhorn Museum

The American Revolution: A World War

The American Revolution: A World War examines the American Revolution as a global conflict and the critical interplay of foreign powers—including Britain, France, Holland and Spain—that were involved.

June 23, 2018 – July 9, 2019

American History Museum

Early Flight

This re-created indoor aeronautical exhibition (circa 1913) highlights the early history of the airplane from antiquity through the first decade of powered flight.

March 26, 1980 – July 8, 2019

Air and Space Museum

Exploring the Planets

This exhibition highlights the history and achievements of planetary exploration, both Earth-based and by spacecraft.

November 7, 1978 – July 8, 2019

Air and Space Museum

In Memoriam: Leah Chase

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery recognizes the life and legacy of Leah Chase with a painting by Gustave Blache III.

June 4, 2019 – June 30, 2019

Portrait Gallery

Healing Arts

Select pieces from the museum’s permanent collection reveal the skill and range of African artists who create art empowered to counter physical, social, and spiritual problems.

October 3, 2016 – June 27, 2019

African Art Museum

Empresses of China's Forbidden City, 1644-1912

The lives of the Qing dynasty empresses offer a compelling tale of opulence and influence as told in this first-ever, in-depth exhibition of the subject.

March 30, 2019 – June 23, 2019

Asian Art Museum, East Building

Stories on Money

This exhibition explores the history of money—coinage and currency—from the earliest times to the present and showcases objects from the museum's National Numismatic Collection.

June 11, 2009 – June 23, 2019

American History Museum

In Search of the Truth (The Truth Booth)

Situated on the museum’s outdoor plaza overlooking the National Mall, the participatory installation is open daily, weather permitting, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

June 8, 2019 – June 23, 2019

Hirshhorn Museum

Rebeca Méndez Selects

Artist and designer Rebeca Méndez draws connections across the diverse collections of Cooper Hewitt, the National Museum of Natural History, and the Smithsonian Libraries to explore how culture, design, technology, and the natural world have converged.

October 5, 2018 – June 16, 2019

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum