Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Nepal

Featured are some twenty objects from Nepal, most dating from the 1940s and 1950s.

December 1, 1983 – June 10, 1984

The Nazca Lines

See 60 black-and-white aerial photographs by Marilyn Bridges offer creative interpretation of the enormous ancient earth designs and drawings executed by the Nazca Indians of Peru.

January 6, 1984 – April 15, 1984

Natural History Museum

One With the Earth: Native American Indian Art

This exhibition examines the many kinds of American Indian art: basketry, painting, sculpture, beadwork, and textile-weaving, with some 130 objects dating from the late 19th century to the present.

February 18, 1983 – February 29, 1984

Natural History Museum

Ban Chiang: Discovery of a Lost Bronze Age (Thailand)

Some 200 objects are presented in this major exhibition on the ancient culture in the area now known as Ban Chiang in northeastern Thailand.

November 2, 1983 – January 31, 1984

Natural History Museum

Mammalia Africana

View sketches and drawings of animals of Africa by Jonathan Kingdon, a scientific illustrator associated with the Department of Zoology, Oxford University.

November 5, 1983 – January 2, 1984

Natural History Museum

Precious Legacy: Judaic Treasures from Czechoslovak State Collections

On loan from the Czechoslovak State Jewish Collection in Prague, these religious and secular objects were amassed by the Nazis, through confiscation, to show the material culture of the "race" Hitler wished to annihilate.

November 9, 1983 – January 1, 1984

Natural History Museum

A Permanent Record of India: The Photographs of Bourne & Shepherd

See 19 photographs selected from a 19th-century catalog by Bourne and Shepherd Co. that include ethnological and scenic subjects and portray the British influence of the 1860s and 1870s in India as well as Afghanistan, Burma, and Nepal.

August 5, 1983 – November 30, 1983

Natural History 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

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

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

The Art of Louis Paul Jonas

View 75 wildlife miniatures by Jonas (1894-1971), who was one of the nation's foremost animal sculptors and taxidermists.

July 2, 1983 – August 28, 1983

Natural History Museum

The Courtyard of El Haram, the Great Mosque of Mecca

Walk through an audiovisual unit representing the courtyard of the Great Mosque, with animated figures and recorded narration that demonstrate and explain Muslim religious practices from dawn to dusk.

June 2, 1983 – August 9, 1983

Natural History Museum

Royal Gifts from the Kingdom of Thailand

View 15 exquisitely crafted gifts from Thai monarchs to the United States and to U.S. presidents from 1856 to the present.

November 1, 1982 – July 31, 1983

Natural History Museum

The Silk Route and the Diamond Path (Buddhist Art)

Buddhist bronze, stone, and terra cotta sculptures; paintings; and ritual objects dating from the 7th century to the present comprise this exhibition of over 130 rare works.

May 6, 1983 – June 30, 1983

Natural History Museum

California Flora: Botanical Watercolors by Mary Foley Benson

Approximately 45 works by illustrator Benson represent the flora of California.

April 30, 1983 – June 26, 1983

Natural History Museum

Japanese Masks from the Noh Theater and Kyogen Performances

In conjunction with the Performing Arts' World Explorer performance and demonstration, on view are Japanese masks used in the Noh dance theater, and in the Kyogen, satirical interludes during intermissions in the Noh theater.

May 1, 1983 – May 31, 1983

Natural History Museum

Francis Lee Jaques: Artist-Naturalist

Some 54 paintings in a retrospective exhibition document the life and work of Jaques, one of America's most talented wildlife artists and a pioneer in the creation of dioramas.

March 12, 1983 – April 24, 1983

Natural History Museum

Japanese Ceramics Today: Masterworks of the Kikuchi Collection

See over 300 masterpieces created by nearly 100 living Japanese ceramists, the largest and most important show of contemporary Japanese ceramics to come to the U.S.

February 11, 1983 – April 3, 1983

Natural History Museum

Maritime Archaic Indians: Pioneers of the Labrador Coast

See tools and other artifacts highlighting the Maritime Archaic Indian cultures of the Labrador Coast and the work of Dr. William Fitzhugh, anthropologist.

August 17, 1982 – March 31, 1983

Natural History Museum

Black Women: Achievements Against the Odds

View twenty panels highlighting achievements of black women in 16 areas, such as education, politics, music, art, and sports.

February 1, 1983 – February 27, 1983

Natural History Museum

Black-tailed Deer: A Life Cycle

Follow the black-tailed deer's life cycle through 60 color photographs by Kenneth Herrington, most taken over the last 10 years on Herrington's Napa County, California, ranch.

December 23, 1982 – February 21, 1983

Natural History Museum

Contemporary North American Indian Art

View some 100 paintings and sculptures by leading contemporary American Indian artists. The works are largely Indian in theme but Euro-American in style.

March 13, 1982 – January 3, 1983

Natural History Museum

Inua: Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo

Intricately carved and incised ivories, masks, a kayak, and wood carvings are among the highlights of a major exhibit (some 500 objects) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the pioneering Alaskan fieldwork of naturalist Edward Nelson (1855-1934).

June 18, 1982 – January 2, 1983

Natural History Museum

From the New World and Other Images (Caroline Thorington)

Visit approximately 50 etchings and lithographs by Caroline Thorington of Washington, D.C., including mammals, birds, and plants of the U.S., Panama, and Venezuela, as well as other parts of the world.

October 23, 1982 – December 19, 1982

Natural History Museum

Music & Dance of the Silk Route from the People's Republic of China

See musical instruments from China, including some which were gifts from China for the U.S. Centennial celebration in 1876.

November 1, 1982 – November 14, 1982

Natural History Museum