Upcoming Exhibitions

My Visit

At the Vanguard

At the Vanguard weaves together stories of ingenuity, artistry and resistance—through collections from five Historically Black Colleges and Universities partners.

January 16, 2026 – July 19, 2026

African American History and Culture Museum
My Visit

The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today

The Outwin 2025 features 35 portraits (by 36 artists) from the museum’s seventh triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.

January 24, 2026 – August 30, 2026

Portrait Gallery
My Visit

Teen Portrait Competition, 2025

A video presentation of photographs from the 19 finalists in the 2025 Teen Portrait Competition.

January 24, 2026 – August 30, 2026

Portrait Gallery
My Visit

Nick Cave: Mammoth

Nick Cave envisions a world animated by the power of the past and the transformative possibilities of the imagination.

February 13, 2026 – January 3, 2027

American Art Museum
My Visit

Art of Noise

An exploration of how design has transformed people’s relationship to music over the past 100 years.

February 13, 2026 – July 19, 2026

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum
My Visit

Carlotta Corpron: Light Is a Plastic Medium

Corpron's investigations into the poetics of light and form and innovative use of technology supported the establishment of photography as fine art.

February 27, 2026 – January 31, 2027

Hirshhorn Museum
My Visit

Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art

This exhibition features artists across Africa and the diaspora whose artworks connect to their identities and experiences as LGBTQ+ people.

Early Winter 2026 – Summer 2026

African Art Museum
My Visit

Vishnu’s Cosmic Ocean

See the largest bronze ever cast in Southeast Asia, a depiction of the Hindu god Vishnu reclining on a coiled serpent floating in the primordial ocean.

March 7, 2026 – September 7, 2026

Asian Art Museum, East Building
My Visit

Added to My Visit Removed from My Visit

Into the Waters with Senju and Bingyi: Two Contemporary Paintings Added

~~Into the Waters with Senju and Bingyi: Two Contemporary Paintings~~ Removed

View My Visit

Into the Waters with Senju and Bingyi: Two Contemporary Paintings

Feel the power and beauty of water in this exhibition featuring contemporary artists Hiroshi Senju and Bingyi.

April 2, 2026 – August 23, 2026

Asian Art Museum, East Building
My Visit

Added to My Visit Removed from My Visit

Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms Added

~~Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms~~ Removed

View My Visit

Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms

Discover the extraordinary beauty and unique history of paintings made for Hindu kings in India’s Pahari (hill) region between the 1620s and 1830s.

April 18, 2026 – July 26, 2026

Asian Art Museum, East Building
My Visit

¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa

The National Museum of the American Latino presents its second major exhibition on the origins of salsa music.

Spring 2026 – TBA

American History Museum
My Visit

In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness

An immersive exhibition exploring the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.

May 14, 2026 – September 2026

American History Museum
My Visit

First Do No Harm/Lo primero es no hacer daño

This exhibition invites visitors to examine both the triumphs and the shortfalls of the medical system that have shaped the health of Americans.

American History Museum
My Visit

At Home in Space

At Home in Space takes visitors along a 40+ year journey of learning how humans can live and work in space continuously.

July 1, 2026 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum
My Visit

Flight and the Arts Center

The Flight and the Arts Center explores the relationships between art and the transformative power of the experience of flight.

July 1, 2026 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum
My Visit

Textron How Things Fly

Interactives and featured artifacts communicate the idea that the forces of lift, weight, drag, and thrust guide the design and function of everything that flies.

July 1, 2026 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum
My Visit

RTX Living in the Space Age Hall

The RTX Living in the Space Age Hall provides insight into space technologies and infrastructure that are largely invisible to the public but have a profound impact on our daily lives.

July 1, 2026 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum
My Visit

Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air

World War II in the Air examines how the revolution in warfare that took place during the war redefined the promise and peril of military aviation.

July 1, 2026 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum
My Visit

Modern Military Aviation

Explore the museum’s unparalleled collection of military aviation artifacts including the North American F-86 Sabre and the Bell UH-1H “Huey.”

July 1, 2026 – Permanent

Air and Space Museum
My Visit

National Science Foundation Discovering Our Universe

Learn how the development of new and more precise tools transformed our understanding of the origin, content, and fate of the universe.

July 1, 2026 – Indefinitely

Air and Space Museum
My Visit

Added to My Visit Removed from My Visit

Much Here is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial Added

~~Much Here is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial~~ Removed

View My Visit

Much Here is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial

From the California coast to the Kansas heartland to the streets of New York City, photographs provide an expansive and evocative portrait of America with a focus on the 1970s and early 1980s.

September 18, 2026 – April 17, 2027

American Art Museum
My Visit

Handwork: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery

See objects from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s permanent collection that explore the meaning and relevance of craft in American culture.

November 13, 2026 – Ongoing

Renwick Gallery
My Visit

Added to My Visit Removed from My Visit

Photographic Memory: Fifty Years of Photography at the National Portrait Gallery Added

~~Photographic Memory: Fifty Years of Photography at the National Portrait Gallery~~ Removed

View My Visit

Photographic Memory: Fifty Years of Photography at the National Portrait Gallery

Photographic Memory marks fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the National Portrait Gallery's photographs collection.

November 14, 2026 – TBD

Portrait Gallery