Exhibitions

Newsroom of the Smithsonian

View news releases below or see all of our publicly released upcoming exhibitions.

Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson

Hirshhorn Presents Groundbreaking Artist Laurie Anderson’s Largest US Exhibition to Date
“Laurie Anderson: The Weather” Surveys Pioneering Videos, Large-Scale Commissions and VR Experience, May 19–Sept. 7
02.27.2020
Museums and Zoo Hirshhorn Museum Exhibitions
Archuleta

Genízaro Maurice Archuleta in the high desert surrounding Abiquiú. Photo @ Russel Albert Daniels, 2019.

New Exhibition Series Highlighting the Work of Native Photojournalists Opens March 24 at the National Museum of the American Indian
02.27.2020
American Indian Museum Exhibitions
painting of natural bridge

Frederic Edwin Church, The Natural Bridge, Virginia, 1852, oil on canvas, 28 x 23 in. The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, Gift of Thomas Fortune Ryan. 

“Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature and Culture” Explores Renowned Naturalist’s Impact on American Identity
Smithsonian American Art Museum Is the Sole Venue for the Landmark Exhibition
02.25.2020
American Art Museum Exhibitions
hearts of our people painting

Christi Belcourt (Michif), The Wisdom of the Universe, 2014, acrylic on canvas, Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Purchased with funds donated by Greg Latremoille, 2014, 2014/6. © Christi Belcourt

Smithsonian American Art Museum Presents the First Major Museum Exhibition To Explore the Achievements of Native Women Artists at Its Renwick Gallery
Nationally Touring Exhibition Opens in Washington, D.C., Feb. 21
02.19.2020
American Art Museum Exhibitions
Girl in Red, 1950

Robert Blackburn
Girl in Red, 1950
18 ¼ x 12 ½ inches
Color Lithograph
The Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art

Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Examines the Life and Work of Robert Blackburn and Printmaking in the United States
Tour Launches at Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City, Missouri, March 28
02.12.2020
Traveling Exhibition Service Exhibitions
Equestrian Figure; 13th-15th century C.E

Inland Niger Delta artist; Djenné, Mopti Region, Mali; Equestrian Figure; 13th-15th century C.E.; Ceramic; National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, museum purchase, 86-12-2; Photograph by Franko Khoury.

 

“Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time” Opens at the National Museum of African Art April 11
Exhibition Features Major Loans From Museums in Mali, Morocco and Nigeria and Is on View in Washington for the First Time
02.10.2020
African Art Museum Exhibitions
“Light Depth,” 1969. Acrylic on canvas

Sam Gilliam, “Light Depth,” 1969. Acrylic on canvas. Courtesy Corcoran Gallery of Art. Gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Museum Purchase, Gallery Fund), 2018.

 

Hirshhorn Announces the First US Museum Retrospective of Pioneering Abstractionist Sam Gilliam in More Than 15 Years
Expansive Exhibition Will Trace Gilliam’s Six-Decade Career
02.07.2020
Hirshhorn Museum Exhibitions
Guinea pigs in their new village

Guinea pigs in their new village outside the Amazonia forest canopy at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.
Photo Credit: Roshan Patel/Smithsonian’s National Zoo  

Amazonia Exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo Now Includes a Guinea Pig Village
02.03.2020
National Zoo Exhibitions
toni morrison

"Untitled, Toni Morrison” by Robert McCurdy, 2006. Oil on canvas.

Gift of Ian M. and Annette P. Cumming

National Portrait Gallery Presents Exhibition of Major Gifts “Visionary: The Cumming Family Collection”
01.28.2020
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
Kobe Bryant

“Kobe Bean Bryant” by Rick Chapman, 2007. Selenium-toned gelatin silver print. National Portrait Gallery,

Smithsonian Institution; gift of the artist and ESPN. ©2007 Rick Chapman

National Portrait Gallery Presents a Portrait of the Late Kobe Bryant
01.27.2020
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
Side by side portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama
National Portrait Gallery Engages Audiences Across the Country With Five-City Tour of the Acclaimed Obama Portraits by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald
Tour To Include Chicago, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Houston Starting June 2021
01.23.2020
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
ticket to Andrew Johnson impeachment

Ticket to Andrew Johnson's impeachment (courtesy National Museum of American History)

Statement on Collecting Objects Regarding the Impeachment of the President
01.21.2020
American History Museum Exhibitions New Acquisitions
spiral artwork

Department of Seaweed: Living Archive, 2018–ongoing; Julia Lohmann (German, b. 1977), Violaine Buet (French, b. 1977) and Jon Lister (New Zealander, b. 1977); Seaweed and rattan; Dimensions variable; Photo: Pierre-Yves Dinasquet, Department of Seaweed.

"Partnering With Nature" Exhibition To be Presented at the World Economic Forum's 2020 Annual Meeting
On View in the Congress Centre Jan. 21 Through Jan. 24
01.15.2020
Hirshhorn Museum Exhibitions
night sky
Smithsonian Opens Immersive Sound-and-Light Exhibition Celebrating the Natural Beauty of Australia
01.10.2020
Natural History Museum Exhibitions
woman next to a tent

Woman between tents, Resurrection City, Washington, D.C., 1968
Robert Houston, born 1935
Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert and Greta Houston, © Robert Houston

Smithsonian Poster Exhibition Exploring 1968 Poor People’s Campaign On View at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
01.10.2020
Traveling Exhibition Service Exhibitions
"Bias" Logo

"The Bias Inside Us"

Smithsonian Announces $1 Million Gift From the Otto Bremer Trust To Support Community Engagement Project on Implicit Bias
01.09.2020
Traveling Exhibition Service Exhibitions Education News
Age Old Cities

"Age Old Cities"

For the First Time in the US, Visitors Can Experience “Age Old Cities”—A Virtual Journey to the Devastated Sites of Mosul, Aleppo and Palmyra
Immersive Exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art Highlights Importance of the Preservation of Cultural Heritage
01.09.2020
Asian Art Museum Exhibitions
Daisy Fellowes

John Singer Sargent, “Daisy Fellowes,” c. 1920, charcoal on paper. Private collection, Columbus, Georgia. Photo by Jim Cawthorne.

 

National Portrait Gallery Presents “John Singer Sargent: Portraits in Charcoal”
Features 50 Rarely Exhibited Charcoal Drawings by America's Master Portraitist
01.09.2020
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
baseball card

Anthony Rendon’s YMCA baseball card

Major League Baseball Player Anthony Rendon pictured at age 5 on a Houston YMCA Giants T-ball league card. The front is emblazoned with “Superstars” and the back includes his height of 3 ft., 10 in.  

Gift of Rene and Bridget Rendon to the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

“¡Pleibol!” Slides Into Smithsonian Fall 2020
Exhibition Will Explore Latina/o Impact Through Baseball Artifacts, Stories and Photos
01.08.2020
American History Museum Exhibitions
infinity rooms
Hirshhorn Acquires Three Major Works by Yayoi Kusama, Announces 2020 Legacy Exhibition
Exhibition Will Build on Hirshhorn’s 2017 Survey and Include Two Infinity Mirror Rooms, Sculptures and Early Painting
01.06.2020
Hirshhorn Museum Exhibitions New Acquisitions
The Wisdom of the Universe, 2014, acrylic on canvas

Christi Belcourt (Michif), The Wisdom of the Universe, 2014, acrylic on canvas, Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Purchased with funds donated by Greg Latremoille, 2014, 2014/6. © Christi Belcourt

Smithsonian American Art Museum Presents the First Major Museum Exhibition to Explore the Achievements of Native Women Artists at Its Renwick Gallery
Nationally Touring Exhibition Opens in Washington, D.C., Feb. 21, 2020
12.17.2019
American Art Museum Exhibitions
soldiers sitting around a table

Sailors reading, writing, and relaxing at the Red Cross Rest Room in New Orleans.

National Archives (165-WW-127A-016)

National Museum of African American History and Culture Opens New Exhibition, “We Return Fighting”
12.12.2019
African American Museum Exhibitions
woman in red dress

Melinda Looi (b. 1973, Malaysia) for Melinda Looi (est. 2000, Malaysia); Ensemble (dress, turban, earrings, rings, and shoes); Sunset in Africa Collection, 2012; Tie-dyed silk chiffon with feathers, semi-precious stones, and Swarovski crystals, silk satin lining; Photograph by Sebastian Kim.

Cooper Hewitt to Present Acclaimed "Contemporary Muslim Fashions" Exhibition
12.05.2019
Cooper Hewitt Exhibitions
Exhibition graphic

Collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, gift of Leith Adam

 

National Museum of African American History and Culture To Present “Now Showing”
Exhibition About African American Movie Posters On View Through Nov. 1, 2020
11.25.2019
African American Museum Exhibitions

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