Exhibitions

Learn about Egyptian burial ritual; its place with ancient Egyptian cosmology; and the insights that mummies, burial rites, and cosmology provide about life in ancient Egypt. The exhibition focuses on Smithsonian science and what museum experts.... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Since the first U.S. postage stamps were issued in 1847, designers have been telling American stories on a small scale. Based on an exhibit first developed by United States Postal Service Art Directors Antonio Alcalá and Greg Breeding, the .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Examine 13 of the rarest and most highly valued gems in the world of philately, including the most famous US stamp of all, the 1918 Inverted Jenny. A video explains why the Inverted Jenny and other stamps are philatelic gems. Each of these .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Gain a richer understanding of Robert Rauschenberg’s innovative techniques, sustained legacy, and unique perspective on all things that fly. Explore 30 works by Robert Rauschenberg, many that have never been displayed before. Rauschenberg often.... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Four galleries off of the museum’s magnificent third-floor Great Hall showcase the major cultural and political hallmarks of the 20th century. Paintings, sculpture, photographs and prints portray those who were at the center of these moments. .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

In 2026, the National Portrait Gallery will observe the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of its photographs collection, which now accounts for nearly half of the museum’s total holdings. Encompassing more than one hundred works, from the .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Reset: Abstraction Embodied in Design features chairs, rugs, and lighting through which designers, much like visual artists, harness abstraction as both a technique and a source of inspiration. Each of their designs offers an opportunity to .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Featuring iconic vehicles from Mario Andretti’s Indy 500 winning race car to the Sharp DR 90 Nemesis, Nation of Speed paints a portrait of human ingenuity—the technology developed to propel people faster and faster—and explores how the pursuit .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.