Exhibitions

Brilliant Exiles illuminates the accomplishments of sixty unconventional women who pursued their personal and professional aspirations in Paris.

Chicago-based artist Shawn Michael Warren painted Winfrey in a purple taffeta dress amidst a lush garden at her California home.

The Portrait Gallery recently acquired all 75 portraits from the Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer’s series and is celebrating the acquisition with a two-part exhibition.

One Life: Maya Lin is the first biographical exhibition of the architect, sculptor, and environmentalist.

This exhibition features more than 25 photographs by Brian Lanker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer.

The National Portrait Gallery presents the first major large-scale retrospective of work by Hung Liu, the internationally acclaimed Chinese-born American artist.

Every Eye Is Upon Me is the first major exhibition to explore the historical significance of this prominent position through the mode of portraiture. 

This exhibition drawn from the NPG collection highlights twenty-four noted women writers from the past one hundred years.

This exhibition examines the ways in which artists, concert promoters, and others wielded Marian Anderson's iconic likeness as a powerful symbol in the pursuit of civil rights.

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

On display is a newly commissioned painting of Julie Packard, a leading figure in science and ocean conservation and the executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Pioneering feminist artist Yun Suk Nam (born 1939) uses portraiture to gain insights into the lives of women, past and present.

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery recognizes the life of acclaimed singer and musician Aretha Franklin.

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery recognizes the life of Henrietta Lacks with the installation of a 2017 portrait by Kadir Nelson.

View the commissioned portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama.

The exhibition reveals how Plath shaped her identity visually as she came of age as a writer in the 1950s. Visitors will get a look into Plath’s personal life and her dualistic nature.

The biggest Hollywood star at a time when “talkies” were still new, Dietrich captured men’s hearts and women’s admiration on screen and off.

April 25 marks the 100th birthday of American jazz and popular song vocalist Ella Fitzgerald. The museum is recognizing the anniversary by displaying her photograph by William Gottlieb for the first time in the museum.

Smithsonianmag.com voters choose between portraits of Gibson, Eleanor Holm and Helene Madison, and Duke Kahanamoku to go on view. Gibson’s photograph received the most votes.

One Life: Dolores Huerta highlights the significant role of this Latina leader in the California farm workers movement of the 1960s and 70s.