Past Exhibitions

Learn about past exhibitions going back as far as 1941 when the National Gallery of Art first opened to the public.

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James Van Der Zee’s Photographs: A Portrait of Harlem
Closed May 30, 2022
An elegantly dressed Black man and woman stand facing and looking at us, slightly smiling, in a room in this vertical photograph. The image is monochromatic like a black and white photograph but is printed in warm tones of golden and dark browns. To our left, the man has short-cropped hair and is cleanshaven. He has dark eyes, a rounded nose, and his lips are closed in a slight smile. He wears a three-piece tuxedo and holds a bowler hat and cane in his right hand, on our left. He pulls his suit jacket back to hook his other thumb in his vest pocket. He wears rings on each of his pinky fingers and a chain crosses his vest, tucked into the same pocket as his thumb. The woman stands with her left hand, on our right, on her hip and her other hand resting on the man’s shoulder. She has a delicate nose, dark eyes, and her closed lips turn up slightly at the corners. She has a cheek-length bob haircut and wears dangling earrings and a necklace with a pendant. Her ankle-length, sleeveless dress is beaded with geometric and scrolling patterns. Some of the beads and the ring she wears on the third finger of the hand on her hip catch and reflect the light. An upholstered chair sits to our left and a wood side table with an urn filled with flowers and a telephone stands to our right. The telephone has a conical earpiece hanging from a stand with a flaring mouthpiece. The backdrop behind the people has a painted or wallpapered section to our left and an arch leading to a curtained window to our right. Parts of the photograph are noticeably out of focus, particularly in the background and the flowers. The artist signed the work with white letters against the dark shadows under the seat of the chair, near the lower left corner: “VAN DER ZEE NYC 1924.”
The New Woman Behind the Camera
Closed January 30, 2022

This groundbreaking exhibition explores how women emerged as a driving force in modern photography from the 1920s to the 1950s, bringing their own perspectives to artistic experimentation, studio portraiture, fashion and advertising work, scenes of urban life, ethnography, and photojournalism.

Aquatint: From Its Origins to Goya
Closed February 21, 2022

In the second half of the eighteenth century, the blossoming new printmaking technique—aquatint—vastly expanded possibilities for creating and disseminating images. Most of these selected works from our exceptional collection of early aquatints have never been on public view.

Clouds, Ice, and Bounty: The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund Collection of Seventeenth-Century Dutch and Flemish Paintings
Closed June 1, 2022

Seen together, this collection offers a unique opportunity to enjoy some of the finest productions of Dutch and Flemish artists of the 17th century.

In the Library: Print Culture and the Arts in Genoa
Closed January 7, 2022
In the Library: Time/Travel through Artists’ Books
Closed September 17, 2021

Time/Travel is a selection of artists’ books, all by women artists, that explores universal themes through an eclectic selection from the past 50 years. This exhibition is open in the East Building, Ground Floor, Study Center on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Lynda Benglis
Closed January 2, 2022

This exhibition brings together sculptures, paintings, drawings, prints, and videos by Benglis from our collection. Made between 1966 and 2003, the 33 works reveal how Benglis has forged new forms by constantly exploring different techniques, materials, and mediums.

The sculpture is in the form of an abstracted fan or shell-like structure. It is crafted from a material with a golden finish. The surface is textured and layered, with prominent ridges on the upper sections. The sculpture is mounted on a white wall, standing out due to its bright gold color against the background.
Artist Projects: Sarah Cain, Avish Khebrehzadeh, and Kay Rosen
Closed March 27, 2022

Kay Rosen’s SORRY outside the East Building and Avish Khebrehzadeh’s Tree of Life in Blue and Seven Silent Songs remain on view through December 2021. Sarah Cain’s installation My favorite season is the fall of the patriarchy is no longer on view.

Conversations: Carrie Mae Weems and The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial
Closed January 22, 2023
Degas at the Opéra
Closed October 12, 2020

Celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Opéra’s founding, Degas at the Opéra will present approximately 100 of the artist’s best-known and beloved works in a range of media, including paintings, pastels, drawings, prints, and sculpture.

The City
Closed February 27, 2022
This is a painting of a construction scene with architectural and human elements. The artwork depicts a central figure operating a jackhammer, surrounded by skyscrapers and abstract forms in stark black and white contrast. The background buildings are depicted with wavy lines, tilted, and distorted. The scene conveys energy through powerful lines emanating from the figure and machine, suggesting vibrations and action. The style is reminiscent of Franz Kline, known for bold, abstract black-and-white compositions emphasizing strong contrast and dynamic forms.
Raphael and His Circle
Closed November 15, 2020

Raphael (1483–1520) was one of the greatest artistic figures working in the Western classical tradition. In celebration of the 500th anniversary of his death, the Gallery presents 25 prints and drawings in an intimate installation.

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