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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Titian and the Venetian Woodcut
Closed January 2, 1977

A commemorative exhibition of 114 woodcuts by Titian and other Venetian artists from 21 American and European public and private collections marked the 400th anniversary of Titian's death in Venice in 1576. The works were selected by David Rosand of Columbia University and Michelangelo Muraro of Venice. Some of the prints were 8 to 10 feet wide. 13 paintings by Titian from the Gallery's collection were shown in adjacent rooms. The exhibition opened at the same time as a similar one at the Giorgio Cini Foundation in Venice. It was circulated by the International Exhibitions Foundation.

Shown from the hips up, a young boy with pale, peachy skin wears a voluminous, black cloak that nearly falls off his shoulders over a rose-pink tunic, with a sword hanging from one hip in this vertical portrait painting. His body is angled slightly to our right, and he looks off to our left with dark brown eyes under gently arched brows. He has a wide nose, and his pink lips are closed with the corners pulled slightly back. His skin is smooth and his cheeks slightly flushed. His dark brown hair is cut close and comes to a point in front of his ears. His tunic is painted with dusky pink highlights against wine-red to suggest a sheen across a vertically striped, leafy pattern. The garment has a high neck lined with a white ruffle and has a row of buttons down the front. His black coat has wide lapels that reach beyond his shoulders, and the puffy sleeves gather on his arms. The coat has a silvery-white cross over the chest to our right. The left and right arms of the cross are lost in the folds but the arms at the top and bottom are forked at the ends. The boy’s pine-green belt is edged with gold, and the hilt of the sword is angled toward us on his left hip, to our right. He holds one fawn-brown glove in his right hand, to our left, and his other arm disappears behind the folds of his coat. The background is deep olive green, almost brown. The artist signed the painting with dark paint near the right edge of the canvas near the boy’s shoulder, “TITANVS F.”
Morris Louis
Closed January 9, 1977
On either side of a rectangular, off-white canvas, thirteen wavy, almost parallel lines, each in a different color, drift and drip from either short end of the canvas down toward the bottom center. The lines vary in thickness and many are separated by narrow white spaces, but sometimes the lines bump or drip into their neighbors. Most of the colors to our left are warm, with buttercup yellow, papaya and fire orange, pea green, crimson red, and magenta. To our right, most of the colors are cool with pine and forest green, navy blue, burgundy red, and one lemon-yellow line. The largest portion of the composition, though, is the V-shaped white space left in between each bank of thirteen lines.
Fireworks/Feux d'Artifices
Closed September 6, 1976
The Eye of Thomas Jefferson
Closed September 6, 1976
New Glory Part I
Closed September 5, 1976
Goya in the Prado
Closed May 31, 1976
Recent Acquisitions of Printed Portraits
Closed June 6, 1976
The image shows a man seated from the waist up, facing slightly left with his gaze directed at the viewer. He has a round face with expressive eyes, a prominent nose, a slight mustache and beard, and curly hair receding slightly at the temples. He wears a buttoned-up garment typical of formal attire, with a visible collar. He holds a rolled-up booklet or document in his hand. On the table beside him are documents, an anatomical drawing, and an inkwell. The background is a dark, textured oval framing the man. Text borders the artwork, providing historical and descriptive context.
The European Vision of America
Closed February 16, 1976
This is a painting of a scene depicting a landscape with ships, figures, and a floral border. The figures are dressed in elaborate costumes and surrounded by exotic animals and terrestrial features. They interact with each other and objects like baskets of fruits, suggesting a theme related to exploration or the exotic. The painting is rich in color and detail, emphasizing textiles and floral motifs, resembling Baroque art.
Winslow Homer (1836-1910)
Closed December 14, 1975
This painting shows two fishermen in a small red boat on the ocean. The fishermen appear to be pulling up two large nets that have been cast over either side of the boat, and they are looking to the left. They wear clothing in shades of blue and brown and large hats with wide brims. Their facial features are not visible, but they have peach-toned skin. There appears to be a round barrel in the back of the boat behind the two fishermen. The water around the red boat is filled with low waves painted in shades of blue and gray. The sky above is painted in similar shades, with the dark outlines of a few birds flying by. The horizon line is about halfway up the painting, and the brushstrokes are visible and fluid.
Master Paintings from the Hermitage and the State Russian Museum, Leningrad
Closed September 9, 1975
Pennsylvania German Craftsmanship
Closed January 25, 1976
The image depicts a composition of shapes and lines forming an abstract tapestry of animals and stars. Two horses with outlined forms are prancing in the center, with birds and bird-like shapes scattered throughout. Stars of different colors and patterns are interspersed among these figures. The colors and forms resemble a whimsical forest scene, with triangles suggesting trees and circles resembling berries. The design draws inspiration from folk art or quilting, creating an abstract representation of nature and festive patterns.
Jacques Callot
Closed September 14, 1975

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