Since the 16th century, Raku ceramics have been central to Japanese tea culture. Built by hand as opposed to on a potter’s wheel, these vessels continue to inspire artistic creativity. The Freer Gallery displays pieces dating back to the 18th century that exemplify glazes and forms unique to Raku ware.

An exhibit conceived for young museum-goers celebrates the concept of home and the built environment through the lens of children’s literature. Installations featuring classics such as Winnie-the-Pooh, The Hobbit and Harold and the Purple Crayon are designed to spark curiosity and encourage visitors to create stories of their own.

Nearly 100 contemporary works spanning multiple disciplines comprise this collection by more than 40 emerging and established artists—some American by birth and others who have adopted this country as their […]

Two ground-breaking paintings—one by Jean-Michel Basquiat and the other by Banksy—are placed in dialog in the Hirshhorn’s first presentation of either artist’s work. Also on display are 20 small Basquiat […]

Could pollution have played a role in the emergence of European modernism in art? This exhibit poses that question using paintings and works on paper by Henri Matisse, Claude Monet and James McNeill Whistler to demonstrate how their artistic styles emerged partially in response to industrial-era smog in London and Paris.

The idea of perception versus reality informs this exhibit of painting, sculpture, photography, works on paper and video by women artists spanning the Surrealist movement to the present. Art by Louise Bourgeois, Laurie Simmons and many more subverts gender stereotypes and explores feminist issues, expressing an overall mood of existential unease.

For the first time in nearly 50 years, 14 larger-than-life cotton cloth paintings—known as pichwais—depicting the god Krishna go on view at the Sackler Gallery. Dating from the 18th to […]

In honor of its 50th anniversary, the Hirshhorn Museum is hosting a landmark exhibition by conceptual artist Adam Pendleton. New and recent paintings and a video work pay homage to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The show is the Richmond native’s first solo exhibit in DC.

For more than 40 years, sculptor Chakaia Booker has created monumental, abstract works of art from discarded rubber tires. This exhibit, which includes three large-scale wall relief pieces as well […]

This comprehensive show presents 30 rarely seen works by Frida Kahlo supplemented by behind-the-scenes photographs of the enigmatic artist. Vibrant paintings that celebrate her Mexican heritage take center stage, but […]

An installation marks the 40-year anniversary of the anonymous feminist artist collective Guerrilla Girls, known for provocative street campaigns that take on gender inequality through billboards, banners and more. This […]

Latin American works ranging from ancient urns and textiles to contemporary ceramics will be displayed in the Baltimore museum’s newly renovated North Court galleries. Representing 40 different cultures and 4,000 […]

Named for the fertile soil of ancient indigenous civilizations in the Amazon, this show celebrates the splendor of the natural world through works by artists of color and Native identity. […]

This exhibition puts the relationship between art and European natural history under the microscope—specifically the study of insects and small animals. Featuring more than 75 detailed works that inspired generations […]

A selection of photographs offers an intimate look at the everyday lives of Indigenous peoples across the Western Hemisphere. Drawn from the museum’s vast archive of more than a half-million images, this show reveals moments of quiet reflection as well as family gatherings and ceremonies, captured from 1852 to the present.

A Romanov by birth, Natalie Paley escaped the tragic fate of her family to live a culturally rich life in France, and later, America as the darling of fashion designers, […]

Its title alluding to periods of rising tension, this exhibit presents the work of four modern-day artists alongside pieces by 20th-century artists whose lives and art were impacted by tumultuous […]

David A. Douglas’ large-scale works blend drawing, painting and photography to explore memory and place. Through contemplative landscapes and interior scenes glimpsed through windows and thresholds, the Northern Virginia-based artist encourages patrons to reflect on the passage of time and the natural world.

Recent works by the American-born artist include Rubber Pencil Devil (Hell House), a neon sculpture commissioned by Glenstone to showcase Da Corte‘s videos exploring humor, satire, violence and tenderness. Also […]

Drawing on the National Portrait Gallery’s extensive early photography collection, this show traces the evolution of large-scale portraiture using the three popular mediums of the day: the upmarket daguerreotype, the mid-range ambrotype, and the far more common and affordable tintype.

Upending assumptions about the one-dimensionality of photography and prints, the museum shines a light on 20th- and 21st-century Japanese art that blurs the lines between mediums and conventions. Pieces on […]

Thirty watercolors created over the course of two centuries trace the medium’s evolution from a mode of documentation to an art form. Largely drawn from the Corcoran collection, the paintings […]

This show honors the legacy of artist and activist Vivian Browne through paintings, prints and works on paper. Whether fighting for Black representation in New York museums or challenging the […]

Photographs, ephemera and prints illuminate the historical hotels, motels, inns and taverns that have hosted visitors to Washington over the centuries. From famous landmarks to humble boarding houses, these accommodations […]