Past Exhibitions

  • woman wearing a hat and plaid scarf

    Women of Progress: Early Camera Portraits

    June 14, 2019 - June 13, 2021

    This exhibition of daguerreotypes and ambrotypes from the 1840s and 1850s features portraits of early feminist icons.

     

     

  • black and white photo of a woman with her arms crossed

    Every Eye Is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States

    November 13, 2020 - May 23, 2021

    “Every Eye Is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States,” is the first major exhibition to explore the historical significance of this prominent position through the mode of portraiture. 

     

  • African American woman in a gray sweater against a white background

    Visionary: The Cumming Family Collection (Part 1)

    September 18, 2020 - January 24, 2021

    The exhibition will reveal the results of over twenty-five years of inspired collecting by Ian and Annette Cumming.

  • Group of four Danish men

    Portraits of the World: Denmark

    December 13, 2019 - October 12, 2020

    “Portraits of the World: Denmark” will feature the painting “Kunstdommere” (Art Judges) by Michael Ancher (1849–1927), on loan from the Museum of National History in Hillerød, Denmark. 

  • 19th century woman with upswept hair

    John Singer Sargent: Portraits in Charcoal

    February 28, 2020 - March 13, 2020

    In 1907, at the height of his success as a portraitist, John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) astonished the transatlantic art world when he stopped painting portraits in oil. Afterwards, he switched to charcoal, producing several hundred portraits of individuals recognized for their accomplishments in fields such as art, music, literature and theater.

    The museum closed on March 13, 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Woman singing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

    One Life: Marian Anderson

    June 28, 2019 - March 13, 2020

    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 museum closed on March 13, 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

     

  • man in 18th century naval uniform

    Recent Acquisitions

    November 15, 2019 - March 13, 2020

    The annual exhibition “Recent Acquisitions” showcases 25 portraits to recently enter the Portrait Gallery’s renowned collection. 

    The museum closed on March 13, 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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