HIRSHHORN MUSEUM
Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960
Through April 20, 2025
To mark its 50th anniversary, the Hirshhorn has mounted an ambitious exhibition documenting the evolution of modernism and the emergence of abstraction. Alongside 270 works by icons such as Francis Bacon, Georgia O’Keeffe and Pablo Picasso, pieces by 19 contemporary creators are on view. This juxtaposition demonstrates how many of the artistic ideas explored between the groundbreaking years of 1860 and 1960 remain relevant today.
hirshhorn.si.edu

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ASIAN ART
Do Ho Suh: Public Figures
April 27 to April 29, 2029
To commemorate its 100th anniversary, the museum commissioned a sculpture by contemporary Korean artist Do Ho Suh that upends the conventional notion of a monument and its focus on heroic individualism. Installed on the Freer Plaza facing the National Mall, Suh’s piece consists of a massive plinth that, instead of supporting a vaunted subject, is held aloft from below by a multitude of individual figures. asia.si.edu

HILLWOOD ESTATE, MUSEUM & GARDENS
Fragile Beauty: Art of the Ocean
June 8 to January 5, 2025
Hillwood celebrates the sea in an exhibit displaying works in its permanent collection, from seascapes to pieces hewn from marine materials. Accompanying artworks by contemporary creators raise awareness about the dire state of the earth’s waters. hillwoodmuseum.org

THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION
Up Close with Paul Cézanne
April 18 to July 14
A special installation unveils a restored landscape and self-portrait by renowned post-Impressionist Paul Cézanne, along with five other works by the artist. Patrons will glimpse details that had been obscured over time and learn about the painter’s process. phillipscollection.org

NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Southwestern Pennsylvania
Through March 1, 2025
This immersive exhibition aims to articulate Frank Lloyd Wright’s creative vision by presenting realized and unrealized residential, commercial and civic projects the architect designed for sites in Pennsylvania between the 1930s and the ’50s. A meticulously researched animated film takes visitors on a virtual tour of five unbuilt structures; models are also on display. nbm.org

SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM
Pattern and Paradox: The Quilts of Amish Women
Through September 2
The bold, graphic aesthetic of Amish quilts captured the eye of the 20th-century art world. Highlighting a number of these iconic textiles created between 1880 and 1950, this show explores how the women makers and their traditional communities reacted to such “worldly” attention. americanart.si.edu

Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women
May 31 to January 5, 2025
Works from the SAAM’s permanent collection demonstrate how fiber art, an often-dismissed art form, can be as powerful, meaningful—and subversive—as other media. Thirty-four pieces on view at the museum’s Renwick Gallery range from quilts, tapestries and rugs to twisted and bound sculptures. americanart.si.edu

RESTON TOWN CENTER
Tephra ICA Arts Festival
May 18 to 19
The streets of Reston Town Center brim with handmade art and craft at this annual event, now in its 33rd year. More than 200 artists from 25 states will exhibit at the show, which also features food trucks and a concert. tephraica.org/festival

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ASIAN ART
Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork
Through early 2026
In Japan, modern metalwork pays homage to age-old practices while forging innovations in materials and techniques. More than a dozen vases, vessels and sculptures in an array of metals illustrate this convergence of new and old. asia.si.edu

THE KREEGER MUSEUM
Here, in this little Bay: Celebrating 30 Years at the Kreeger
June 1 to October 5, 2024
Named for a work by Victorian poet Coventry Patmore, this commemorative exhibit reflects on human interactions with the natural world. Notable Impressionist paintings in the museum’s permanent collection inspired this look at how working en plein air has evolved since the 19th century. Viewers will examine thought-provoking photographs, paintings and sculptures created by modern-day artists from around the world who now live in DC, Maryland and Virginia. kreegermuseum.org

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
Unbound: Narrative Art of the Plains
June 1 to January 20, 2026
Native American narrative art may document battle scenes on buffalo hide or record trade history on muslin cloth. This exhibit displays historic examples of the genre by 14 indigenous artists, along with more than 50 works by contemporary Native American artists, commissioned specifically for this show. americanindian.si.edu