Skip to Content

Past Exhibitions

A Century in the Gardens Exhibit

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Beatrix Farrand’s design of the Dumbarton Oaks landscape, the exhibit includes archival images, as well as newly commissioned photographs, selections from the Rare Book Collection, and a design timeline.

Margaret Mee: Portraits of Plants

September 21, 2021–January 9, 2022 | Centered on the paintings of botanical artist Margaret Mee, this exhibit explores the traditions of women botanical artists and illustrators primarily using materials from the Rare Book Collection.

Ancient Art at Dumbarton Oaks

February 2020–July 2021 | Viewed alongside Byzantine art, these objects from the ancient Mediterranean offer an opportunity to consider the continuities and changes in artistic production from the classical to medieval periods.

Woven Interiors: Furnishing Early Medieval Egypt

August 31, 2019–January 5, 2020 | This exhibit provides insight into the decoration of interior spaces, inviting the viewer to experience stunning tapestries featuring mythical beings and intriguing iconography alongside household objects and luxurious gold jewelry.

Ornament: Fragments of Byzantine Fashion

September 10, 2019–January 5, 2020 | This exhibit brings together complete tunics, parts of garments, and contemporary replicas of ancient dress to evoke the fashions of a now lost world.

Piety and Pleasure: Western Travel to the Holy Land

April–October 2019 | This exhibit explores how the interest in the Holy Land was connected to a longer history of travel to the western Mediterranean and coincided with and contributed to the development of Western tourism as we know it today.

Juggling the Middle Ages

October 16, 2018–March 3, 2019 | See how one tale has transformed over time, captivating medieval and modern audiences alike with its enduring messages. Art is miraculous!

Outside/IN: Martha Jackson Jarvis at Dumbarton Oaks

February 20–September 2, 2018 (museum) and March 15–December 16, 2018 (gardens) | This installation of mixed-media sculpture and works on paper, all inspired by natural forms and materials, by noted Washington artist Martha Jackson Jarvis, bridges the institution’s historic gardens and museum collections.

Seeing Cherries

March 14–July 2018 | Drawing from the Rare Book and Ephemera Collections, this exhibit traces the story of cherry blossoms in Japan and the United States and their place in the changing relationship between the two nations over the past century.