Written in Knots: Undeciphered Accounts of Andean Life
April 2–August 18, 2019 | Long before the arrival of the Spaniards, the people of South America had a system of recorded information that was portable, precise, and so complex that it remains undeciphered 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
An installation of mixed media sculpture and works on paper, all inspired by natural forms and materials, by noted Washington artist Martha Jackson Jarvis.
Ancient Textiles
Textile Gallery | Features late Roman and early Byzantine hangings and curtains alongside Andean looped and woven garments.
Early Acquisitions: Bliss Collecting in Paris and London, 1912–1919
Bliss Gallery | Explores the taste and acquisitions of Robert and Mildred Bliss when they lived in Paris.
Transplanting the Renaissance: Italian Villa Gardens in America, 1900–1940
Orientation Gallery | Examines the transplantation of Italian gardens in the United States and explores the relationships between popular images, landscape design, and cultural identity
Ancient Bronzes in the Dumbarton Oaks Collections
Through February 8, 2018, in the Courtyard Gallery | Highlights the craft of bronze metallurgy and the use and meaning of ancient works in bronze.
Women in Art, 1850–1910
Through February 1, 2018, in the Special Exhibition Gallery | Examines the fashionably dressed urban woman of the late nineteenth century in works collected by the Blisses, who admired the art of the Impressionists.
Imagining the Empress: Theodora in Popular Culture, 1882–1922
Orientation Gallery | April - October 2017
City Water/City Life
Through August 2017 in the Rare Book Gallery | Traces the development of water elements in three historic cities and their interaction with social and cultural milieus.