Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Publishes First Art Collection Book on October 27: 275 Works Span More Than Two Centuries
The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, District of Columbia, saw its art collection published in book form for the first time on October 27, 2026, when Smithsonian Books released The Art of Air and Space, a 360-page volume featuring 275 artworks drawn from the museum's holdings.
Edited by museum curator Carolyn Russo, the hardcover book (ISBN 9781588348302, $55) is organized into 13 chapters. Its works span from the late 18th century to the present day, across media including etchings, paintings, lithographs, sculpture and contemporary photography, and many of the pieces have never been shown to the public.
Featured works include Francisco Goya's 19th-century etching of flying men, Norman Rockwell's paintings of the early space program, Georgia O'Keeffe's aerial painting made after her first commercial flights, Alma Thomas's abstract paintings inspired by the Moon missions, Henri Farré's firsthand aerial combat drawings from World War I, and Annie Leibovitz's portrait photography for the NASA Art Program. The book also includes Robert McCall's promotional paintings for the films 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Trek. Library Journal gave the volume a starred review, calling it a guided tour of humankind's fascination with flight and space.
The National Air and Space Museum, located on the National Mall in Washington, is best known for its aerospace artifacts, but it also holds an expansive art collection. According to the publisher, the artists in the book interpret not merely machines but the human experience tied to flight: curiosity, ambition, fear and wonder.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：国家航空航天博物馆展厅内景（资料图）。史密森尼国家航空航天博物馆供图。 / Inside a gallery of the National Air and Space Museum (file photo). Courtesy of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.
