Flight and the Arts

A new gallery reveals the centuries-old connection between art and the experience of flight.

The desire to fly—from soaring with birds to exploring distant planets—has long piqued human imagination. Over centuries, artists have envisioned and depicted flight (real and fictional), and their work has played a role in shaping our aspirations to take to the air. With an expansive collection of more than 8,000 artworks that reflect the history of aviation and spaceflight, the National Air and Space Museum’s art collection offers a window into the very soul of flight. Spanning more than 200 years, the collection is as diverse in media as it is in subject matter; it includes drawings, paintings, photography, sculpture, and textiles. Culling from this rich collection, the Museum’s forthcoming Flight and the Arts Center will provide an exciting space for new art exhibitions designed to stimulate reflection and curiosity about all things that fly.

The newly envisioned Flight and the Arts Center encompasses two levels dedicated for rotating exhibitions from both the Museum’s collection and works on loan from art institutions and contemporary artists. Expansive walls accommodate large-scale works, while special labels and artist-focused narratives foster learning and personal engagement. The gallery is equipped with two stairwells and an elevator for accessibility, alongside an intimate alcove designed for focused viewing. Whether revealing the vivid colors of Alma Thomas’ abstract paintings or highlighting the stark realism of Norman Rockwell, the space is designed to enrich the gallery experience for all who enter. 

Art offers a lens through which we can understand the emotional, imaginative, and technical complexities of exploration through air and space. Artists interpret not merely machines, but also the human experience tied to flight—curiosity, ambition, fear, and wonder. Their work makes the science of flight accessible to wider audiences, translating abstract concepts into visual forms that invite contemplation and connection. Whether rooted in fact or fantasy, these interpretations reflect cultural values, personal stories, and future possibilities—making them essential to a comprehensive understanding of aerospace history.

The Flight and the Arts Center debuts with two exhibitions. Opening in summer 2026, visitors can explore The Art of Air and Space: Interpretations of Flight (from the National Air and Space Museum’s collection) and The Ascent of Rauschenberg: Reinventing the Art of Flight. These exhibitions present an array of works by both celebrated and contemporary artists, inviting visitors to delve into the sky—and beyond—through the eyes of those who have captured the desire to fly in paint, sculpture, and sketches.

The Art of Air and Space will be displayed in the gallery’s main level, featuring more than 75 works from the Museum’s art collection. The exhibition will be organized by art movements and themes in aviation and spaceflight. Prominent artists range from Old Master Francisco Goya (1746–1828) to avant-garde artists such as the Surrealist Man Ray, showcasing the various movements and styles across continents and generations. A broad selection highlights the evolution of artistic techniques and emphasizes how the concept of flight has inspired creative expression through time and space.

Goya’s Modo de Volar (A Way of Flying), created between 1815 and 1823, depicts strings that are intricately attached to the figures’ hands and feet, with muscular arms and legs exaggerated to evoke the human strength required for the flapping of wings. Another early work, The Hydrogen Balloon, Le Suffren, by Etienne Chevalier de Lorimier, dating back to 1784, reflects the public’s early fascination with lighter-than-air flight and serves as a historical marker of humankind’s desire to conquer the skies. 

Norman Rockwell, widely recognized for his illustrations of Americana in the Saturday Evening Post, turned his attention to the burgeoning space program in the mid-20th century. His realism shines through in a series of commissioned space paintings he made at NASA facilities for Look magazine. Through Rockwell’s trusted vision, Look promoted the space program to millions of American households.

Man on the Moon (United States Space Ship on the Moon) from 1966 captures the iconic moment of an astronaut’s first step onto the lunar surface. In Rockwell’s depiction, another astronaut looks on from within the “spaceship,” and a tiny detail in the darkness of space (at the top of the painting) represents the third astronaut in the command module. Created just three years prior to the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, this artwork serves as a reminder of the fervor of the Space Race. 

Noticeably different in the painting from the actual moon landing photographs is the color of Rockwell’s lunar lander module: It’s white. Interestingly, Rockwell’s portrayal of the lunar module is based on a full-scale wood model located outside the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. (The lunar module that was flown on Apollo 11 was wrapped in a multi-layer blanket of DuPont Kapton film and was not ready for Rockwell to view in 1966.) 

In contrast to Rockwell’s detailed painting, Man Ray’s Man’s First Landing on the Moon challenges the viewer’s assumptions about representation and memory. Rather than depicting the moon landing in a realistic manner, this surrealist work channels the psychological weight associated with such an event—capturing not just the occurrence but also the strangeness, possibility, and poetic mystery. The swirling form evokes a tornado-like emotional storm and becomes a timeless expression of how monumental moments permeate the collective psyche, reminding us of both the individuality and universality of the experience.

Another artist’s interpretation of space is through abstraction. In Blast Off, by Alma Thomas, rhythmic dabs of red, orange, and yellow evoke the exhilarating upward propulsion of a rocket launch. Thomas, who returned to painting full-time after retiring as a teacher, employed color as a joyful language of aspiration. Through her art, she reflects a belief in a shared future in space, advocating for a vision of the cosmos accessible to all, not just to astronauts.

The 1960s and 1970s also witnessed new art movements, including Photorealism, through which artists base their super realistic paintings on photographs. In the 1970s, New York gallery owner Louis Meisel commissioned leading photorealist artists for aviation lawyer Stuart Speiser’s personal art collection. The assignment asked for the artists’ individual styles but with one caveat—the work had to express an aviation theme. The “Stuart Speiser Photorealist Collection” consists of 22 paintings, and the Museum’s Art of Air and Space exhibition will give visitors a glimpse of this extraordinary collection.

Photorealist Richard Estes is known for his hyper-realistic reflections on storefront windows and in city scenes. For the Speiser assignment, the window of the Alitalia office in 1973 was a fitting representation of commercial aviation and it aligned with Estes’ city reflections. Another artist, Charles Bell, found the assignment challenging, and in Seaplane, he reverted to a familiar subject: toys. Bell thought about how toys could relate to aviation over multiple generations, and indeed many pilots were introduced to aeronautics through childhood model airplanes. The toy seaplane in Bell’s bathtub appears to have just landed. Paul Staiger’s Bill’s F-101 portrays his pilot friend “Bill” holding a flight helmet while standing casually in front of a McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. The painting looks almost like a snapshot, capturing the essence of Photorealism.

Other works represent the aesthetics of Pop Art, such as Japanese Fluxus artist Ay-Ō’s depiction of the Wright Flyer. He reinterprets the airplane with his signature rainbow palette. In Wright Brothers, Ay-Ō playfully celebrates the ingenuity of Orville and Wilbur Wright. 

Not surprisingly, the Wright brothers were an inspiration to other artists, including American artist Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008), who said of their former careers as bicycle mechanics: “The absurdity and success of teaching a bicycle to fly...it’s just the phenomena of what people are capable of doing.” Rauschenberg’s statement encapsulates the essence of creativity and innovation in the face of seeming impossibility, and it is the driving theme in a new exhibit on the mezzanine level of the Flight and the Arts Center.

The Ascent of Rauschenberg: Reinventing the Art of Flight is where art, science, and innovation intersect in unexpected and inspiring ways. Rauschenberg was renowned for his fearless creative explorations—whether through collaboration with NASA, using found airplane parts in sculpture, or infusing his work with other themes of flight and space exploration. This exhibition will present 30 artworks and includes works on loan from the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. Many of these works have rarely been displayed, and the Museum’s exhibition is the first to place Rauschenberg’s art solely in conversation with flight. Some visitors will encounter his work for the first time, while seasoned art-goers will discover new interpretations of his airborne visions. The opening of The Ascent of Rauschenberg coincides with a worldwide centennial celebration of the artist’s birth. 

Throughout his career, Rauschenberg frequently returned to the theme of flight, viewing it not merely as a technological achievement but also as a metaphor for human ambition, collaboration, and imagination. He challenged traditional artistic forms, employing found objects related to aviation, performance, and scientific data to create engaging visual narratives. His work references the Wright brothers, Charles Lindbergh, kites, NASA’s space program, weather, constellations, and the outer solar system, demonstrating how the skies serve as both subject and muse in his work. 

The exhibition is organized into thematic units that lead visitors through Rauschenberg’s evolving relationship with flight and space. One of his most significant contributions in this realm occurred through his collaboration with NASA. Invited to witness the historic launch of Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969, he created the Stoned Moon (1969–70) lithograph series. The prints encapsulate the energy, complexity, and emotion of that climactic moment in history. Rauschenberg was not merely documenting the events; he was translating them into emotional and visual experiences. Among the series, Sky Garden (Stoned Moon)  (1969) blends imagery of a rocket with a footprint on the moon, the mission control crew, and nature. Nearly 7.5 feet tall, Sky Garden marks the launch of Apollo 11 and its impact across the world. Letters, documents, and source materials used in this series accompany the artwork. Rauschenberg didn’t just make artworks—he studied the subjects that inspired them. His personal book collection is filled with titles about the history of flight, math, science, and related phenomena like weather. Sometimes he used the books more directly, cutting out pages and including them in his works. He integrated flight principles into his art and came up with creative titles that reflected his knowledge of the subject. 

Visitors will encounter three-dimensional works from Rauschenberg’s Glut series (1986–94), which is based on industrial parts, scrap metal, and discarded airplane parts that challenged conventional ideas about sculpture. Wing Swing Glut (1988) used a horizontal elevator and trim tab from the tail section of an airplane. When displayed on the ground, the sculpture looks like a seated swing. The work’s title could also be a play on a type of aircraft wing known as a “swing wing.” Wing Swing Glut reveals not only the functionality of flight but also the lyrical motion of wind and metal moving in perfect harmony. 

A kiosk in the Flight and the Arts gallery will feature a 1965 video of Pelican (1963), a dance that was choreo­­graphed by Rauschenberg. The dance showcases Rauschenberg alongside fellow artist Alex Hay, gliding across a stage in roller skates and parachutes—mimicking the movements of birds. Rauschenberg dedicated the performance to the Wright brothers, further highlighting their legacy and influence on modern creative expressions that explore the theme of flight. 

The Ascent of Rauschenberg serves as a tribute to the human drive to transcend limits—whether those limits are geographic, physical, or artistic. Rauschenberg’s influence continues to inspire new generations of artists and visitors alike, urging them to think differently about flight—not just in terms of how we reach our destinations, but why we venture into the unknown and what it means to embark on these journeys. 

As visitors step into the Flight and the Arts Center, they will encounter not only powerful artworks, but they can also engage with the stories, histories, and emotional landscapes that accompany the human pursuit of flight. This innovative intersection of art, science, and technology invites everyone to reflect upon their own aspirations and relationships with the skies above. We are challenged to imagine a future where creativity and exploration are intertwined, and where every flight—literal or metaphorical—is a step toward understanding our place within the universe. 

The Ascent of Rauschenberg: Reinventing the Art of Flight

A book by Carolyn Russo, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum, precedes the opening of the exhibition on Robert Rauschenberg—to coincide with the artist’s centennial celebration, which began in 2025 and runs through the end of 2026. Offering more than 150 color images, the book is intended for those interested in delving deeper into Rauschenberg’s contributions and legacy.

Carolyn Russo serves as the curator of the National Air and Space Museum’s art collection and the forthcoming Flight and the Arts Center exhibitions.

This article is from the Winter 2026 issue of Air & Space Quarterly, the National Air and Space Museum's signature magazine that explores topics in aviation and space, from the earliest moments of flight to today. Explore the full issue.

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