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‘Flight originated from the imagination’: how artists have captured space travel

The Guardian UK Monday 06 July 2026, 10:00 UTC By David Smith in Washington 1 min read
Key Points

As the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum turns 50, an expansive exhibition celebrates how art has coincided with spaceWearing a shiny silver spacesuit, Alan Shepard clutches his helmet and looks like an archetypal blue-eyed American hero. The 1961 portrait by Bruce Stevenson paid tribute to the first US astronaut in space. It also planted a seed.

As the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum turns 50, an expansive exhibition celebrates how art has coincided with space

Wearing a shiny silver spacesuit, Alan Shepard clutches his helmet and looks like an archetypal blue-eyed American hero. The 1961 portrait by Bruce Stevenson paid tribute to the first US astronaut in space. It also planted a seed.

James Webb, the then administrator of Nasa, saw the painting and was inspired to start the space agency’s own art programme, believing that artists could bring a unique perspective to exploring the cosmos. From 1962 to 1974 it was led by James Dean, who then became the first art curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington.

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Smithsonian (ORG) National Air and Space Museum (ORG) Alan Shepard (PERSON) American (ORG) Bruce Stevenson (PERSON) US (LOCATION) James Webb (PERSON) Nasa (ORG) James Dean (PERSON) Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (ORG) Washington (LOCATION)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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