NASA/Art : 50 Years of Exploration

NASA is special among agencies of the United States government in that its mission - to explore space - is to be constantly probing into the unknown. Astronauts and artists have this in common. Soon after the establishment of NASA in 1959, the NASA Art Program was created, in recognition that artists might be best equipped to interpret the experiences of astronauts and space exploration.

In the program's early years, artists as diverse as Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell and Jamie Wyeth participated. Over time, the NASA Art Program has invited many of the world's most distinguished artists to create art inspired by space exploration, including Alexander Calder, Nam June Paik, William Wegman, Mike and Doug Starn, Vija Celmins and Annie Leibovitz.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of NASA in October 2008, the Smithsonian Institution Travelling Exhibition Service is organizing a two-year travelling exhibition of the best work created for the NASA Art Program. The accompanying book offers an expanded selection and stands as a lasting record of the impact of space exploration on the artistic imagination.