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Smithsonian To Show Decorative Arts Of White House

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Decorations and furniture from the White House are going on view at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery, including some objects never before seen outside the president's house.

On Saturday, the exhibit "Something of Splendor: Decorative Arts from the White House," opens to the public. It includes 95 objects from the White House collection, including ceramics, metals, textiles and furniture. It will be on view until May 2012.

The White House amassed a sizable collection over time. Objects on view will include dinner plates from the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan and glassware from the Kennedy years.

Jacqueline Kennedy brought in the first curator to care for the collection.

The gallery is on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House. It's a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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