Page 139 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Washington, DC

F AR THER AFIELD  137

the museum supports traveling
exhibitions, which start at
The Phillips Collection before
appearing in galleries around
the country. The exhibitions
often feature one artist (such
as Georgia O’Keeffe) or one
particular topic or period (such
as the Twentieth-Century Still-Life
Paintings exhibition).
The Phillips Collection
encourages enthusiasts
of modern art to visit the
museum for a number of
special events. On the first
Thursday of each month the
museum hosts “Phillips after 5.”
Auguste Renoir’s masterpiece, The Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881) These evenings include gallery
talks, live music, and light
q The Phillips Georgian-Revival residence into refreshments, and give people
Collection a private gallery. The Phillips the opportunity to discuss
Gallery was then reopened to the issues of the art world in
1600 21st St at Q St, NW. Map 2 E2 & the public in 1960 and renamed a relaxed, social atmosphere.
3 A1. Tel (202) 387-2151. q Dupont The Phillips Collection. The On Sunday afternoons from
Circle. Open 10am–5pm Tue–Sat museum currently has more September through May, a
(to 8:30pm Thu), noon–7pm Sun. series of concerts are staged
Closed Jan 1, Jul 4, Thanksgiving, than 3,000 pieces of 19th-, 20th-,
Dec 25, Federal hols. & 8 11am and 21st-century American and in the gallery’s Music Room.
Fri & Sat. 7 - = European art. Running since 1941, these
∑ phillipscollection.org The elegant Georgian-Revival popular concerts are free to
building that was the Phillips’ anyone who has purchased a
This is one of the finest home makes for a more intimate ticket to the museum on that
collections of Impressionist and personal gallery than the day. They range from piano
works in the world and the big Smithsonian art museums. recitals and string quartets to
first museum devoted to The Phillips Collection is best performances by established
modern art in the United known for its wonderful singers of world renown, such
States. Duncan and Marjorie selection of Impressionist as the famous operatic soprano
Phillips, who founded the and Post-Impressionist Jessye Norman.
collection, lived in the older paintings; Dancers at the The museum shop sells
of the museum’s two Barre by Degas, Self- merchandise linked to
adjacent buildings. Portrait by Cézanne permanent and temporary
Following the death of and Entrance to the exhibitions. Books, posters,
his father and brother Public Gardens in Arles and prints can be found as
in 1917, Duncan by Van Gogh are just well as ceramics, glassware,
Phillips decided three examples. The and other creations by contem-
to open two of museum also has one porary artists. There are also
the mansion’s Collector Duncan Phillips of the largest collect- hand-painted silks and artworks
rooms as The Phillips (1886–1966) ions in the world of based on the major paintings
Memorial Gallery. works by French artist in the collection.
The couple spent their time Pierre Bonnard,
traveling and adding to their including The Open
already extensive collection. Window (1921).
During the 1920s they acquired Other great
some of the most important paintings to be seen
modern European paintings, in the collection
including The Luncheon of the include El Greco’s
Boating Party (1881) by Renoir, The Repentant Saint
for which they paid $125,000 Peter (1600), and The
(one of the highest prices ever Blue Room (1901) by
paid for a painting at the time). Pablo Picasso. A small
In 1930 the Phillips family chapel-like room
moved to a new home on houses several large
Foxhall Road in northwest Mark Rothko pieces.
Washington and converted In addition to the Entrance to the Public Gardens in Arles (1888),
the rest of their former 1897 permanent exhibits, by Vincent Van Gogh

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