10 Best Art Galleries in


 

Washington, D.C.

Interior view of the Phillips Collection

Interior view of the Phillips Collection by Daderot from Wikimedia Commons

If you truly want to get a sense of who someone is, say the words “art gallery” to them and observe how they react. I’m not joking. Art galleries elicit significant reactions from people. Many individuals who have never visited a gallery believe that they are “fancy,” “hoity-toity,” and elite establishments where they are not welcome.

You’re likely to witness the finest of the greatest in modern art, depending on which galleries you visit. Of course, “best” is a subjective term.  Many of the galleries in Washington D.C  meet the criteria which is why you need to visit any of these 10 galleries in Washington D.C. 

1. National Gallery of Art

National Gallery of Art

National Gallery of Art by Kārlis Dambrāns from Wikimedia Commons

The neoclassical West Building of the National Gallery of Art has one of the greatest collections of paintings, sculptures, and other works of art from the 13th to the 20th centuries. The East Building, designed by I.M. Pei and completed in 1978, is a four-story structure that showcases predominantly modern and contemporary art.

The best route to go inside the West Building is by the Madison Drive Mall entrance, which leads to the rotunda’s spectacular central rotunda. If you turn right, you’ll discover 19th-century French galleries with pieces by Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, and others. On the west side of the structure, look for “Ginevra de’ Benci,” Leonardo da Vinci’s lone painting in the Americas, which has a secret surprise hidden behind it.

A concourse-level tunnel runs beyond the bookshop to a bigger museum store and eating area beneath the East Building (the corridor is adorned with a light sculpture by Leo Villareal called “Multiverse”). 

2. American Art Museum

Sargent, John Singer (RA)

Sargent, John Singer (RA) by Google Arts from Wikimedia Commons

The American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery are both housed in the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, a magnificent Greek Revival structure in Penn Quarter. The museums are located on opposing sides of the structure, which has a central courtyard with a massive glass roof designed by Norman Foster.

When it opened in its current location in 1968, the American Art Museum was the first of its kind, bringing together works by American painters spanning three centuries. There includes a collection of folk art on the first story, exhibitions on the Civil War, antebellum, and American impressionism on the second floor, and a substantial collection of contemporary American art on the third floor, including works by Robert Rauschenberg, Jenny Holzer, and others.

3. National Portrait Gallery

National portrait gallery

National portrait gallery by national portrait gallery from Wikimedia Commons

The National Portrait Gallery is noteworthy for its diverse themes (from Pocahontas and Franklin D. Roosevelt to Fred Astaire and Rosa Parks) as well as its thorough study of the art of portraiture.

In 17 galleries, “American Origins, 1600–1900” presents a historical overview of America through portraiture, while “America’s Presidents” features various renditions of 43 US presidents. The “20th-Century Americans” gallery on the third level features images of Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali.

4. Phillips Collection

Phillips Collection Staircase

Phillips Collection Staircase by MarylandGeoffrey from Wikimedia Commons

This modern-art treasure trove, housed in a red-brick old townhouse near Dupont Circle, is notable for both its unconventional approach—works are placed in varied groupings in order to “converse” with one another—and the quality of its collection. Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party” is the crown treasure, but there are also works by Matisse, Monet, Klee, Whistler, Bonnard, Braque, and others.

5. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

This modern-art treasure trove, housed in a red-brick old townhouse near Dupont Circle, is notable for both its unconventional approach—works are placed in varied groupings in order to “converse” with one another—and the quality of its collection. Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party” is the crown treasure, but there are also works by Matisse, Monet, Klee, Whistler, Bonnard, Braque, and others.

6. National Museum of African Art

This collection of ancient African texts, costumes, weaponry, paintings, and sculptures was originally formed as a private institution before being absorbed into the Smithsonian in 1979 and transferred to the Mall in 1987. Late-19th-century carved figures from Benin, paintings by modern artists such as Gerard Sekoto, pottery, metalwork, and jewellery are all part of the present collection.

Over the last few decades, the African art museum shifted to a more scientific focus, with less social activity. It included important historical writings from the past and present. The exhibitions have ranged from individual artists to comprehensive survey exhibits, and have included both internal and loaned pieces. Every year, the museum offers two to three temporary exhibitions as well as 10 special events.

7. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

The halls of these galleries on the Mall are filled with a wide variety of Asian art. A collection of about 25,000 pieces, including Chinese paintings, Japanese ink drawings, Buddhist sculptures, and Korean pottery, is housed within the Freer’s palazzo-style edifice. (From January 2016 through summer 2017, the Freer will be closed for renovations.) Iranian metalworks and Chinese bronzes are among the highlights of the Sackler Gallery’s collection.

8. National Museum of Women in the Arts

This museum, which opened in 1981, houses a comprehensive collection of female contributions to the arts spanning six centuries, from Flemish painter Clara Peeters through Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keeffe.

9. Kreeger Museum

This beautiful museum, constructed by famous architect Philip Johnson and financed by collectors and philanthropists Carmen and David Lloyd Kreeger, features works by European Impressionists as well as current American painters. There are nine Monets on show, as well as pieces by Picasso and Miró.

10. Renwick Gallery

The Renwick Gallery, located next to the White House in an 1874 red-brick edifice, exhibits American arts and crafts from the 19th century to the present. After major renovations, the gallery reopened with a brighter, fresher design and a new approach to curating.

Yes, art is just enjoyable. All that is required of modern art is that you devote some time to it. Learn about it. See yourself in it, for better or worse. The procedure is enjoyable. Art educates us about ourselves and exposes who we are.

You’ll have a great time if you enjoy self-examination. If not, at least go to a handful of galleries. It’s worth a shot. Keep going if you don’t enjoy the show in a certain gallery. Go to a different gallery. It’s as if life is an “all you can eat” buffet.  Art galleries are, too. You have complete control over the art you enjoy and wish to spend time with. Enjoy.

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