Though the National Gallery of Art’s Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes includes lots of costumes and video clips meant to bring the legendary dance troupe alive, the works on paper are the beating heart of this show. The illustrated costume designs by Léon Bakst, like this one for a rajah in the ballet Le Dieu … Continue reading »
The National Gallery of Art’s George Bellows show is full of surprises. Based on the artist’s affinity for raucous boxing matches, I expected more testosterone. I didn’t expect so many quiet landscapes and portraits of women. I liked this painting of swans in Central Park best, not least because it echoed an Instagram pic I … Continue reading »
I finally upgraded to an iPhone 4S, so I tried out the newest version of Instagram at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden today. One of my favorite places in Washington. Continue reading »
Score one for Japan; this is cultural diplomacy at its finest. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to Washington, D.C., two of the city’s most prominent museums have organized once-in-a-lifetime exhibits of Japanese art, one with heavy involvement from the Japanese government. Both exhibits succeed wildly; you know … Continue reading »
Wow. I’ve long been baffled by the National Gallery of Art’s sub-par website and stodgy social media presence, but they may have turned a corner. Today, the gallery launched a new website offering more than 20,000 open access digital images from its collections. Great news for academics, Pinterest fans, bloggers and art enthusiasts of all … Continue reading »
Though this year’s cherry blossoms are officially predicted to peak the week of March 24, a number of trees have already popped in my neighborhood. It’s been a warm winter. Aside from lifting the city’s mood, the blossoms bring a constellation of Japanese art exhibits to DC. A few I intend to check out this … Continue reading »
Andrew Wyeth’s Snow Flurries is now hanging in the lobby of the National Gallery of Art’s East Wing. Appropriate for mid-February, and a nice antidote to the CPAC crazies swarming my neighborhood this week. Continue reading »
Our first snow is expected today, way too early for Washington. It’s a good day to check out this photograph by Harry Callahan at the National Gallery of Art. Taken in one of my favorite cities–Chicago. Continue reading »
I woke this morning to hear NPR’s Scott Simon talking about the Capitoline Venus, a welcome summer visitor to Washington this year. She’s in the rotunda of the National Gallery of Art West Building, on loan from Rome, through Labor Day. This is the only time she’s left Rome since Napoleon absconded with her in … Continue reading »
There’s something cinematic about this 1967 Lewis Baltz photo, part of the National Gallery of Art’s Prototypes/Ronde de Nuit. It reminded me of the film A Single Man, in which Colin Firth plays a gay college professor in 1960s Los Angeles–one of my favorites of the last year. Both the photo and film capture an … Continue reading »
