I Signed Up for ...

Given that I love The Phillips Collection so much and have seen many great art shows - as well as attended the odd lecture or concert - there over the years, I finally signed up today as an individual member.

Truth be told, I have no idea why I never did this before.

Here are some of the perks of an individual membership at the Phillips. For an annual fee of $60, you get:

• Unlimited free admission to special exhibitions and the permanent collection
• Members-only preview days for special exhibitions
• Discounts on events, lectures, and eductional programming
• Two one-day member passes to share with friends
• 10% discount in the museum shop and cafe
• 20% discount in the shop during member holiday shopping days
• Subscription to the e-newsletter

If you have a partner or family you can sign up for a dual membership. And if you have deep pockets you can sign up as a patron who gets invited to swanky exclusive events for special donors who support the museum.

The main reason I signed up as a regular, individual member now is that I really want to try and make it to this upcoming "Bonnard vs. Matisse" lecture on August 21 at the Phillips.

This is also the final week to see the MADE IN THE USA exhibition that ends on August 31.

On a separate note, I love the look and feel of this blog from the Phillips.

Let there be art!

Snapshot of Snapshot @ The Phillips

So I made it to the Phillips Collection for an excellent art talk yesterday, which I have not had much time to blog about today.

Suffice it to say for now that the Snapshot exhibition is a rare treat because it not only involves some great paintings by post-Impressionist masters such as Vuillard and Bonnard, but it juxtaposes these with original photographs taken by the artists with the earliest Kodak cameras ever made. (Kodak, alas, declared bankruptcy just about a week before the show opened!)

As one of the curators who spoke at the March 22 art talk I attended underscored, this is a truly unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these photos up close - and adjacent to the paintings by the artists that were sometimes inspired by them - before they go back into the "vaults" of family or museum archives. (Most of the images were culled by the exhibit's curators directly from the descendants of the artists in Europe.)

I plan to expound more on this exhibit at a later date - right now, however, I would like to recommend it to eveyone who is in DC right now - go see it! (I implore thee!)

Artful Evenings @ The Phillips

A quick glance this morning on my office PC at The Phillips Collection website has yielded yet another treasure trove of possibilities, including a panel discussion moderated by Phillips Director Dorothy Kosinski on the Snapshot show I've cited in an earlier blogpost.

Anyone working near the Dupont Circle area, or passing through there on their way home from work, would be well advised to check out the Phillips sometime, whether for a Thursday evening event or just to see some great art.

As I've also gushed about via this forum in the past, Spotlight Tours of individual artworks moreover provide quick, mini-tours (and mini-breaks from your daily grind!) at The Phillips on weekdays at high noon.

Spotlight Tours @ The Phillips Collection

Ack! Something came up and I could not make it to the Phillips tonight for the Gallery Talk after all. But there will be so many more chances to mix and mingle there with fellow art lovers and soak up all the art.

The Phillips Collection (c) Wikimedia Commons

Meanwhile I've found out the museum also offers these nifty "Spotlight Talks" every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at noon which involve "a 15-minute focus on one artwork at the museum."

Given that my office is not too far away from Dupont Circle and the Phillips, I just might try to attend one of these "Spotlight Talks" sometime soon.

Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), The Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881), Phillips Collection, Washington (c) Wikimedia Commons

One of the paintings they must spotlight from time to time is Renoir's luminous impressionist mastepiece "Luncheon of the Boating Party," the jewel in the crown of the museum's excellent permanent art collection.

Bring on the art "a la carte" at lunchtime - this really seems like a great way to add a dash of art to break up your usual daily routine.

Franz Marc (1880-1916), Deer in the Forest (1913), Phillips Collection (c) Wikimedia Commons

From Le Chat Noir to the Eiffel Tower @ The Phillips Collection

I've always been meaning to check out one of these Thursday evening events at THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION near Dupont Circle in downtown DC.

This GALLERY TALK would probably be a real treat to attend on MARCH 1:

RIVIERE AND PARIS: FROM LE CHAT NOIR TO THE EIFFEL TOWER

This talk, about photographs taken by Henri Rivière depicting all aspects of the "city of light," relates to an exhibition at the museum which I've mentioned in a previous blogpost.

Didn't we all just fall in love again with Paris after Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris"?

(I was glad that he won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar on February 26 for that film!)

Steinlen's famous "Chat Noir" poster from 1896 (c) Van Gogh Museum/Wikimedia Commons

Painters & Photography @ The Phillips Collection

Any ART LOVER would be well advised to visit THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION.

I have been to many exhibits there in recent years, including shows on American Impressionists, Modernism in America, Georgia O'Keefe, and Paul Klee.

Even though this is one of the few musuems in Washington that is not entirely free of charge, I will always return to the Phillips, which is located in NW DC near Dupont Circle.

One exhibit that just opened there - and which I can't wait to see - is SNAPSHOT: PAINTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHY, BONNARD TO VUILLARD (February 4 - May 6 2012).