American Moments Portraits: Puppies, People, and Ponies

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Experiment Station

“One Line Monday (6-1)” by Mike Guy

Quick! If you had to create a portrait of one person right now, who would it be? A family member? Yourself? Your pet?

We have all of the necessary supplies to create a portrait at a station in American Moments: Photographs from The Phillips Collection, inspired by a gallery in the exhibition that features portraits of artists, including notable painters, photographers, and musicians. To help us kick off the in-gallery activity, we asked the many artists on staff here at the Phillips to get creative with their submissions. Join us for opening weekend June 6 & 7 to create your own! Share it on social media with #AmericanMoments and you might see your submission featured here on The Experiment Station.

“Horse” by Anna

“Aunt Nor – Cancer Won” by Museum Supervisor Meghan Schindler

“Miss B” by Marketing Manager Amy Wike

“Steinbeck” by Anonymous

An Impossible Equation

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Experiment Station

Equation_installation shot ptg and drawing

Man Ray’s Equation (1947, oil on canvas, 16 × 20 1/8 in, private collection) alongside the drawing that preceded it.

Man Ray painted Equation (at left above) in Hollywood based on his 1939 drawing (at right). While the composition reveals recognizable elements from different mathematical models that appear in other Shakespearean Equation paintings, this canvas contains no suggestion of human entities or references to Shakespeare. It is also the only painting in the series that does not replicate any model in its entirety. Nonetheless, Equation notably foreshadows the Shakespearean Equations project, and Man Ray subsequently incorporated the canvas into the series.

From Our Family To Yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Experiment Station

From the Phillips family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving! Here are some of our favorite artist portrayals of family from the collection.

George Bellows, My Family, No. 2, 1921. Lithograph on paper. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, Acquired 1945

Arnold Newman, Estee Lauder Family Group, 1979/printed later. Gelatin silver print, overall: 11 in x 14 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, Gift of Adam and Susan Finn, 2012

Henry Moore, Family Group, 1946. Bronze, 17 1/2 x 13 x 8 5/8 in.The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, Acquired 1947