Across the Way

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Sarah Osborne Bender

Andrea Way, Rogue, 1991. Black ink and felt tip pen on prepared paper, 25 3/4 x 40 1/2 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Gift of Dr.and Mrs. Harvey Sherber, 1993.

Both of the works in the Phillips by Washington, D.C., artist Andrea Way traveled just three miles up Massachusetts Avenue to be a part of her retrospective now on view at American University’s Katzen Arts Center. Michael O’Sullivan writes in the Washington Post:

“Way’s art is layered, and it is compounded by secondary rules, by accident and by what the artist calls the introduction of ‘points of departure’ to her rules.”

All Part of the Job

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Experiment Station

Photos: Paul Vincent

Museum Assistant Paul Vincent shares his perspective–catching glimpses of Rothko, Miró, and Cézanne–while keeping the art protected and visitors informed. Although long, vigilant hours on the feet can make the work hard, it’s undeniable that these views beat the walls of a cubicle any day.

Meet Me in Montauk

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Sarah Osborne Bender

(Left) Reynolds Beal, In the Rips off Montauk, 1928, Drypoint on paper; 8 3/4 x 12 7/8 in. (22.2 x 32.7 cm). Acquisition date unknown. (Right) Rattner, Abraham, Window at Montauk Point, 1943, Oil on canvas; 25 5/8 x 32 in.; 65.0875 x 81.28 cm.. Acquired 1943.

Seems that we have three paintings in the collection that capture Montauk. Reynolds Beal puts us out at sea in the choppy waters. Abraham Rattner keeps us safe inside, looking out at the lighthouse through a window. In Marjorie Phillips’s painting, which was recently hung in the stairwell by the Music Room (often home to her painting, Night Baseball, 1951), we’re high above a natural beach without a structure or another person in sight.

Marjorie Phillips, Montauk Point, circa 1922, Oil on canvas, 18 7/8 x 30 3/8 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Bequest of Elmira Bier, 1976. Photo: Sarah Osborne Bender