A Lego Challenge By the Numbers

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Experiment Station

Phillips after 5 visitors use Legos to create sculptures inspired by the work of Danish artist Per Kirkeby

135 participants of all ages

3,300 Legos of all sizes

89 total Instragrams

51 submissions

8 winners

3 hours of fun

The Phillips’s first-ever Lego challenge was a great success! The tables in the Main Gallery were packed all night with Phillips after 5 guests who built their own Per Kirkeby-inspired masterpieces. Visitors snapped photos of their creations with Instagram and tagged their pictures #PhillipsPlaysWell, in honor of Lego’s Danish roots, for a chance to win prizes. Check out winning photos below, and find the rest of the submissions @phillipscollection on Instagram.

Margaret Collerd, Public Programs and In-gallery Interpretation Coordinator

The winning photos. Clockwise from top left: Windy Tree by Andrew M., Fallen Tree III by cerin, Untitled by ianjannetta, Untitled by mrsmerkel, New Shadows by Jessica, Sans Titre by Chris Z., and On the Floor by matthewbaileyseigel.

A Surprise Around Every Corner

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Experiment Station

A new permanent collection installation greeted visitors to the Phillips last week right when they walked through the double glass doors into the galleries. What’s on view? A 1960 sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, a 1952 painting by Francis Bacon, a 2001 photograph by James Casebere, and a 1988 sculpture by Juan Hamilton. This group of works will remain on view throughout the winter.

(works in the permanent collection from left) Francis Bacon, Study of a Figure in a Landscape, 1952; Alberto Giacometti, Monumental Head, 1960; James Casebere, Yellow Hallway #2, 2001; Juan Hamilton, Bruja, 1988. Photo: Joshua Navarro

Ink, Sand, and Ektacolor: Conversations in Christenberry

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Experiment Station

(clockwise from upper left) Contemporary photographs from The Phillips Collection, including William Christenberry’s “Gourd Tree, near Akron, Alabama” (1981); William Christenberry, “Southern Monument XI”, 1983. Mixed media, wood, metal, signage, roofing materials and paint, 19 in x 28 1/2 in x 19 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Gift of Philip M. Smith, 2004; two ink paintings by William Christenberry, “Tree” (2006) and “Night Landscape” (2004), both German ink on sandpaper; 11 x 9 inches. Gift of Sandra and William Christenberry, 2010. Photos: Joshua Navarro

We posted earlier this week about a group of contemporary photographs now on view outside the Rothko Room. The presentation includes nine artists, including William Christenberry who is based in D.C. and has a show up through Oct. 27 at Hemphill Fine Arts. While the installation is focused on photography, Curator Elsa Smithgall saw an opportunity to set up dialogues between photography, painting, and sculpture and chose to include examples of Christenberry’s work in all three media. In addition to his soulful photographic landscapes of the South, you will discover exquisite ink paintings on sandpaper and a bold Southern Monument sculpture.