Happy 100 Years to These 8 Artworks

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Experiment Station

Charles Burchfield, Road and Sky, 1917. Watercolor, ink, and gouache on paper, 17 1/2 x 21 1/2 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, Acquired 1930

Each of these pieces from our permanent collection was created in 1917 and celebrates 100 years in 2017. What are some of your favorite one hundred year old works?

Charles Demuth, Monument, Bermuda, 1917. Watercolor on paper, 14 x 10 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC. Acquired 1925

Louis Michel Eilshemius, The Dream, 1917. Oil on cardboard on wood panel, 30 5/8 x 40 3/4 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, Acquired 1936

Gaston Lachaise, Sea Lion, 1917. Bronze, 12 1/2 x 15 3/8 x 10 1/4 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, Acquired 1922

Maurice Prendergast, Revere Beach No. 2, between 1917 and 1918. Watercolor on paper, 13 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, Gift of Mrs. Charles Prendergast in memory of Duncan and Marjorie Phillips, 1991

Paul Strand, New York, 1917. Photogravure, 6 3/8 x 8 3/8 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, Gift of the Phillips Contemporaries, 1999

Augustus Vincent Tack, As the Ships Go Sailing By, 1917. Oil on canvas on plywood panel, 31 1/2 x 24 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, Acquired by 1959

Take a #breakforart with the Phillips

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Experiment Station

The Phillips Collection is constantly changing. You never know what will be on view from one day to the next.

Imagine my surprise when I entered into the newly-opened exhibition History in the Making: 100 Years after the Armory Show. There, hanging ever-so-gracefully, is Maurice Prendergast’s On the Beach (ca. 1907-1909). I’ve never seen this work of art in person before, having only worked at the Phillips for one year. And — as if by magic — we just featured Prendergast’s effervescent watercolor in one of the education department’s pilot Twitter chats, #breakforart.

Maurice Prendergast, On the Beach, ca. 1907-1909. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 14 1/2 x 21 1/2 in. (36.83 x 54.61 cm). The Phillips Collection, Washington D.C., Acquired 1926.

These Twitter chats are meant for you, our public. When the museum is closed, the works of art still live. We’re opening up the museum, virtually of course, on Mondays for you to comment, question, provoke, laugh, and be inspired. Be a part of our Twitter chat experiments by joining us each Monday through September 30 from 12-1pm EST. Follow the Phillips on Twitter as we #breakforart!

And in the meantime, you can catch up with the rich conversation on that Prendergast painting, here.

New to Twitter? Want to join our chat? Just search @PhillipsMuseum or the hashtag #breakforart each Monday at 12 EST to join.

Meagan Estep, Teacher Programs Coordinator

Artists in Italy: Maurice Prendergast and John Graham

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Experiment Station

New installation of works inspired by Italy in Gallery C. Photo: Joshua Navarro.

New installation of works inspired by Italy in an upstairs gallery in the house. Photo: Joshua Navarro.

From the ancient Romans to the Renaissance, Italy has attracted and inspired artists from around the world for centuries. Many considered their artistic training incomplete without a trip to study from the great masters and to record the beautiful surrounding landscapes of Italy. The styles of art created and employed were just as diverse as the nationalities of the artists that Italy inspired. In a new permanent collection installation in the house, artists both Italian and foreign from the late 19^th to the mid-20^th century use the common thread of Italian inspiration to interpret landscapes and still life themes that reflect their unique visual vocabulary. This week, I will explore the foreign artists attracted to the beauty of Italy that are represented in the gallery.

Maurice Prendergast, Pincian Hill, Rome, 1898. Watercolor over graphite pencil underdrawing on thick, medium-textured, off-white watercolor paper, 21 x 27 in. (53.3 x 68.6 cm). The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., Acquired 1920.

Maurice Prendergast and John D. Graham were two such examples of painters drawn to Italy for its beautiful landscapes. Prendergast, an American born in Newfoundland in 1858 and raised in Boston, studied painting in Britain and Paris before making his grand tour through Italy. In 1898, he traveled to Florence, Siena, Rome, Capri, and Venice, taking in the sights and colors. Pincian Hill, Rome (1898), created on this trip and shown above, shows a street view of Rome depicting not only Italian scenery, but also daily life.

Graham similarly came upon his Italian source of inspiration by way of travel. Born in Ukraine in 1886, Graham escaped Bolshevik imprisonment and immigrated to the United States in 1920. After moving to America, he visited Asia, Africa, and Western Europe. His works Mountain Village (1927), seen below, and Palermo (1928) depict beautiful Italian landscapes defined by vivid colors and geometric forms.

Tomorrow, I’ll discuss works by Joseph Stella and Giorgio De Chirico.

Drew Lash, Curatorial Intern

John Graham, Mountain Village, 1927. Oil on canvas, 16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm). The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., Acquired by 1929, possibly 1927.