Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse Day 13

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Sarah Osborne Bender

The Phillips family on an excursion in an unknown location. Left to right: Eliza Laughlin Phillips, Major Duncan Clinch Phillips, unknown companion, Jim Phillips, Duncan Phillips, and a guide, before 1918. Photo: Phillips Collection Archives.

It was unknown to me when we started this Year of the Horse series that there was a little bit of important trivia to be learned. Thanks to Ianthe Gergel, we now know that the surname “Phillips” means “son of Phillip”, and that the given name Philip comes from the Latin name Philippus, meaning “fond of horses.”

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Experiment Station

Christmas card by Walt Kuhn sent to Duncan Phillips, 1938. The Phillips Collection Archives, Washington DC.

Exploring Transparency

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Sarah Osborne Bender

Vesna Pavlovic works on a light table in the archives viewing negatives (left) and shares a glimpse of her process (right). Photos: Sarah Osborne Bender (left), Vesna Pavlovic (right)

Photo: Sarah Osborne Bender

Upcoming 2014 Intersections artist Vesna Pavlovic, whose work will be on view in late May, spent last week in the museum’s library and archive, exploring not only the collection but also the space. Head librarian Karen Schneider guided her through the materials. Using installation photograph negatives from 1960s exhibitions by Alberto Giacometti and Mark Tobey, she observed the results of combining images. She also experimented with the transparency and light of our skylight from the courtyard above.