Family Ties

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Experiment Station

Painting of a woman on a horse at a circus by Gifford Beal

Gifford Beal, Center Ring, 1922. Oil on canvas, 22 x 26 1/8 in. Acquired 1922. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC

One of my favorite paintings in the permanent collection is Gifford Beal’s Center Ring (1922). I am always drawn to it when I am perusing the second floor galleries—there’s just something about it. It feels alive. If there is one painting I would love to see come alive (à la Night at the Museum) it would be this. It would be like…going to the circus.

Did you know that Gifford Beal was actually the uncle of Marjorie Phillips, Duncan Phillips’s wife? It seems artistic talent ran in the family!

Jane Clifford, Marketing Intern

Balancing Act

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Experiment Station

Last month, a bear of an installation took over the corner of 21st and Q Streets in anticipation of Xavier Veilhan’s upcoming Intersections contemporary art project. Now the rest of Veilhan’s exhibition (IN)balance is installed in our galleries, and the artist takes a moment to discuss his diverse work—”using the floor, the walls, and the ceiling”—in this video.

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