“Richard Misrach: On the Beach”

By Susan Davidson

National Gallery of Art, West Building

6th Street, NW & Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20565
Phone: 202.737.4215

Nearby Metro Stops:

Judiciary Square
Archives-Navy Memorial

Wheelchair Accessible:

Yes

Kid Friendly:

Yes

The photographs—some as large as six by ten feet—of the beach and Pacific Ocean seem inviting, but closer observation reveals a disturbing message. In 19 images he started taking just after September 11, 2001, there’s no horizon, no sky—just sea and people. The title of the exhibit refers to Nevil Shute’s 1957 novel, On the Beach, about a nuclear holocaust.