Take a break from the summer heat inside one of DC ‘s art museums and galleries. This slate of new shows lets you browse the works of painters, collagists, and writers like James Baldwin, Claude Monet, and more.
“Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage”
This fascinating show at The Phillips Collection is the first large-scale exhibition dedicated to exploring collage by contemporary Black American artists. Pieces by 49 artists—including Derek Fordjour, Mark Bradford, Kerry James Marshall, and Kara Walker—stretch across three floors in two buildings ($20).
“Ruffled Feathers: Creating Whistler’s Peacock Room”
Oil and watercolor painter James McNeill Whistler designed the stunning Peacock Room for a wealthy London businessman in 1876. The Art Nouveau masterpiece is now on permanent display at the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art, and this summer, a new exhibition invites visitors to learn about the room’s history and creation (free).
“Gordon Parks: Camera Portraits from the Corcoran Collection”
New York photographer Gordon Parks is famous for capturing images of everyday Black Americans during the early-to-mid 20th century. In addition to those portraits, Parks took pictures of some of the era’s most prominent figures, including boxer Muhammad Ali and conductor Leonard Bernstein. You can view about 25 of his special works in this exhibition at the National Gallery of Art (free).
“This Morning, This Evening, So Soon”
“This Morning, This Evening, So Soon: James Baldwin and the Voices of Queer Resistance” is curated by Pulitzer-winning critic Hilton Als. Through art, you can explore Baldwin’s writing, activism, and relationships with other queer voices include writer Lorraine Hansberry, poet Essex Hemphill, and filmmaker Marlon Rigg (free).
“Forces for Change: Mary McLeod Bethune and Black Women’s Activism”
opens July 19
location_onSmithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
language Website
Social justice activist and educator Mary McLeod Bethune was a prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement. A major exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture will honor Bethune and other Black women who have driven social change. The show includes 75 images, 35 artifacts, a film, and an eight-foot-tall plaster sculpture of Bethune (free).
“Voting by Mail: Civil War to Covid-19”
Ahead of the November presidential elections, head to the National Postal Museum to browse artifacts from elections dating back to the 19th-century. Check out an absentee ballot request from a World War II soldier, a mailed tally sheet from 1864, and recent objects from the 2020 race (free).
“An Epic of Kings: The Great Mongol Shahnama”
Iran’s national epic Shahnama details the history of the country up until the seventh century. The copy known as the Great Mongol Shahnama uses descriptive paintings to depict leaders, kings, and rulers through the medieval era. Here’s your chance to see 25 folios from the now dismantled manuscript (free).
“Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment”
Close out the summer at the National Gallery of Art’s much-anticipated “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment” exhibit. To mark the 150th anniversary of the first impressionist exhibition, a collection of 130 works will give viewers an immersive look at the Parisian art scene of 1874. Artists in the show include Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, and more. The exhibit will arrive in DC after its run at Paris’ Musée d’Orsay museum (free, but lines and virtual queues are expected).
Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.
