Museums from a German POV: Washington DC
I debriefed you on the tea in NYC, but lemme give you a part II for DC because I sure can tell you one thing up front: It was WILD.
The National Gallery of Art
Remember how I said the Met Collection slays? So does the National Gallery of Art and I am not playing. If it’s not in NY, it’s here. An entire room for Mary Cassatt (1844-1926, American), an undefeated selection of Claude Monet (1840-1926, French) pieces, the iconic portrait of Napoleon serving c*nt, three amazing Jan Vermeer (1632-1675, Dutch) paintings, the only Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519, Italian) painting in the Western hemisphere. Contemporary art is on its game too: both European and American Avantgarde, Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997, American), Abstract Expressionism, an entire section for Mark Rothko (1903-1940, American, unfortunately, closed due to renovations). And all of that FOR FREE. New York could never…
The museum is based on the collection of Andrew W. Mellon (1855-1937, American) who collected art specifically to create a museum in Washington. The literal TEMPLE he built for the arts is not from the 18th century as its look suggests, but actually from the early 1940s. Spoiler alert: If Washington does one thing well, it’s making new things look as if they existed forever. Andrew was quite a sneaky fella though: In the early 1930s when the young Soviet Union was everything but breaded, Andy offered to buy some of the best masterpieces during the Soviet sale of Hermitage paintings. 21 paintings went from Saint Petersburg to Washington DC. You can’t tell reading this, but my notebook keyboard is soaked in Slavic tears rn.
Everything starting from around the beginning of the 20th century is housed in the newer East Building created by I. M. Pei (1917–2019, Chinese) in 1978. The open lofty space is inviting people to hang out. You can paint on giant tablets, design your own postcards, or simply take a break. Currently, there’s a great Dorothea Lange (1895-1965, American) exhibition spanning the photographer’s entire career. I saw Migrant Mother (1936) for the very first time and I held back tears looking at Dorothea’s photographs of Japanese-American suppression during WWII. Speaking of World War II…
Memorial Park
Technically not a museum but I need to get my thoughts out: It’s much cooler in the movies. The President’s Park is meh compared to those cool Captain America overhead shots. And the seated Lincoln Statue is smol. But that’s not even the tea.
The National World War II Memorial. As I walked up to it, I felt the chills of a tribute entering the arena of the Hunger Games: Two tall gates with enormous bronze eagles represent the Atlantic and the Pacific connected through the Federal States of the US. Every state’s name is engraved into a pillar carrying a bronze wreath. They went to Duisburg, Germany, to film The Ballad of the Snake and Songbird (2023) when the actual Capitol of Panem was right in front of their eyes?!
Considering this monument is supposed to celebrate the victory over Fascism, its architecture is quite… fascist. And the irony doesn’t stop here. The architect? Austrian-American Friedrich St. Florian (*1932). The inauguration year? 2004… I mean I wouldn’t have even flinched if the memorial was built in the 80s. But the early 2000s??? There’s even an engraved quote from President Eisenhower’s Order of the Day (1944) comparing D-Day to a literal crusade…
The National Museum of Women in the Arts
When I tell you that I was DYING to see the NMWA, I am not joking. But I come to you now with the confession that it’s not giving what it was supposed to gave. It’s just not national-museuming as it should. The building is nice, especially the grand entrance hall serves. You know who built it? THE ACTUAL FREEMASONS. THE WICKED WITCH OF THE EAST BRO!!!
The collection holds some staple names like Frida Kahlo (1907-1954, Mexican), Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717, German), Sofonisba Anguissola (ca. 1531/1532-1625, Italian), the Guerilla Girls, Louise Bourgeoise (1911-2010, French-American), Marisol Escobar (1930-2016, American), Alice Neel (1900-1984, American), and Faith Ringgold (*1930, American). Still not a single Janet Sobel (1893-1968, Ukrainian-American) work in sight… But respectfully, I don’t know what a lot of artworks are doing in that collection. And I don’t mean to throw shade at underdog artists that are simply less known. I’m talking about the quality… Some works look like they were gifted to the museum and they couldn’t say no…You have to see for yourself…
It’s not only the works themselves but the curatorial arrangement: ecology, photography, the color red, purple? I was hoping to learn more about the restrictions, networks, and opportunities of women working in the arts and all I got was Shutterstock search filters.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture
First things first: The building eats. Beautiful tropical modernist brise de soleil facade with warm earthy interior. Gorgeous. Don’t get me started on this building at golden hour. David Adjaye (Baby Boomer, British) popped off on this one in 2016, but you already know the tea…
The museum holds a vast collection of objects related to African-American history and culture. Two levels of the building are reserved for a timeline of Black History, struggles, and achievements starting from the beginning of African colonization and ending in the present. I was constantly on the verge of tears walking through the goosebumps-inducing history. The curators made sure to tell multiple stories where there is darkness and light. Despair takes turns with inspiration leading to a hopeful future: Oprah’s dress, Muhammad Ali’s gloves, magazines celebrating Barack Obama’s inauguration, the original Black Panther costume. All parts of life are represented from food to fashion.
What gets me hollering though is the list of sponsors. I’m not even talking about celebrities like Oprah, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Dave Chappelle, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, and Denzel Washington. And I’m not referring to the NFL and the NBA. Some of the most ethically questionable corporations are giving money to the museum to clear their name: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Target, Walmart, The Rockefeller Foundation, 21st Century Fox and News Corp (you know, the company that owns Fox News), Johnson & Johnson, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Walt Disney Company, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Apple, Jeff & MacKenzie Bezos, BlackRock (remember the Panama Papers?), McDonald's Corporation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, The Dow Chemical Company (responsible for producing Agent Orange and Napalm during the Vietnam War), The PepsiCo Foundation, General Motors, Goldman Sachs (“Is curing patients a sustainable business model?”), Google.org, Deloitte, Amazon, bp America, and Starbucks. I’m not surprised that the museum is well off.
Next week, I’ll have some new reviews of shows in Cologne, subscribe to not miss out!
Thank you for reading my lil rant on Washington D.C. Down to watch another Avengers movie? Let me know in the comments, leave a like and I’d appreciate you recommending to a friend. I’m happy you’re here.
See you soon!!!
Jennifer
The Gen Z Art Critic