A TREASURE HOUSE OF "MODERN" ART: The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

Among my favorite art museums in Washington, D.C. is the Phillips Collection, which I had the chance to visit last week. It had been five years since my previous visit, and I discovered that although many of the paintings on exhibit were familiar, there were new ones I hadn't seen before.

In 1921, Duncan Phillips, and his wife, Marjorie Acker Phillips, a painter, turned the family art collection into a public museum, the Phillips Memorial Gallery, in their home near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. The collection soon expanded and the family moved across the street, turning over the entire house to art.

From the beginning, the collection focused on “modern” art, acquiring paintings by French Impressionists such as Monet and Renoir, and Cubists such as Picasso and Braque. Giving equal focus to American and European artists, Phillips juxtaposed works by Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, Maurice Prendergast, James Abbott McNeill Whistler and Albert Pinkham Ryder, with canvases by Pierre Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard, and Danish painter Peter Ilsted.

Luncheon of the Boating Party by Auguste Renoir.

The painting that makes the museum famous and draws the most visitors is Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party. It still has pride of place, filling one wall in a room on the second floor of the museum.

The Rothko Room.

As the collection expanded over the years it became necessary to add a new wing to the museum. Every room is filled with remarkable art. One small room is devoted to four paintings by Mark Rothko, each intense canvas taking up most of each wall. Standing in the middle one feels bathed in color on every side.

Migration series by Jacob Lawrence. Top: "Families arrived at the station very early. They did not wish to miss their travel north." Bottom: "The migration spread."

Another room contains the paintings of the Jacob Lawrence Immigration Series, depicting the migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North.  As one circles the room, it is like reading a book. Jacob Lawrence wrote text to go with each painting, and in the gallery it is placed underneath the paintings. In the excellent gift shop on the first floor, you can buy a book in which all the paintings and text have been assembled as a story.

Detail, Three Lawyers by Honore Daumier.

In another room, one wall features a painting and drawings by the French artist Honore Daumier, a master at capturing facial expressions and body language, a skill he used to critique social norms of the 19th Century. Not much has changed in the 170 years since Daumier painted the Three Lawyers. The three men, aught in conversation, feel contemporary. 

The Road Menders by Vincent Van Gogh.

Detail of The Road Menders.

As I made my way through the museum, I became intrigued by the titles of paintings, finding that my first impression of what the painting was about wasn’t always reflected in the title. For instance, in Vincent Van Gogh’s painting Road Menders, I had to look hard to find the tiny figures in the center of the painting making repairs on the road.

The Blue Armchair by Guy Pene du Bois.

In another painting, The Blue Armchair by Guy Pene du Bois, the chair all but swallows the figure sitting in it, making the title fit perfectly.

Part of the Where We Meet exhibit. L-R: Black Girl by Elizabeth Catlett; Breeze Rustling Through Fall Flowers by Alma W. Thomas; Girl in a Turban by William H. Johnson.

On the second floor of the museum is a room devoted to an exhibit called Where We Meet, in which pieces from the Phillips Collection and the Howard University Museum of Art are shown together “in conversation”. This exhibit is new since my last visit. 

These are just a small sample of the art on display at the Phillips Collection. To see my posts about my visit in 2019, go to:

The Phillips Collection, Part 1: America's First Museum of Modern Art. 

and

The Phillips Collection, Part II: What Do You Hang Over the Fireplace?

And to learn about the Family Gallery at the museum, a guide to looking at art with children, go to my recent post at my Art and Books blog.

NEW MEETS OLD: Contemporary African Art by Leilah Babirye at the de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA

Masks by Leilah Babirye at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

A new exhibit at the de Young Art Museum in San Francisco, called We Have a History, features the art of Leilah Babirye. At first, Leilah Babirye’s sculptures look like traditional African forms, but on closer look, the complex decorations turn out to be a colorful mixture of found objects—can tops, electrical wire, extension cords, PVC pipe, and whatever else she has happened to find. 

Auntie Muzumganda by Leilah Babirye, Ceramic, wire, and found objects.

Detail.

Leilah Babirye, born in Uganda, works in New York, creating busts, masks, and figures from ceramic and wood. This is her first solo museum show in the United States. Her work highlights the connection between the past and present in African art.

R. Peaceful Bride of Mwanga II, Leilah Babirye, Wood, wax, nails, wire, glue and found objects.

I saw Leilah Babirye’s exhibit when I was at the de Young Museum in July. Her art is displayed in the Art of Africa gallery, alongside the permanent exhibits of masks, paintings and other objects, thus tying Babirye’s work to the larger African tradition. 

Dance mask, Bogadjin people; Headrests, Tami people.

I was intrigued by her use of ordinary household objects and the way they become transformed into vibrant art when incorporated in the sculptures.

Carved wooden figure, Leilah Babirye.

Included in the exhibit is a video installation where we see Leilah Babirye at work in her studio. We see the intense and energetic way she attacks materials, turning them into the forms she intends. As she works we hear her talk about them.  Leilah Babirye’s sculptures, busts and masks are portraits of her LGBTQ+ community. Each one speaks for itself, inviting the viewer to take a closer look.

The exhibit, on the second floor of the museum, runs through October 26, 2025. 

For more information about visiting the de Young Museum of Art, click HERE.

EDITH RENFROW SMITH and the Celebration of Black History in Grinnell, Iowa

Grinnell, Iowa. Wheat paste murals depicting Edith Renfrow Smith's college graduation (1937) and as a two-year-old.

A week ago my husband Art and I were in Grinnell, Iowa celebrating the dedication of Renfrow Hall, a new Grinnell College dormitory and community center, named in honor of Edith Renfrow Smith, the oldest graduate (Class of 1937) and first Black woman to graduate from the college. After graduation she moved to Chicago, where she has lived ever since.

Edith Renfrow Smith at the dedication of Renfrow Hall, September 28, 2024.

Born in 1914, Edith grew up in Grinnell, the fifth child in one of just a few Black families in town. Now, at the sprightly age of 110, she was the star of the show.

Parade welcoming Edith to Grinnell. Edith rode in a red convertible and waved to the crowd.

We joined friends, family, college and townspeople as Edith was welcomed with a parade led by the high school band, a gala dinner followed by a party in the park, and numerous other events and exhibitions.

Wheat paste mural depicting Edith and her sisters. Edith is second from left. They had two brothers. All six graduated from college, although Edith was the only one to attend Grinnell College.

Posted around town were large wheat paste murals depicting Edith's early life and scenes from that period in the town's history. The murals, created by Iowa artist Isaac Campbell from historic photos, enlarged and printed on rolls of blueprint paper, were then fastened to buildings with wheat paste. They will last about a year.

No One is Better Than You is available at the Pioneer Book Store in Grinnell, and on Amazon.

Both Art and I had a chance to chat with Edith. I was especially eager to meet Edith after advising on the wonderful children's book about her life, No One is Better Than You, written by Monique Shore. During the weekend, Monique gave a reading of her book at the Drake Community Library in Grinnell. After the reading, tours were given of the Hazelwood Cemetery, highlighting areas connected to Renfrow family history.

Fourth Avenue in downtown Grinnell has not changed much in the last 100 plus years. Most of the buildings are on the National Historic Register. The store with the striped awning was once Arnold's Shoes.

The whole trip to Grinnell felt like a trip back in time as Art and I recalled our own years as students on campus in the 1960s and as we visited places connected to Arnold family history from earlier generations. Art's great great grandparents first came to Grinnell in the late 1800s. Art's father grew up in Grinnell. Art was delighted to learn that Edith recalled his Uncle Don (a classmate) and the Arnold shoe store on 4th Avenue.

Art chatting with Edith before the dedication ceremony.

Renfrow Hall, under construction.

Renfrow Hall, located off-campus in downtown Grinnell, will be both a dormitory for students at the college and a place for community activities. It is scheduled to open in 2025.

Edith paved the way for more Black women students at Grinnell College. Delabian Rice Thurston, my roommate in college, was honored with a banner at the dedication of Renfrow Hall for her work with Parents United in Washington, DC.

Delabian with her banner at the dedication.

It was a thrill to meet Edith and to be part of the celebration of her remarkable life and of the role she and her family have played in the Grinnell community.

The house on First Avenue in Grinnell where Edith was born.

This building was the Grinnell High School and Junior High attended both by Edith and her siblings and by Art's father and his siblings. It has now been converted to a hotel and this is where we stayed during our visit for the Renfrow Hall dedication.

A PLACE OF QUIET BEAUTY, MONASTERY MARIANELA-Atyra-Py, Paraguay, Guest Post by Tom Scheaffer

Marianela Atayla-Py Monastery in Paraguay.

On a recent trip to Paraguay to see an old friend, my brother Tom visited the beautiful monastery Marianela-Atyra-Py. Designed by an Italian architect and inspired by Medieval monasteries in Europe, its gardens and buildings now serve as a retreat and meeting place and is open to visitors. At the end of your tour you can enjoy coffee and snacks in the onsite Cafe. 

Here are a few photos Tom took on his visit to the monastery. 

Tom. An arched colonnade surrounds the octagonal chapel.

Colorful tiles decorate the floors.

Corridors open to the surrounding lawn. Even the brick walls are patterned.

Wooden carving of Saint Francis.

Tom's friend.

For contact information go to the Marianela-Atyla-Py Facebook page.

More photos of the Marianela complex can be seen HERE.

 

NATURAL BEAUTY IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA: Exploring Leu Gardens and More

Shaded path at Leu Gardens in Orlando, Florida.

In August, my brother Tom spent several days in Orlando, Florida, before and after his trip to Paraguay. While most people think of Orlando as the home of Disney World, the city has much natural beauty too. One day Tom and a friend visited the Harry P. Leu Gardens, and sent me these photos.

Tom at Leu Gardens

Tropical plants flourish at Leu Gardens.

Colorful potted plants.

On another day in Orlando Tom wrote: Today I saw two cranes just in a park. Also, today we went to a natural spring, which was very beautiful. Water comes out of the earth--millions of gallons a day--and forms a river. We saw two manatees and there are also many fish that you can see.

Look for the large silhouettes in the water to see the manatees.

Tomorrow we will go kayaking at another spring. It is very hot here in the afternoons and humid!

With many thanks to Tom for sharing his photos of Orlando.

Go to the Leu Gardens website for information about hours and admission.

From the website: Explore an amazing botanical oasis nearly 50-acres minutes from Downtown Orlando. Each garden is designed specifically to further our mission: inspire visitors to appreciate and understand plants. The garden and historical home were deeded to the City of Orlando in 1961 by Mr. Harry P. Leu and his wife, Mary Jane. We hope you enjoy your visit.

AROUND THE WORLD WITH PLANTS at the UC Botanical Garden, Berkeley, CA

View of San Francisco Bay from the UC Botanical Garden, Berkeley, CA.

Fifty years ago, my daughter Jennifer and I posed in front of the sunflowers I was growing along our garden fence in Millbrook, New York. Several weeks ago, on our visit to the University of California Botanical Garden in Berkeley, Jennifer posed in front of a sunflower again, planted in the Crops of the World section.

With Sunflower, 1974.

With Sunflower 2024.

When Jennifer was young and we lived in a house in the country, we planted a huge garden, growing flowers and most of our own vegetables. Today, I still enjoy growing flowers in pots on my patio, but I buy my vegetables from our local Farmer’s Market.

A trip to the Botanical Garden in Berkeley is always a favorite outing with family and friends when we are at our house in Oakland. The 34-acre UC Botanical Garden is the third largest in the United States, featuring more than 10,000 kinds of plants from around the world. It specializes in plants that thrive in a Mediterranean climate similar to that of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Cactus bloom.

After buying our tickets at the front gate, we began our walk, first visiting the exhibits of orchids, cycads and carnivorous plants in the glass houses located just beyond the entrance. 

Gunnera tinctoria, also known as Chilean rhubarb.

From there we followed the paved and gravel paths through the deserts of the Americas, then upward through the Africa, Asian, Australasian, Mediterranean and South American sections, ultimately reaching the garden of old roses with its magnificent view of the garden and San Francisco Bay beyond. It was a warm, but overcast day, perfect for photography. 

Here are a few of our favorite photos from our expedition.

Cactus fruits.

Cactus viewed from above.

The garden was abuzz with bees collecting nectar.

Eryngium Paniculatum, from Argentina.

Sundial in the Garden of Old Roses.

The UC Botanical Garden has a lovely gift shop as well as a garden shop with plants. It puts on many programs for the public, including a monthly Butterfly Walk in summer, which we enjoyed a year ago. (Click on link for my blogpost about the butterfly walk.)

For directions and more information about the UC Botanical Garden, go to their website.