Next to the Verizon Center at Gallery Place sits one of the
more underrated Smithsonian exhibits, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and
National Portrait Gallery. Today, I had the pleasure of taking a break from the
heat and cooling off in this remarkable building.
Completed in 1868, it is one of the first buildings constructed
in early Washington D.C. and has housed both the Smithsonian American Art
Museum and National Portrait Gallery since 1968. While the outside features a
Greek Revival architectural style, the inside is much more contemporary and
modern with features like the Kogod Courtyard and the Courtyard Café.
Besides the physical features of the building, the
collections of the both the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery
were impressive in their own right. With four floors, each section housed
pieces from all sorts of genres including; Folk Art, Early American History,
America’s Presidents, Modernism, Impressionism, Contemporary Art, and 20th
Century Americans.
Photo: Among the Sierra Nevada. © 1868 Gordon Parks Foundation,
Smithsonian American Art Museum
It was a highly enjoyable experience to say the least and I
recommend it to all of those who are seeking something slightly off the
beaten path!
- Nathan Piper
Enjoyed your pics and commentary. I often used to have lunch in that courtyard--back when it was open to the skies. But I like it now, too.
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