Tag Archives: art

The District, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Yves Klein – With The Void, Full Powers

Yves Klein during the filming of “”The Heartbeat of France” at Charles Wilp’s Studio, Dusseldorf, February 20, 1961. Copyright 2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris.  Image courtesy Yves Klein Archives.  Photo by and copyright Charles Wilp.

“I am the painter of space. I am not an abstract painter but, on the contrary, a figurative artist, and a realist. Let us be honest, to paint space, I must be in position. I must be in space.” – Yves Klein

Yves Klein (French, b. Nice, 1928 – 1962) was much more than just an artist, he was an innovator, a visionary, and most importantly in my opinion, a dreamer. Although Klein’s notorious career only lasted a total of 8 years [he suffered a heart attack at age 34], that was all the time it would take for him to turn the art world upside down. As one of the 20th century’s most influential artists, Klein reintroduced what art and nature could be, pushing creativity beyond the traditional notions of what was accepted.

Yves Klein: With the Void, Full Powers is the first major retrospective of the artist’s work in the US in nearly thirty years. Presenting approximately 200 pieces, the Hirshhorn Museum explores a full range of Klein’s work, examining a career that radically altered the world of art.

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The Daily Feed
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The Collective

Photo courtesy of
‘Looking Dapper for Barack Obama’
courtesy of ‘starbuck77’

Need a mid-week pick-me-up?  How about exploring an innovative fashion line tonight at Policy Lounge on 14th Street?

This evening, “The Collective” and Bleu Magazine will be hosting an event that will include vintage pop-up shops, live painting by Moe the Creator, Bam Body Art by Jabious Williams, and the opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind vintage pieces.  And if that didn’t sound interesting enough already, you will also get the exclusive opportunity to check out (and purchase) DMVntage and the Marc C. Collection.

If you want to attend, get yourself on the guest list.  Just e-mail RSVP{at}loft829.com.

The Daily Feed
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Gods of Angkor

Photo courtesy of
‘Mysterious Sackler Stairway’
courtesy of ‘andertho’

The Sackler Gallery is gearing up to open a new exhibition called Gods of Angkor: Bronzes from the National Museum of Cambodia on May 15th.  The exhibit will be featuring 36-plus examples of bronze castings, ranging from the prehistoric period all the through the post-Angkorian period (which, if you don’t know what this means – like I didn’t, it references third century BCE to to sixteenth century CE). The exhibition will continue till January 23 and is the result of an ongoing partnership between the Freer and Sackler Galleries and the National Museum of Cambodia.

So if you want to check out art from Cambodia, and save yourself a super long plane ride – this would be the perfect exhibit for you.

The Daily Feed
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Art and Social Media

Photo courtesy of
‘Hirshhorn After Hours #15’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

In a few weeks the Hirshhorn will be opening “Yves Klein: With the Void, Full Powers”. In anticipation of the exhibit, Yves Klein will be taking over all of the Hirshhorn’s social media outlets.  Quotes by Klein (1928-1962) will be posted daily to Twitter and Facebook with links to accompanying images, video and audio, giving everyone an inside look into the artist’s creative perspective (and hopefully getting them interested in the exhibit).

I think that this is a really interesting and creative way to promote an upcoming exhibit. Way to go Hirshhorn!

The Daily Feed
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Georgia O’Keeffe, Extended Hours

Photo courtesy of
‘Phillips Collection Staircase’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

The Phillips Collection just announced that the museum will be extending its hours for the final two-weeks of the Georgia O’Keeffe: Abstraction exhibition.  I had the chance to check out the exhibit a few months ago and it definitely was a real treat.

Now you really don’t have an excuse for not checking it out.

On May 1-2 and May 8-9 the exhibition will be open to visitors from 10AM to 10PM.

The Daily Feed
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Asia After Dark

Photo courtesy of
‘Sackler Stairway’
courtesy of ‘andertho’

If you thought that our post on the Hirshhorn After Hours was interesting, then perhaps this event may find you well.  On Thursday night, the Freer and Sackler Galleries will be hosting a similar event called Asia After Dark, Tibetan Twilight.  You can enjoy music via DJ Chris Linux or see Tsewang Yangzom perform traditional Tibetan songs, while also taking in the artwork of Gonkar Gyatso with a drink in your hand.

Interesting note:  The suggested attire for the event is to wear blue, red, white, green, and yellow – all significant colors in Tibetan Buddhist culture.

Asia After Dark will be held at the Sackler Gallery on Thursday from 6:30 – 10:30 PM.

The Daily Feed
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Peter Max in DC

Photo courtesy of
‘Peter Max’
courtesy of ‘brew ha ha’

Pop Icon Peter Max will be in DC this weekend.  Making two appearances at the Wentworth Galleries tomorrow, April 24th. Max is known for his bold colors and ‘psychedelic’ imagery of american culture. This weekend’s show will feature 100-plus pieces of art – ranging from his well known “cosmic” images to his more iconic paintings such as “Flag with Heart”.

Wentworth Galleries

[Saturday, April 24th, 1-3 PM] Montgomery Mall.  7101 Democracy Blvd. Bethesda, MD.

[Saturday, April 24th, 6-9 PM] Tysons Galleria. 1807 U International Drive. McLean, Va.

The Daily Feed
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A Hirshhorn Museum Facelift

Photo courtesy of
‘Hirshhorn Museum Shop’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

The Hirshhorn is set to get a bit of an update in the form of a new, ultra-contemporary bookstore.  Rumor has it that Museum Director, Richard Koshalek has called upon artist Doug Aitken to work on the preliminary design of the permanent installation.  Although the project remains in the schematic phase at this time, Aitken’s concept renderings show a kaleidoscope-type room with numerous sharp angles, creating a vision of light through the usage of the principles of refraction.

Furthermore, Aitken’s artistic eye may also be used to update the exterior of the Museum – the artist has proposed a 360 degree wrap-around video installation that would hypothetically span the entire concrete shell.

The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Art After Hours 4/9

Photo courtesy of
‘Hirshhorn After Hours #57’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

The Hirshhorn Museum rocks.  I keep trying to think of a better description for the place, cause as writer – that is my job; however, no other term seems more fitting or more appropriate as a means to express my resulting state of euphoria that occurs following a visit to the Museum.

Whether it is the eclectic architecture of the building or an inspiring artist on display – I am consistently enamored.  And the Hirshhorn Museum’s After Hours party on Friday night, with its award-winning entertainment and international feel, just made it official.

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Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Artist Anne Marchand’s Luminous

Photo courtesy of
‘Walkthrough Art’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

The Crystal City BID’s ARTFUL Program, which hopes to share with people the influence that art can have over public spaces, is currently exhibiting Lumnious by Washington, DC -based artist Anne Marchand.  Marchand’s Luminous exhibition features eight large, mixed media canvases inspired by a combination of mystical poetry and images taken from the Hubble Space Telescope – where “art and the universe merge”.

Luminous is open until April 26 and is supported by The Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with Vornado/Charles E. Smith.

The exhibition is located at 2231 Crystal Drive.

There is also an opening reception for the exhibit tomorrow, March 24th – Please RSVP at rsvp[at]crystalcity.org.

The District, The Features, The Mall, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Josef Albers

Josef Albers, “Homage to the Square: Glow,” (1966). From the Hirshhorn’s collection.

“We must teach each other… education is not first giving answers but giving questions.”  – Josef Albers

Abstract art is void of narrative.  The composition often speaks only through the viewers mind.  A type of understanding through speculation, providing the sort of simple canvas that the imagination needs in order to thrive.

Josef Albers (1888-1976) was a master of the subjective canvas, an explorer of color and an ambassador for the abstract form.

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The Daily Feed
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Blossom! A Design Challenge

Photo courtesy of
’09-3-31 – Cherry Blossoms – Pink and Yellow’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Who doesn’t love a good design challenge? Especially one that has to do with the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The Festival is seeking amateur designers from the metro-DC area to showcase their creativity through the design of an original graphic creation using the blossom for inspiration.  Entries will be judged by a distinguished panel of four, which will include Eric Hilton of Thievery Corporation and Antonio Alcalá of Studio A – to name a few.  The winner will receive $5,000 in tuition prize, via Shiseido, to Westwood College School of Design. The “People’s Choice” winner will be awarded $250.00 in prize money too!

The winning design will be featured at the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s Cherry Blast: A Night of Contemporary Art + Music on Friday, April 2.

The contest is running now through March 26, 2010.  Learn more about the challenge here.

History, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Drawing Toward Home

DTH_Bowen House

Bowen House, Woodstock, Connecticut, c. 1846.  Joseph C. Wells, architect.  Courtesy Historic New England.

“A major component of the American pursuit of happiness has long been a home of one’s own (the automobile is a distant second: the one a castle, the other a chariot).”   – James F. O’Gorman, lead curator for Drawing Toward Home.

When talking about art we often highlight forms such as painting, theater, sculpture, dance, and photography – just to name a few.  However, often overlooked are the artistic endeavors of both the historic and modern architectural community.  The newest exhibition at the National Building Museum, called Drawing Toward Home, highlights the intricate and often-complex domestic architectural drawing.

As a traveling exhibition organized by Historic New England in celebration of their Centennial, the 100-plus drawings featured provide a unique look into the vast history of the New England Style home.  Ranging from the Federal to the International Style and spanning over 200 years, Drawing Toward Home “reminds us that the architecture of New England is a touchstone of American Architecture”.  The exhibition is uncomplicated; simple to follow and clearly displayed.  Organized chronologically into four sections, beginning circa 1800 and ending around 1980, Drawing Toward Home is much like the foundation of the architectural drawing itself – a cohesive way to convey pure information.

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The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Georgia O’Keeffe Abstraction

Black Door with Red, 1954.

Black Door with Red, 1954.  Oil on Canvas, 48 x 48 in. Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia.  Bequest of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 89.63 (CR1271). Copyright, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

“Objective painting is not good painting unless it is good in the abstract sense.” – Georgia O’Keeffe, 1976

When discussing abstract art of the 20th-century, the likes of Kandinsky and Matisse are often the works that most easily come to mind.  However, the newest exhibition at The Phillips Collection – Georgia O’Keeffe: Abstraction – suggests the need for a potential addition among the abstract ‘authority’.

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The Features
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Why I Love DC: Samantha

Photo courtesy of
‘(heart) D.C.’
courtesy of ‘rockcreek’

I can’t tell you why I picked DC.  People ask me this question all the time when they first meet me and I just don’t have a ‘real’ answer.  Was it because of the political scene? Nope, I was about to enter a Masters program for Interior Design.  Was it because I had family here?  That would be another negative.  I got it; it must be because of the weather, right?  I am glad to say once again that weather was not the reason why I wanted to move to DC (perhaps on some subliminal level I foresaw the impending snow storms of 2009/2010).  The best answer that I can offer you is that I believe it was just a feeling that brought me here – a feeling that has since developed into a full-blown love affair.

That’s right everyone — I totally, utterly, completely, whole-heartedly love DC.   Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Activation 2719: Support Local Artists

Photo courtesy of
‘What’s that say?’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

If you are someone who can’t fathom staying indoors just because of a ‘little’ snow, then perhaps adventuring over to the pop-up gallery called Activation 2719 might just be your perfect excuse to break-out. Activation 2719 is presented by Ready Set DC and No Kings Collective, a DC artist collective that promotes the relationship between area artists and their city, and will be kicking off a two week exhibition on Saturday at 6 p.m. with food from CommonWealth Gastropub and music via DJ Fleg and DJ Tom Lim – with vocals by Sheena Alexis and Bullfight Academy.

The exhibit will continue through February 20th and features the following local artists: Anieken Udofia, Bryan Rojsuontikul, Brandon Hill, Francisco Esteban, Batool Al-Shomrani, Peter Chang, Emily Greene Liddle, Tim “CON” Conlon, DECOY, and James Walker.

To attend, RSVP here by 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Activation 2719 is located at 2719 13th Street NW, Washington DC.

Downtown, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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RWDC Art!

Photo courtesy of
‘MTV’s “Real World” House in DC for 2010’
courtesy of ‘dbking’

Are you an art collector searching for a few “as seen on realty TV” pieces? Do you love MTV’s sense of interior design so much that you wish to emulate it in your own home? Well, you’re in luck, because Gallery Plan B is hosting a two day event during which you can purchase some of the artwork displayed in the Real World DC house! Starting Staurday, the pieces are on sale at Plan B’s 14th St. location.  They’re even hosting a reception with the artists on the 6th.  So, if anything jumped out at you during your religious watching on the RWDC, get yourself to Plan B to lay your hands on it.

The Daily Feed, We Love Arts
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DC Seeks Vision for Dupont Underground


Old Entrance by M.V. Jantzen

Decades after the trolley system was shut down at Dupont Circle, the city is still looking for a viable use for the abandoned underground space.  The last attempt was a food court, creatively named “Dupont Down Under”, however it failed miserably and was only open for a year.  In 2007 a proposal to create some adult strip clubs was circulated but not surprisingly it was shot down.

The Post is reporting that the city will be putting out a request for proposals next month to solicit possible uses for the 100,000 square foot space.  Council Member Jack Evans  (D-Ward 2) says, “It needs to be a destination place that people will come to.”  What a novel idea.

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Essential DC, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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The Strange Comfort of Brian Jungen

People's Flag

Opening today at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is a new exhibition that will run through August 8, 2010. Brian Jungen: Strange Comfort is a major exhibit showcasing the critically acclaimed works of the Canadian-based artist and is his first exhibition organized by a Native American museum. Jungen’s work has been on display around the world, including the Casey Kaplan Gallery in New York, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal in Quebec, and the Witte de With in the Netherlands.

The NMAI’s first solo exhibition since its opening in 2004, Strange Comfort is exactly that. The stunning “Crux” is your first view of Jungen’s work – recognizable from the crocodile piece show in the recent ads around town – and only continues to intrigue and inspire when you visit the main gallery on the third floor.

Jungen, of Dunne-za First Nations and Swiss-Canadian ancestry, explores several themes through his art. The use of every-day objects to create Indian cultural icons is something very different, born from Native ingenuity of crafting one object out of another, a common practice with many First Nation people. Jungen commented in the NMAI’s press release that he grew up watching his Dunne-za relatives recycle everything from car parts to shoe boxes. “It was a kind of salvaging born out of practical and economic necessity, and it greatly influenced how I see the world as an artist.”

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The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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River Art: Water, Wings and Wildflowers

Courtesy of Washington Printmakers Gallery

Courtesy of Washington Printmakers Gallery

River lovers, here’s some art you might like — soft, colorful images of the Potomac River, C & O Canal, and other local spots by Yolanda Frederikse. They say her secret is painting in plein air, sitting quietly and looking closely, to capture the delicacy of wildflowers or to spot birds and other wildlife along winding waterside footpaths.

Her monotypes — watercolor painted on lithographic plates on site, then printed through an etching press in her studio — plus screen prints and watercolors are now on display at the Washington Printmakers Gallery near Dupont Circle.

Tomorrow at 1 p.m., just in time for lunch, this DC artist will give a talk on her work. You can catch Water, Wings and Wildflowers until Oct. 25.