A Quick Peek at Two Smithsonian Art Galleries
As you can guess, I enjoy art museums of all kinds. One reason I went to DC was to go to several Smithsonian art museums. While I didn’t get to see as many museums as I would have liked due to time constraints, I did enjoy a quick visit to the National Gallery of Art and to the combined Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery.
When I was in college I went to DC to visit a friend who was working as an intern. She was working during the day so I had five days to visit many of the museums. I remember visiting the National Gallery of Art and being both amazed and overwhelmed. But, that was the museum that prompted my curiosity about art and artists. Before that art was a subject in school I did not do very well in. But seeing what OTHERS could do in a museum was a whole different story! I was amazed by the art and overwhelmed by the size of the place. I also love the beauty of the building itself.
Since then, I have been to numerous art museums, some of them internationally known. But I still have a soft spot for the National Gallery of Art. I especially enjoy impressionist artists, as do many people. I also like ancient art, religious art, American Indian art, and many types of modern art. So I made sure to visit the impressionist galleries and a few of the ancient art galleries before I got tired and went in search of lunch. Below are a few of my favorite artworks from the National Gallery. As with all Smithsonian Museums, admission is free. Tours and special programs and events are available.
You can enjoy more than one thousand works of art from the National Gallery of Art online and in an app. Check out the website below for more info.
Van Gogh - one of my favorites! ⬇️⬆️
Another Smithsonian art museum I briefly visited was the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, which shared a building. I was waiting for a night-time tour to begin nearby and discovered the museum was open late that night. I popped in and got to see some of the art on the main floor (of 3). It is a more intimate museum in that the galleries are smaller and feature smaller collections. I enjoyed the time I was there and decided I would have to go back on another trip. I especially liked the presidential and other portraits. It was interesting to see people I recognized from the media in portrait form and to see how each artist characterized them.
I only snapped a few photos, but below is a small collection.
