The Kreeger Museum

The Kreeger Museum The Kreeger Museum, the former residence of David and Carmen Kreeger, rests on five acres of sculptu
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The bronze railings that line our two stairwells are distinct architectural beauties at the Museum.The screens that deco...
01/16/2025

The bronze railings that line our two stairwells are distinct architectural beauties at the Museum.

The screens that decorate the stairs are made of molten bronze and were designed by Edward Meshekoff, who also designed the balcony railings at the New York State Theater (now Koch Theater) in Manhattan’s Lincoln Center. Meshekoff’s specific paneling is unique to these two locations.

Look through these photos to see the railings and their artful panels!

Pictured on first slide: Helen Frankenthaler, Hurricane Flag, 1969. Acrylic on canvas. Gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, CGA2018.5.

Best wishes for a peaceful and joyful new year!The Museum will be closed Wednesday, December 25th and Wednesday, January...
12/20/2024

Best wishes for a peaceful and joyful new year!

The Museum will be closed Wednesday, December 25th and Wednesday, January 1st.

We look forward to sharing holiday cheer with you through art, architecture, and music!

Pictured: Claude Monet (1840-1926), Arm of the Seine near Giverny in the Fog, 1897, oil on canvas.

Snapshots from last weekend’s Open House!Thank you for everyone who joined us on October 26th for art making activities,...
10/31/2024

Snapshots from last weekend’s Open House!

Thank you for everyone who joined us on October 26th for art making activities, gallery explorations, and jazz music!

The reflective, undulating surfaces of Juan Maidagan’s “Artifact-Built I” complicate the precise naming of its form. The...
08/13/2024

The reflective, undulating surfaces of Juan Maidagan’s “Artifact-Built I” complicate the precise naming of its form. The object has both a shape, akin to a column, and a quality of movement, approaching a fold, turn, or spiral. Its title locates the object in the human-made world, and produced from bronze, it speaks to the bronze architectural fixtures throughout the Kreeger building. Yet, the sculpture’s curves suggest something organic, and it is animated by the passing people and changing landscape mirrored in its polished surfaces as it hangs in a gallery across from a window.

The paradoxical mysteries of the piece continue as one contemplates whether the piece is all surface or holds something hidden in its interior. The work is also hung unusually high on the wall to complicate its function. It is not located at eye-level as art typically is, so might it have some other addressee or function? Maidagan offers Jorge Luis Borges’ short story “The Aleph” as a clue for grappling with, if not fully determining his piece. Borges’ Aleph is an impossible gazing globe, a nondescript point hidden in a cellar from which “all the places of the world, seen from every angle, coexist.” In contemplating the multifaceted-ness of being— locations of beauty and devastation, of happiness and heartbreak, of vast grandeur and minute detail— revealed simultaneously through the Aleph, the infinite overtakes one sense of self.

See Maidagan’s work and more in “Here, in this little Bay,” now through October 5.

Pictured:
Juan Maidagan, “Artefakt-Gebäude 1 (Artifact-Built 1),” 2009, metal architectural fixtures

Chan Chao’s arresting portraits are photographed outdoors, with natural light illuminating their subjects’ expressive fa...
07/17/2024

Chan Chao’s arresting portraits are photographed outdoors, with natural light illuminating their subjects’ expressive faces and glimpses of contextualizing landscapes. In the late 1990s, Chan traveled to Burma (now called Myanmar), the country from which he and his family had emigrated twenty years earlier. He photographed pro-democracy fighters and activists along the country’s remote borders with India and Thailand, people who are among a broad coalition of ethnic and religious minorities, students, and others who stand in resistance to the military dictatorship that took power in the aftermath of British colonization, which ended in 1948. A land of tremendous natural resources prior to colonization, by the 1990s, Burma was among the ten least developed nations in the world according to the United Nations.

Over twenty-five years later, Burma’s civil war continues largely outside of the media spotlight, as do many other conflicts and conditions in which humans struggle on the planet that we share. In 2003 and 2004, Chao photographed an internationally-composed group of UN peacekeepers in Cyprus. The serene sea and mountains of the island belies its history of colonization by first the Ottomans and then the British, as well as the ongoing dispute between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots over governance and territory. A couple of years later, Chao visited a prison in Peru, photographing women from an array of countries all convicted for having a part in global drug trafficking. As with members of the Burmese resistance and UN peacekeepers, the Peruvian prisoners come from many backgrounds to form a diverse community coexisting in challenging circumstances.

Chao’s work can be viewed in “Here, in this little Bay: Celebrating 30 Years at the Kreeger” through October 5th.

Pictured:
First Image:
Various artworks by Chan Chao and Shahla Arbabi

Second Image:
Chan Chao, “Sandra & Son”, October 2006, 2021, Country of Origin: Peru, archival pigment print

Third Image:
Chan Chao, “Ladislav”, January 2004, 2021, Country of Origin: Slovakia, archival pigment print

Understanding the natural world not as a realm differentiated from the human mind and body, but as a united field animat...
07/09/2024

Understanding the natural world not as a realm differentiated from the human mind and body, but as a united field animated by the same vital energy, David Carlson makes abstract paintings where the external and internal kaleidoscope onto one another. By varying areas of thick, viscous paint with translucent passages, pulsing color with veiling whites, and cellular shapes with arterial networks, Carlson balances a dizzying variety of sensual form within the rectilinear boundaries of a painting.

For Carlson, there is an undeniable spiritual pursuit in his painting practice. As a longtime student of Tai Chi who has lectured on Western art in China, he tempers the Western notion of the sublime, or awe-inspiring, power of nature so influential to Romantic landscape painters of the late-eighteenth to mid-nineteenth-century (The Kreeger Museum’s “On the River Meuse”, 1883, by Eugène Boudin gives a sense of European Romanticism), with a perspective informed by Chinese traditions of an integrated relationship between people and the environment around them. Notably, the visual vocabulary that Carlson uses to express this cross-cultural perspective is one that has roots in the abstract breakthroughs of artists in the Kreeger collection such as Arshile Gorky, Wassily Kandinsky, and Pablo Picasso.

Carlson’s work can be viewed in “Here, in this little Bay: Celebrating 30 Years at the Kreeger” through October 5th. Join us for an artist talk and Tai Chi workshop with Carlson on September 14th. More information can be found on our website.

Pictured:

First image:
David Carlson, Tree, 2023, acrylic on canvas

Second image, from left to right:
David Carlson, Blood is the Root and Call, 2020, acrylic and oil on canvas
David Carlson, Qi Field, 2020, acrylic and oil on canvas

Third image:
Jae Ko, JK2158 Red on Ash Black, 2023, rolled paper and colored ink. Courtesy of the artist and C. Grimaldis Gallery.
David Carlson, Talking with a Bird, 2023, acrylic on canvas

Images courtesy of Danbi Co.

Shahla Arbabi has had a long career as an abstract painter, studying and teaching in Iran (her country of birth), Italy,...
07/02/2024

Shahla Arbabi has had a long career as an abstract painter, studying and teaching in Iran (her country of birth), Italy, and the United States. Arbabi’s abstractions are suffused with subtly toned color, light, and shadow that elicit emotions and evoke the hues and shapes of architecture and landscape. Over the last two decades, her work has become more representational in response to the crises of war, human rights abuses, population displacement, and environmental precarity that weigh heavily on the early twenty-first-century. 

Bringing forward atmospheric passages from her earlier abstractions, Arbabi creates roiling seas, cloudy skies, and blazing firestorms against which silhouettes, fighter planes, and small, unstable ships suggest human struggles and vulnerabilities. Forces of destruction and decay also appear to be at work in small sculptures of crumbling architecture. In other more purely abstract paintings (such as “Black Sea”, 2023), made over a number of years and completed in 2022 and 2023, Arbabi offers an elegiac vision of the sea in moments of calm pierced by light, perhaps drawing upon memories of her youth in the Middle East.

Arbabi’s work can be viewed in “Here, in this little Bay: Celebrating 30 Years at the Kreeger” through October 5th. 

Pictured:

First image, from top left to bottom right: 
Shahla Arbabi, “Pollution”, 2023, mixed media on paper
Shahla Arbabi, “Separation”, 2023, mixed media on paper
Shahla Arbabi, “Takeoff”, 2023, mixed media on paper
Shahla Arbabi, “Waiting”, 2023, mixed media on board
Shahla Arbabi, “Ominous Night”, 2023, acrylic on board
Shahla Arbabi, “Spiral”, 2023, mixed media on paper
Shahla Arbabi, Frozen in Time #2, 2022, acrylic, cardboard, and metal
Image courtesy of Danbi Co.

Second image: 
Shahla Arbabi, “Takeoff”, 2023, mixed media on paper Image courtesy of the artist.

Third image:
Shahla Arbabi, Frozen in Time #1, 2022, acrylic, cardboard, and metal
Image courtesy of Danbi Co.

Explore our latest exhibition, “Here, in this little Bay: Celebrating 30 Years at The Kreeger” curated by Kristen Hilema...
06/14/2024

Explore our latest exhibition, “Here, in this little Bay: Celebrating 30 Years at The Kreeger” curated by Kristen Hileman. On view through October 5th, the exhibition features fourteen artists from nine countries reflecting on our interactions with the natural environment.

Pictured:
Soledad Salamé, “In Silence”, from the “In Silence” series, 2001-02, resin and insects. Courtesy of Goya Contemporary and the Artist.

Monsieur Zohore, “Primitivism (Plinth)”, 2012-2024, fake flowers and resin in Windex bottles. Courtesy of the Artist and Magenta Plains New York.

Marty Koelsch, “Marshland Elegy”, 2024, American sycamore. Courtesy of the Artist; metalwork by Ringo Lisko.

Kristin Putchinski,” Reaping & Sowing”, 2023, digital video loop with sound; running time: 12 minutes, 30 seconds. Courtesy of the Artist.

linn meyers, “Mirror World”, 2022, acrylic ink on panel. Courtesy Jason Haam, copyright linn meyers.

Kei Ito, Burning Away #22, 2023, silver gelatin chemigram (sunlight, honey, various oils, and syrup). Courtesy of the Artist. 
Kei Ito, Burning Away #7, 2022, silver gelatin chemigram (sunlight, honey, various oils, and syrup). Courtesy of the Artist.

Images courtesy of Danbi Co.

The Kreeger Museum opened its doors 30 years ago today, on June 1, 1994. Join us today from 10am-4pm to explore our 30th...
06/01/2024

The Kreeger Museum opened its doors 30 years ago today, on June 1, 1994. Join us today from 10am-4pm to explore our 30th Anniversary Exhibition, “Here, in this little Bay: Celebrating 30 Years at the Kreeger”, curated by Kristen Hileman.

The Kreeger Museum offers a range of unique, interactive educational experiences for students that encourage and deepen ...
05/19/2024

The Kreeger Museum offers a range of unique, interactive educational experiences for students that encourage and deepen students’ appreciation of art, architecture, and music. Our three school programs, ‘Hear Art / See Music’, ‘Seeing Shapes and Colors’, and ‘The Making of Architecture’, highlight different aspects of the permanent collection, making concepts and content accessible through specialized tours and hands-on workshops led by Teaching Artists.

Support our education program by joining us for The Kreeger Museum’s 30th Anniversary Celebration on June 1st. View ticket information at the link in our bio.

David and Carmen Kreeger were prominent supporters of the arts and shared their world of art and music with the Washingt...
05/09/2024

David and Carmen Kreeger were prominent supporters of the arts and shared their world of art and music with the Washington DC community and beyond. A passionate amateur musician, David Lloyd Kreeger often performed with friends, including prominent musicians, in informal musicales in their home. Today, the Museum is proud to honor this legacy by presenting classical concerts and opera, as well as Jazz at The Kreeger, a monthly series that features DC artists.

Support our music program by joining us for The Kreeger Museum’s 30th Anniversary Celebration on June 1st. View ticket information here:

https://www.kreegermuseum.org/30thanniversarycelebration

Pictured:
1969: A performance in the Great Hall where David and Carmen Kreeger often hosted small, informal musicales. The hall’s large open space is topped by three vaulted domes that create a natural amplification system that enhances acoustics.

1972: David Lloyd Kreeger performs in an ensemble with friends in a lower level gallery.

2023: Alfred Yun and Bobby Mundy perform on the Sculpture Terrace at The Kreeger Museum’s Open House.

2023: Elijah Jamal Balbed’s East Coast All Stars perform as part of the Jazz at The Kreeger series.

Join us for a very special evening to celebrate thirty years of sharing art, architecture, and music! Click the followin...
04/30/2024

Join us for a very special evening to celebrate thirty years of sharing art, architecture, and music! Click the following link to learn more and purchase tickets for our 30th Anniversary Celebration on June 1st.

https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/upyaYUoBqgZVT

We are honored to open our anniversary exhibition, “Here, in this little Bay: Celebrating 30 Years at the Kreeger”, and welcome Guest Curator Kristen Hileman and the participating artists.

Enjoy fabulous food and drink, live jazz, and conversation with artists in our iconic building and stunning grounds. Your contribution helps support our exhibition and education programs.

Do The Loop this Saturday! Join us for a free day of indoor and outdoor programming in collaboration with Dumbarton Oaks...
04/22/2024

Do The Loop this Saturday! Join us for a free day of indoor and outdoor programming in collaboration with Dumbarton Oaks, Katzen Art Center, Jackson Art Center, Addison/Ripley Fine Art, Klagsbrun Studios, and Georgetown University Art Galleries.

All locations will be open on April 27th from 11am–4pm The Kreeger will be hosting Sculpture Garden tours at 12pm and 1pm, Kreeger Kricket family scavenger hunts throughout the day, and will have food trucks on site from 12:00pm–3:00pm.

Stay up to date on the day’s events by visiting and dotheloopdc.org. See you there!

Participants:
American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center
Dumbarton Oaks





Born to Far Rockaway, NY, Baltimore-based Kyrae Dawaun received a B.F.A. from Corcoran College of Art and Design, and an...
05/24/2023

Born to Far Rockaway, NY, Baltimore-based Kyrae Dawaun received a B.F.A. from Corcoran College of Art and Design, and an M.F.A. with a concentration of Painting at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has been invited to work, reside, and exhibit in Los Angeles, Italy, Toronto, and Berlin. Dawaun has been awarded Fellowships to Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities, and Hamiltonian Artists. He has recently exhibited at Museum of Modern Art Arlington, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art in Hampton Roads, and Sculpture Center in Long Island City.

Dawaun’s “a confluence toward an ill Delta” can be viewed in “Doing The Work”, our collaborative exhibition with @ on view through August 5th.

Pictured: Kayrae Dawaun, “a confluence toward an ill Delta”, 2023.

Cover image by Vivian Marie Doering.

Through language and language-based works on paper, K. Lorraine Graham documents and reimagines the tasks and gestures r...
03/07/2023

Through language and language-based works on paper, K. Lorraine Graham documents and reimagines the tasks and gestures required to support and care for oneself and others. By creating poems and drawings that emerge from performances and processes exploring everyday life, she aims to offer new and strange strategies for material, emotional, intellectual and creative survival. Imbued with a sense of humor and sadness, her work points to the possibility of thriving despite the disembodied, frenetic, neoliberal demand for productivity.

Graham’s “Study”,  can be viewed in INTERLUDE, our collaborative exhibition with on view through March 25th.

Pictured: K. Lorraine Graham, “Study”, 2023; Thomas Couture, “Seated N**e in a Landscape”, n.d.

Cover Image by Anne Kim.

Claudia “Aziza” Gibson-Hunter is a mixed media artist who combines painting, printmaking, collage, and assemblage in her...
03/04/2023

Claudia “Aziza” Gibson-Hunter is a mixed media artist who combines painting, printmaking, collage, and assemblage in her work. She investigates themes of identity, agency, spirituality, and memory using acrylic paint, ink, and colored pencil, and she is a cofounding member of Black Artists of DC. Gibson-Hunter began this project in 2019 and completed 111 gris gris in two years. A gris gris is a talisman that is filled with spiritual text. Each element was matched and titled with the name of a Black musician or tune. “After family, friends, and art making, it is the music of my people continues to sustain me,” says Gibson-Hunter. The gris gris were arranged as if they were attempting to leave a white room, which for this installation symbolized the extremely limited world of whiteness.

Gibson-Hunter’s “Gris Gris” series can be viewed in INTERLUDE, our collaborative exhibition with on view through March 25th.

Pictured: Claudia “Aziza” Gibson-Hunter, “Mary Lou Williams (Mary Lou Williams)”; “Yes. We Must Be Free (Pharoah Sanders”; “Mario Bouza’s Chucho (Mario Bouza)”; “Some Call Me Mr. Re (Sun Ra); Never Trapped (Terry Lyne Carrington), 2020.

Adrienne Gaither () is a visual artist whose abstract paintings explore a variety of topics including race, familial tie...
03/02/2023

Adrienne Gaither () is a visual artist whose abstract paintings explore a variety of topics including race, familial ties, emotional health, class, and the politics of geometric abstraction. Gaither states, “My personal experiences as a Black q***r masculine-presenting woman informs my art and practice. By using geometric abstraction, I deconstruct the world as I see it and reassemble it in a way that preserves and encodes the breadth of my perspective. I am aware of the tension between canonized geo-abstract movements such as Suprematism and Constructivism and their aesthetic origins, which are stolen interpretations of indigenous West African pattern making co-opted as tools of intellectual elitism and white supremacy.” Gaither’s art practice is an act of resistance against the constraining boundaries of the figure and whitewashed art history, providing the ability to produce emotionally meaningful and visually compelling works.

Gaither’s “This Won’t Save Me”, 2021 can be viewed in INTERLUDE, our collaborative exhibition with on view through March 25th.

Pictured: Adrienne Gaither, “This Won’t Save Me”, 2021; Milton Avery, “Gaspé”, 1941.

Cover Image by Anne Kim.

Address

2401 Foxhall Road NW
Washington D.C., DC
20007

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 12pm
2pm - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 12pm
2pm - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 12pm
2pm - 4pm
Friday 10am - 12pm
2pm - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 12pm
Sunday 2pm - 4pm

Telephone

+12023373050

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