Women’s Art History at the National Museum of Women in the Arts

Celebrate women’s history month by visiting the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The museum has a number of great special exhibits but do not ignore the museums impressive permanent collection.
Begin your tour on the third floor in the 20th to 21st century gallery. Do not miss Frida Kahlo’s 1937 Self Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky. According to Michele Cragle, the museum owns the only painting of Frida Kahlo in a public gallery in the Washington, DC area.

Other works to take note of include two paintings by Mary Cassatt, Elizabeth Catlett and Alma Woodsey Thomas, an active member of the Washington Color School (the dominant art movement in Washington, DC during the 1960s and 1970s) and “The Little Paris Studio” (a group of artists formed by Lois Mailou Jones, Celine Tabary and the Barnett Aden Gallery). Thomas broke down barriers as an African American woman expressionist painter. Thomas was 68 when she held her first solo show. Her paintings hang in the White House but she is still remembered fondly in the DC area for teaching art to poor children.

You can challenge your girls’ notion of what is art by discussing Chakaia Booker’s Acid Rain enormous sculpture made entirely from old, used rubber tires and wood. Admire Harmony Hammond’s Hunkertime during its limited engagement at the museum.

Work your way downstairs to the 19th Century, 18th Century and 16th to 17th Century collections. Explore what Krystyna Wasserman, calls the “landscapes of the artists mind” as you enjoy the product of generations of women artists from around the world.

Be sure to stop in the lovely gift shop near the entrance of the building before you leave. True to the museum mission of encouraging women artists, you will find all kinds of creative arts and crafts (including unique jewelry) by interesting artisans at reasonable prices that you can add to your personal collection or give as gifts.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and on Sunday from noon to 5 pm. The admission fee is $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for seniors and free for those aged 18 and younger. The museum allows free admission on the first Sunday of every month.

Photo: Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907-1954) Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky 1937

Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Gift of the Honorable Clare Boothe Luce