There are many places to go and sites to see in Washington, D.C. But for art lovers, the National Gallery of Art should be at the top of the list. NGofA offers more blockbuster exhibitions than any other museum or gallery in the United States.
A look at five of NGofA's current exhibitions should prove that statement. They include "Willem de Kooning: Paintings" (through Sept. 5); "Jan van Eyck's `The Annunciation' " (through Sept. 5); "From Minimal to Conceptual Art: Works from the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection" (through Nov. 27); "The Waking Dream, Photography's First Century" (through Sept. 11); and "Gemini G.E.L.: Recent Prints and Sculpture" (through Oct. 2).- "Willem de Kooning: Paintings," featuring major work in the artist's career, honors the 90th birthday of de Kooning, one of America's greatest artists. It brings together 76 of the painter's finest works from institutions and private collections in the United States and Europe.
"As the 20th century draws to a close, it is fitting to look anew at the work of one of the most influential painters of our era," said Earl A. Powell III, director of the National Gallery. "The exhibition will trace the astonishing evolution of this masterful artist who, over five decades, continued to invigorate the art of painting with remarkable energy and diversity."
The exhibition is organized thematically and chronologically. It begins with de Kooning's first series of paintings of men and women, thus establishing the importance of the human figure in his work.
These early figures were followed by de Kooning's black-and-white and color abstractions (from 1948-1950), culminating in the monumental painting "Excavation." One of the remarkable aspects of the painter's career was his ability to move between figurative and abstract styles.
During the abstract expressionist movement, de Kooning startled the art world with a group of provocative paintings of women rendered in a vigorous, expressionistic style.
Based on his experiences in New York City, he also painted a series of abstract urban and highway landscapes in the 1950s.
After moving to Spring, Long Island, in 1963, he created another series of paintings of women as well as lush paintings of figures in landscapes. "The Visit" and "Woman in Landscape III" demonstrate his ability to manipulate paint by dripping, scraping, layering and constant reworking.
In 1975, de Kooning painted a series of dense, richly colored abstractions inspired by water reflections in East Hampton. Six years later (at age 77), he created a series of calligraphic, luminous paintings that reflect his ultimate synthesis of figure and abstraction; painting and drawing; and color and line.
- "Annunciation" by Jan van Eyck (c. 1434/1436) is one of the jewels of NGofA's permanent collection. This masterpiece was among 21 paintings acquired in 1930 by Andrew W. Mellon from Russia's Hermitage Museum.
The painting was removed from view in 1992 to undergo a two-year restoration. "The meticulous restoration of Van Eyck's "Annunciation" once again reveals its astonishing technical and artistic virtuosity," said gallery director Powell. "It also reconfirms Van Eyck's place as one of the greatest painters in the history of art."
Measuring about 36 inches high and 114 inches wide, the painting is a magnificently detailed depiction of an event in the New Testament: the angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus, the son of God.
Symbolisms abound. Dual architectural styles of the church allude to the transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament; zodiac signs inlaid in the floor indicate God's dominion over the entire physical universe; and the dove of the Holy Spirit descends along the longest of seven rays of light representing the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit to Jesus.
- "From Minimal to Conceptual Art: Works from the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection" includes drawings, photographs, paintings and sculpture illustrating the radical expansion of intellectual and stylistic expression in America and Europe since the 1960s.
Powell said, "The minimal, post-minimal and conceptual works selected for this exhibition reveal much about the Vogels' extraordinary connoisseurship and their love of art . . ."
As a result of a formative relationship with artists Sol LeWitt and Don Graham, the Vogels collected their early work. The collection expanded rapidly by adding works by Christo, John Cage, Robert Mangold, Joel Shapiro and Richard Tuttle. From the 1970s to the present, the Vogels have further expanded their collection by carefully choosing work by minimal and conceptual artists as well as artists working in other styles.
- "The Waking Dream" is a grand array of 250 master images from photography's first one hundred years (1839-1939). They have been selected from more than 5,000 photographs from the Gilman Paper Company Collection, one of the world's finest.
The exhibit is divided into six sections: Britain, France, tours of the Mediterranean and Asia, America, the turn of the century, and the early modern period.
A portrait of Victorian Britain emerges in photographs by Lewis Carroll, Roger Fenton and Robert Howlett. In the second section, early photographs of Chartres and Saint-Cloud by Henri Le Secq and Henri Regnault; and the third, photographs of the Taj Mahal, the King of Siam and newly excavated statues on the Acropolis.
The American section (fourth) includes luminous daguerreotypes and historical records of the Civil War, abolition and events following the assassination of President Lincoln; the fifth, the moody landscapes and portraits of Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley and Vaslav Nijinsky; and the sixth, energetic images by Man Ray, El Lissitzky, Edward Weston and others.
- "Gemini G.E.L.: Recent Prints and Sculpture" is comprised of 73 prints and edition sculpture produced over the last decade by the Gemini G.E.L. workshop in Los Angeles. The selections demonstrate a provocative range of styles, media and techniques, resulting in a wide spectrum of artistic expression.
"These eloquent and innovative highlights of recent editions are promised gifts," Powell said. "We are indeed grateful to Gemini's directors . . . and to the artists for their continued generosity in adding to the archive."
Founded in 1966, Gemini G.E.L. is one of the leading print and sculpture workshops in the world engaging in the collaborative efforts of artists, printers and technical experts.
The National Gallery of Art is located at Fourth Street and Constitutional Avenue, Washington D.C. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. There is no admission charge. For information, call (202) 737-4215.