The Phillips Collection opens two abstraction exhibits, Irvine Contemporary prepares to pack up and move, and much more in this week's Arts Agenda. more ›

>> Thursday's Phillips After 5 will lend special attention to the ongoing relief efforts in Japan. Gallery talks will explore the influence of Japanese art and Japonisme on the work of Pierre Bonnard with Japanese-inspired food and drink help set the mood. Guests will be asked to partake in a text-to-give rally and 50 percent of bar and membership proceeds, as well as designated visitor donations, will be given to the American Red Cross. Phillips Collection. $12. more ›

In 1921, Duncan Phillips opened America's first museum of modern art in his home, inviting visitors to become acquainted with the art and artists of his day. Founded in 1918, the museum officially opened to the public three years later, eight years before the Museum of Modern Art and two decades before the National Gallery of Art. more ›

Miles Davis said that Louis Armstrong anticipated everything in jazz, "even modern [stuff]." The photographs featured in TruthBeauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art, 1845-1945 at the Phillips Collection might seem like photographic Dixieland to twenty-first century eyes. But this old-fashioned band of photographers anticipated much of modern photography -- by some accounts, even the Hipstamatic. more ›

The Phillips Collection will reopen tomorrow after a fire broke out at its building at 1600 21st Street NW yesterday morning and forced the museum to close temporarily. According to a press release, the Collection will be open for regular hours tomorrow, though the Phillips House will remain closed for repairs until further notice. The Collection is also waiving admission fees for the remainder of September, though visitor contributions are appreciated. None of the Collection's artwork incurred significant damage, and the fire caused no injuries. more ›

UPDATE (11:15 a.m.): And now, the official word from the Phillips Collection. The good news is that none of the artwork suffered "significant" damage and no one was injured -- the bad news is that the Museum is closed until further notice. more ›

The Phillips Collection is currently hosting a series it calls Intersections, in which the work of several contemporary artists was commissioned to produce work in dialogue with one of the artists in the museum's general collection. Among these is Washington resident Linn Meyers' intricate wall drawing at the time being. more ›

Dish of the Week: Clafoutis more ›

This photo by jim darling finds a visitor at the Phillips Collection distracted by nature's spectacle. Looks awfully warm inside. The Phillips stayed open longer than most museums during snow week because the snowstorms hit during its Georgia O'Keeffe opening. Plenty of time to see it now, and no snow to boot. more ›

Visiting art museums, once a mostly passive and individual experience, has become much more interactive lately, thanks to the advent of social media. At places like the Phillips Collection and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Twitter, Facebook, iTunes and YouTube are making it possible for museum-goers to engage in conversation with one another and learn more about artists and their work. Check below for the more interesting feeds to follow and informative podcasts to download so you can get a little closer to the great works of art D.C.’s museums have to offer. more ›

DCist teamed up with the Phillips Collection last month to sponsor the museum's Make Your Own Morandi contest, which challenged local photographers to create images in the style of Italian painter Giorgio Morandi. Morandi was famous for his still life scenes featuring everyday objects that portray a vague purpose, and his work is featured in a special exhibition that runs through May 24. more ›

A few weeks ago, we announced our photography contest in partnership with The Phillips Collection, Make Your Own Morandi. In the spirit of Italian painter, Giorgio Morandi, we asked you to come up with your own version of one of his famous still-life scenes. So far there are about 50 entries in the pool, like the clever capture of photographers' tools in one to your right by izik, or the more humorous and contemporary "Candy Morandi" by pennyroyalnorwich. more ›

Listen up photographers, we have a new project for you. DCist is partnering with the Phillips Collection for Make Your Own Morandi, a contest that asks photographers to create their own images in the style of Italian painter Giorgio Morandi. more ›

The Washington Project for the Arts' fourth annual Experimental Media Series begins tonight with an opening reception at the WPA's Massachusetts Avenue space from 7 to 9 p.m. This year's exhibit, When Absence Becomes Presence, explores time based media in the forms of sound art, music, literary readings, video art, and sound recording, and is presented in partnership with the Phillips Collection. more ›

Arguably the most well-known husband and wife duo in today’s art world is Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the pair who wrapped the Reichstag and draped Central Park. They’re at it again, and this time, Colorado’s Arkansas River is the subject. While the environmental installation is not anticipated until at least 2012, the Phillips Collection's new exhibit Over the River is the first to highlight the work in progress. more ›

In this newest exhibit at the Phillips Collection, the museum shows off 120 works acquired in the last decade, including work by 28 artists new to the Phillips. Director Jay Gates, along with Chief Curator Eliza Rathbone, explained at the press preview on Monday that these recent acquisitions continue the tradition of Founder Duncan Phillips, who expressly wished for the museum’s collection not to be stable or static, but for his successors to maintain the integrity of the collection with a respect for the past, and “a commitment to the discourse of living artists.” more ›

>> Yesterday we profiled Five Four, the hardest working all girl band in the city, with the cutest shoes, in a Three Stars piece. Tonight you can see those shoes up close and personal at DC9, $8. If that's not the dose of local music you were hoping for tonight, how about Meredith Bragg at the Black Cat, or Gist at Iota? more ›

As you might imagine, there's not a whole lot going on in the art world this week, and unlike the last holiday, even the Smithsonians close on Christmas Day. Nevertheless, we found a few exhibits for you to poke around this weekend. And if you're one of those last minute gift buyers and can't bear to wage war at the mall, don't forget our guide to art museum memberships for something a little more unique than the new Harry Potter DVD on rush delivery from Amazon.com. more ›

Living in the Nation's Capital, with so many free events going on year-round, it might seem silly to spend a princely sum of money for the privilege of becoming a Member of a local arts organization. But there are a number of good reasons to think about becoming a member -- maybe you're interested in a particular subject that's only shown at a pay-for museum, maybe you're an artist looking to grab a foothold in... more ›

This week the big news is the appointment (PDF) of Dorothy Kosinski as the new Director of The Phillips Collection. She's currently the Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Dallas Musuem of Art, and comes with an impressive résumé that include extensive curating, acquisitions, and teaching experience. Kosinski will officially take over next spring, to replace retiring Director Jay Gates, just in time to take the reins on a five-year strategy the... more ›

After a weekend full of concerts, there is not much to mention this week, for obvious, turkey-related reasons. Still, if you find yourself in town this week, there will be a few things to hear, although tickets may be hard to find. >> On Monday (November 19, 7:30 p.m.), French violinist Nicolas Dautricourt will be hosted by his country's embassy, La Maison Française. The attractive, all-modern program is bookended by the Poulenc and Debussy violin... more ›

Your classical music schedule will be busy for the next two or three weeks, through Thanksgiving, and you have the chance to hear almost as much for free as you do buying tickets. BIG GUNS: >> Emmanuel Pahud is one of the leading flutists of the younger generation. He will be in Washington this week, beginning with a recital with his regular pianist collaborator, Eric Le Sage, at the Phillips Collection on Wednesday (November 7,... more ›

Impressionism, one of the most popular and accessible art movements, continues with yet another show at the Phillips Collection — on the heels of American Impressionism, comes Impressionists by the Sea, an exploration of the rise of plein air painting and vacationing on the northern coast of France. Opening tomorrow, the exhibit features the major French Impressionists, along with some of their predecessors, to present a lush visual experience. The exhibit is a feast for... more ›

>> Peabody Award-winning broadcaster Michael Lasser will be at the Phillips Collection tonight to give a lecture called "Songs from The Time of American Impressionism" -- think Irving Berlin and the like. The event, which is free with a $12 admission to the museum, coincides with regular Thursday later hours (until 8:30 p.m.) and the upcoming end date of the American Impressionism exhibit (Sept. 16), so consider this your reminder to check it out. 6:30 p.m. more ›

As always with the end of summer, there have been slim pickings in the art world, and most galleries are banking on you using Labor Day weekend for one final trek to sunny beaches. We scrounged up a few options for those of you sticking around town, which you may want to consider using as a warm-up for next week, when the fall art season opens with a bang. >> G Fine Art is warming... more ›

>> What's more fun than gathering your friends to go see your very own art on the wall of a gallery? The Wall Mountables community event kicks off this week, so we hope you've pulled that painting/photo/whatever out of the closet and prepared it for the limelight. The first installation date was last night, but you've still got tonight, 3 to 8 p.m., and tomorrow night, 3 to 6 p.m., to grab a space of... more ›

>> SiteProjects DC, which we reviewed last month, is ongoing throughout the 14th Street NW stretch, with special events sporadically showing during its run. Since Tuesday, Kathryn Cornelius has been performing her Art Services (Waste) at venues along the corridor. Tonight find her at Hemphill Fine Art from 4:30 to 5 p.m., then at Gallery Plan B from 5 to 5:30 p.m. Tomorrow see the act at Adamson Gallery from 4:30 to 5 p.m., then squeeze into the 2nd floor bathroom in the same building to see her between 5 and 5:30 p.m., and finally in the almost similarly sized micro-gallery, Curator's Office, from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Check out the web site for the SiteProject DC artworks and other upcoming events. more ›

Childe Hassam once told an interviewer, “I believe the thoroughfares of the great French metropolis are not one whit more interesting than the streets of New York.” And our painting is just as good, too!, he didn’t say, but he may as well have: Upon his return from study in Paris in 1889, Hassam, along with like-minded fellow American painters like John Henry Twachtman, William Meritt Chase, J. Alden Weir and others, spent the next few decades establishing a distinctly domestic strain of Impressionist painting, informed by the work of the French masters, but apart from it. more ›

THURSDAY: >> Flashpoint puts a little twist on the gallery show with Anonymous III by WPA\C. The show will feature 100 works by established and emerging artists from the D.C. area, but every piece will remain anonymous until it's purchased by an art lover who will have to appreciate quality over a name brand. The gallery will hold a reception this evening to scope out the goods, but you won't be able to purchase anything... more ›

FRIDAY: >> We told you all about the Buzzlife White Party at Five yesterday, so follow the link for more details. >> ArtOutlet presents its first ever Flash animation film festival, called Flick, at Warehouse. Tim Bracken opens the event with an alt-country set at 7 p.m., with screenings from selected artists beginning at 8. $5 suggested donation, also Saturday. SATURDAY: >> Like we mentioned in this week's music agenda, the artwork of Mingering Mike,... more ›