Ginevra de’ Benci(obverse) by Leonardo da Vinci, c.1474/1478*
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art exhibits a wealth of Western art and its annex, the East building displays modern and contemporary art. The two buildings are connected underground by a walkway. The East building was designed by I.M. Pei.
The portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci was completed by da Vinci when he was only 21 and Ginevra was 16 years of age. She was born to an affluent family and was educated. Da Vinci's "lifelike and forthright portrayal broke with conventions of earlier Renaissance portraiture of women". quote from Natl. Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art is on Constitution Avenue NW, Washington D.C. www.nga.gov
The Phillips Collection
Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party (see painting here) is the highlight of the collection. This large painting (56 in x 69 in) is in a room by itself and you can sit in front of it and feel as if you are one of the “ boating party”. What is so intriguing about this painting is that one of the guests at this party is Gustave Caillebotte, (he is shown seated backwards in the center) another Impressionist painter whose works include Les Raboteurs (The Floor Scrapers) and Paris Street, Rainy Day which are at the Chicago Art Institute. The Phillips collection includes works by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Picasso and American painters like Homer Winslow, Maurice Prendergast and Georgia O’Keefe.
The Smithsonian Museums
The breadth of the Smithsonian collection is dizzying, to say the least. There are nineteen museums covering American art and history, sculpture, natural history, African and Asian art, African American culture and history, American Indian culture, air and space and so many more. It is the largest museum, education and research complex in the world. At the Natural History Museum, you can find the skeleton of a dinosaur from the Mesozoic era. What a sight! The Hirshhorn Sculpture and Garden has a vast collection of sculpture displayed indoors as well as outdoors in its beautiful garden. The National Air and Space Museum has enough history making aircraft and spacecraft to keep one amused for days. It is a great museum for children. They can explore the aircraft, touch control panels and sit inside them. The Apollo 11 module is on display as well as a lunar rock.
1909 Wright Military Flyer**
The 1909 Wright Military Flyer is the world's first military airplane. The United States Army Signal Corps paid the Wright Brothers $30,000 after winning the bid for a 2 seater observation aircraft.
There are enough museums at the Smithsonian catering to everyone’s specific interest. The biggest problem is where to begin. And there’s no entry fee. Expect to spend at least a week here to fully enjoy all the exhibits.
The National Mall, Washington D.C. Nearest metro stop is L’Enfant Plaza. www.si.edu.
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*Image of Ginevra de’ Benci is courtesy of the National Gallery Of Art, Washington. “With the launch of NGA images, the National of Art implemented an open access policy for digital images of works of art that the Gallery believes to be in the public domain. Images of these works are available free of charge for any use, commercial or non-commercial.”
**The image of 1909 Wright Military Flyer is from the Smithsonian Open Access digital base. "Open Access items carry what's called a CC0 designation. This means the Smithsonian dedicates the digital asset into the public domain, meaning it is free of copyright restrictions and you can use it for any purpose, free of charge without further permission from the permission."
