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National Museum of Women in the Arts

From The Collection

View of the museum from outside showing the Neoclassical building from one corner. The building is a tan-colored stone with an arched doorway, long vertical windows, and detailed molding around the roof.

5 Fast Facts: Berthe Morisot

Posted: December 9, 2015
Category: From The Collection
Rendered in loose, impressionistic brushstrokes in muted pastel tones, the still life painting depicts a brass birdcage with two small birds cuddled next to each other on a perch. The cage sits adjacent to and partially obscures a bowl of lush red, yellow, and white flowers.

Precise Pathmakers

Posted: December 7, 2015
Category: From The Collection
Dynamic women designers and artists from the mid-20th century and today create innovative designs, maintain craft traditions, and incorporate new aesthetics into fine art in Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft,...
View of a gallery space. On a black wall, it says " Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft, and Design, Midcentury and Today" in big, white letters, Two pendant lights are hanging from the ceiling to the left.

Perpetual Pathmakers

Posted: December 1, 2015
Category: From The Collection
Dynamic women designers and artists from the mid-20th century and today create innovative designs, maintain craft traditions, and incorporate new aesthetics into fine art in Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft, and...
View of a gallery space. On a black wall, it says " Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft, and Design, Midcentury and Today" in big, white letters, Two pendant lights are hanging from the ceiling to the left.

Posh Pathmakers

Posted: November 23, 2015
Category: From The Collection
Dynamic women designers and artists from the mid-20th century and today create innovative designs, maintain craft traditions, and incorporate new aesthetics into fine art in Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft,...
View of a gallery space. On a black wall, it says " Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft, and Design, Midcentury and Today" in big, white letters, Two pendant lights are hanging from the ceiling to the left.

Polished Pathmakers

Posted: November 16, 2015
Category: From The Collection
Dynamic women designers and artists from the mid-20th century and today create innovative designs, maintain craft traditions, and incorporate new aesthetics into fine art in Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft,...
View of a gallery space. On a black wall, it says " Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft, and Design, Midcentury and Today" in big, white letters, Two pendant lights are hanging from the ceiling to the left.

Political Pathmakers

Posted: November 10, 2015
Category: From The Collection
Dynamic women designers and artists from the mid-20th century and today create innovative designs, maintain craft traditions, and incorporate new aesthetics into fine art in Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft,...
View of a gallery space. On a black wall, it says " Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft, and Design, Midcentury and Today" in big, white letters, Two pendant lights are hanging from the ceiling to the left.

Wicked Wilderness: “Will-o’-the-Wisp” by Elizabeth Adela Armstrong Forbes

Posted: October 31, 2015
Category: From The Collection
In the spirit of Halloween, explore the painting Will-o’-the-Wisp (ca. 1900) by Elizabeth Adela Armstrong Forbes in NMWA’s collection.
An auburn-haired, light-skinned young woman occupies the central panel of a triptych. Barefoot and clad in a sleeveless white dress, she reclines on a bed of autumn leaves in a rocky, moonlit landscape. The mist at her feet obscures mice. Fairy folk frolic in the left panel.

5 Fast Facts: Petah Coyne

Posted: October 19, 2015
Category: From The Collection
Impress your friends with five fast facts about Petah Coyne, whose work is on view at NMWA.
A sculpture hangs in a dark gallery. The sculpture comprises layers of melted pink and white wax that form a dress-like shape hanging from satin-wrapped chains. Its color, shape, and bumpy, lacy texture, evoke a frilly tutu, lavishly frosted wedding cake, or coral.

Surrealist Spotlight: Remedios Varo

Posted: October 14, 2015
Category: From The Collection
Within fraught and mysterious settings, Remedios Varo’s fantastical protagonists seem to undertake quests through time or space
Rendered with precise brushwork, a tall, thin figure strides forward wearing flowing, orange garments emanating a misty golden aura. Her fiery red hair stretches heavenward, encircling a celestial orb. Figures appear encased in the walls of the concave structure surrounding her.

Venetian Virtuoso: Rosalba Carriera

Posted: October 6, 2015
Category: From The Collection
Born in Venice, Rosalba Carriera (1675–1757) was the daughter of a clerk and a lace-maker. Largely self-taught, she began her artistic career painting miniature portraits. Carriera employed ivory as the...
A woman with light-skin and brown hair stands slightly angled and stares straight out to the viewer. In her right hand, she holds an upward-pointing arrow and carries a quill of bows on her back. She wears light feathers in her hair and a delicate jeweled crown.