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.
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First Ladies, Abstracted in Textile

Posted: October 17, 2013
Category: From The Collection
Just a few city blocks from the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the White House famously serves as the residence for the President and his (or someday, her)...
Close-up detail of a larger abstract artwork features thick black paint meticulously applied in small neat rectangles alternating orientation to form a grid. There is a minuscule amount of space between the tiles that allows a pink background to show through.

Louise Moillon: Still Lifes and Saint-Germain (Part 2 of 2)

Posted: July 5, 2013
Category: From The Collection
Boasting one of the most stellar artistic careers in 17th-century France, Louise Moillon played a crucial role in raising the genre of still-life painting to one of the most popular...

Louise Moillon: Still Lifes and Saint-Germain (Part 1 of 2)

Posted: July 2, 2013
Category: From The Collection
One of the foremost French painters of the 17th century, Louise Moillon (1610–1696) was a leading proponent of still-life works. Her luscious, meticulously detailed renderings of fruits and vegetables elevated...

Subverting the Male Gaze: Lotte Laserstein and Kiki Kogelnik

Posted: June 25, 2013
Category: From The Collection
Learn how painters Lotte Laserstein and Kiki Kogelnik subvert the male gaze in their portrayals of the female nude.
A light-skinned adult woman crouches near a small washtub and sponges her torso. One small bench holds a washcloth and water glass while garments rest on another. Posed within a cramped attic room and viewed from above, her body dominates the canvas and appears too large for the space.

“Breadwinner Moms”: A look into the art of pioneer Judith Leyster

Posted: June 11, 2013
Category: From The Collection
For centuries, women have struggled for equality in the workplace and balance in their daily lives. The media and popular culture figures continue to debate and fret about women’s roles—Facebook...
Painting of a trio of smiling musicians. On the left, a man wears a large black hat and plays the violin. On the right sits a man in orange wearing a feathered hat and playing the mandolin. In the center sits a woman dressed in black, opening her mouth in song.

Happy Birthday, Leonora Carrington!

Posted: April 5, 2013
Category: From The Collection
The art of Leonora Carrington (1917–2011) belongs to “a magical realm between sleep and waking, conscious and unconscious.”¹ On April 6, 2013, we celebrate the enchanting artist on what would have been her...
Eerie figures walk, float, swim and stand in a pastoral landscape. A grey house sits next to a small body of water, the lawn decorated with small shrubs and trees. A pair, one dressed and one nude, pet a stripped animal as ghostly figures move through the foreground.

April Fools: The Art of Trickery

Posted: April 1, 2013
Category: From The Collection
In a celebration of high jinks and jokes, take a look at pranksters in NMWA’s collection. Among art tricksters’ tools of deception are optical illusions, unconventional materials, and trompe l’oeil...
Four hard-edged octagons, each divided into eight pie-slice shapes painted red, pink, orange, yellow, olive green, blue, violet, or lavender, occupy a square, white background. Dark at the wide and narrow ends of each wedge, the hues create the illusion of 3-dimensional forms.

The Wings of Spring: Avian Imagery at NMWA

Posted: March 20, 2013
Category: From The Collection
A chorus of birds hails the first day of spring, prompting a look at avian imagery in NMWA’s 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.

The Art of Pi Day

Posted: March 14, 2013
Category: From The Collection
To celebrate Pi Day, learn more about Emily Martin's Eight Slices of Pie.
A pie tin filled with eight small folded pieces of paper that resemble identical slices of pie with a lattice top and red filling. Each slice is labeled with a title in black and opens, containing short stories written inside.

Letting Their Hair Down: “Wild” Women at NMWA

Posted: February 6, 2013
Category: From The Collection
What can you guess about a woman from her hair? Whether the ill-fated Ophelia’s disheveled tresses or Rapunzel’s ladder-long locks, hair is often a significant tool in characterization. In art,...
Side-by-side portraits of a light-skinned couple with dark hair sitting in formal postures. Gazing outward, they wear dark clothing with light accents and the woman wears a gold earring and pin. They both hold objects: the woman a brocaded red cloth and the man a book.