Marjorie and Duncan Phillips in the Main Gallery of The Phillips Collection (detail), photograph by Clara E. Sipprel, ca. 1922.
The Quest for the Best of American Art: Duncan Phillips and The Phillips Collection
In this introductory lecture, Susan Behrends Frank, Curator at The Phillips Collection, will reveal many of the backstories about the American art collection that has been a centerpiece of this Washington, D.C., museum since it opened to the public in 1921.
Duncan Phillips (1886-1966), founder of The Phillips Collection, believed deeply that art could be a powerful force for social change and well-being. In late 1918, following the trauma of World War I, he decided to create a museum in the nation’s capital dedicated to modern and contemporary art in order to bring to his community the joy and comfort he had found in art following the recent loss of his father and brother. From the outset Phillips dedicated himself to championing America’s artists as equal to their foreign contemporaries. Over more than 50 years Phillips, in concert with his artist wife Marjorie (1894-1985), assembled a collection of American art in the mid-20th century that was unique in its depth, diversity and vision of American art as multi-cultural. Dr. Frank’s lecture will give insight into this collection and the personal relationships with American artists that Duncan and Marjorie developed during their collecting journey.
This event is virtual-only and takes place online via Zoom.
Janet Taylor Pickett, And She was Born, 2017. Acrylic on canvas with printed paper collage; 30 in. x 30 in. The Phillips Collection: The Dreier Fund for Acquisitions, 2020. © Janet Taylor Pickett, courtesy Jennifer Baahng Gallery
The Phillips Collection: Art as Experience
This is the first course in a four-part series connected to the fall/winter ticketed exhibition, All-Stars: American Artists from The Phillips Collection. Tickets are available to purchase for the full 4-part course (virtually for the first lecture and in-person for the following lectures or virtually for all four lectures).
American collector Duncan Phillips saw art as a vital source of healing, joy, and spiritual nourishment. In The Phillips Collection: Art as Experience, learn about his unique collecting philosophy, experience celebrated artworks on view in , and discover how artists have explored important issues and what connects us as humans.
Lifelong Learning and Accessibility programs are supported by the William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Education Programs, Nancy Benson Education Endowment Fund, CenturyLink Endowment, Jim Kelley and Amie Knox Education Endowment Fund, and the Cooke-Daniels Fund. Support is also provided by the Michael and Karen Fried Community Education Fund and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).
