When: closing September 2, 2019
Spring has sprung in Washington, DC, and that's especially clear at the National Portrait Gallery/American Art Museum. In addition to the lovely display of orchids in the central courtyard, there's also this exhibit of flowers in artists' correspondence and other writings from the Archives of American Art, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Gardens.
And it's the collaboration that makes this exhibit special. In addition to the notes explaining the importance of each item as it relates to American art, there's also an explanation of the flowers depicted in the artists' work, written by the horticultural staff. So there's additional information about the lovely purple flowers in Julia Santos Solomon's "Tropical Orchid," to give just one example. I also noted a piece of "Mail Art" in the display and was reminded of the show on that topic I saw in this room a couple of years ago.
The only thing that detracted from my visit was a large group of quite noisy young people. I'm guessing this was part of a school trip that wandered into the room, perhaps (like bees) attracted to the large colorful flowers on the wall (see picture). I had to remind myself that more visitors are good for the museum, but I've become spoiled by these displays. The room is usually almost empty, so I can look at whatever I like in peace and quiet. Not so, this time.
Verdict: Another interesting show by the staff of the Archives, and the collaboration with Smithsonian Gardens makes it all the better.
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