Art Museums in Washington DC

A blitz of the Smithsonian Art Museums on the mall in Washington DC revealed the numerous treasures of both the East and West wings of the National Gallery of Art. The underground tunnel between the two bookstore gift shops and cafes of the museums is still in use but at this time of year the cascading waterfall was not running. New lighting surrounded the moving sidewalk in the East wing. A highlight was seeing the only Leonardo da Vinci oil painting in America, Ginevra de' Benci, c. 1474-1478, which happened to be painted on both sides of the panel and displayed in such a way that one may see both sides. The Freer Museum of Asian Art also exhibited many fine examples of Whistler's portraits. The outdoor Sculpture Garden of the round Hirshhorn Museum was quite pleasant to stroll through after viewing the Josef Albers exhibition within which runs until April 11, 2010. Visiting the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery involved walking a few blocks North of the Mall to F and 8th St. NW. There one could see three floors of portraits, old and new, and take in a sense of American history as well, with the many depictions of U.S. Presidents and other historical figures of accomplishment. Of special note for Memphians, "One Life: Echoes of Elvis" is up through August 29, 2010 on the First Floor.
This museum is open until 7:00 pm. Other favorite art museums such as The Corcoran on 17th Street NW near to the White House, could not be toured, as it was closed on Monday and Tuesday, though the scaffolding of its impending renovations looks exciting.