National Gallery of Art

¿Qué vamos a pintar? Esa es la pregunta que se hizo Barnett Newman, quien consideraba que los artistas se enfrentaban a una crisis moral tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial y el Holocausto. Esta reflexión, sin embargo, dio lugar a la serie de pinturas más famosa que creó, “The Stations of the Cross” (“El camino de la cruz”). Aunque lleva el nombre de un proceso de conmemoración de los últimos momentos de la vida de Cristo, estas obras no se refieren en absoluto a la religión, sino que piden a la humanidad empatía colectiva.

Break out your parasols, DC! It’s going to be a rainy day ahead. ☂️ Due to the sudden change in the weather forecast and the threat of thunderstorms, tonight's Jazz in the Garden concert is now canceled to keep everyone safe. But don’t worry, we’re planning a rain date to make up for the bad weather. We’ll reach out to this week’s lottery winners by August 5th with the details. 💛 __ 🖼 Claude Monet, “Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son,” 1875, oil on canvas, 39 x 31 in., Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

A few beautiful moments from today. 🖤 . . . . 📍 East Garden Court, West Building 📍 Gallery 48, West Building 📍 "Watson and the Shark," Gallery 60-B, West Building 📍 Hans Memling, Gallery 39, West Building 📍 David Drake, "Storage Jar," Gallery 65, West Building 📍 John Singer Sargent, Gallery 69-A, West Building

What is happening in this painting? 🤔 In Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s "Two Women at a Window," we encounter a fascinating scene: two figures delicately framed by a window with a slightly opened shutter. What lies behind them is uncertain; the background is dark and vague. One of the women is peeking from behind the shutter, hiding her smile, while the other is front and center, not shying away. Their attention is fixated on something, but what? What do you think these two subjects are looking at? The answer may surprise you ➡️ bit.ly/3EYPsJ1 __ 🖼 Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, “Two Women at a Window,” 1655/1660, oil on canvas, 49 x 41 in., Widener Collection 📍 West Building, Main Floor, Gallery 34

Are you from a small town? Ever feel like people just don't get your community? That's the exact challenge these Iowan artists are tackling as they work to change stereotypes about rural America. Uncover their story ⬇ #ArtUncovered 🔎 Then, see how other American artists find inspiration in their communities: https://bit.ly/4cV3qgt . . . . 📷 An installation view of Grant Wood's "Corn Room" (1926) at the Sioux City Art Center 📷 Photography by Ackerman + Gruber 🖼️ Duane Slick (Meskwaki/Ho-Chunk), “Midnight in the Metaphysical Economy,” 2021, The John and Susan Horseman Collection, Courtesy of the Horseman Foundation 📷 Laurel Nakadate, “Pikeville, Kentucky #1,” 2013, from the Relations series, Type-C print, 30 x 45 inches, © Laurel Nakadate, Courtesy Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects 🖼️ Timothy Wehrle, “Inner Kingdom Thieving Speedway,” 2009, watercolor on paper, Des Moines Art Center

There’s no better feeling than arriving at a museum *exactly* when it opens and having it all to yourself.

¿Reconoces esta obra? El artista francés, Edgar Degas, creó muchas esculturas a lo largo de su vida, sin embargo, esta, “La pequeña bailarina de catorce años”, es la única que exhibió en público. Según nos cuenta la curadora Alison Luchs, Degas era tan perfeccionista que casi nunca consideraba que una obra estuviera “completa” — prueba de que la autocrítica existe hasta en los más grandes. __ 🖼️ Edgar Degas, “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen,” 1878-1881, pigmented beeswax, clay, metal armature, rope, paintbrushes, human hair, silk and linen ribbon, cotton faille bodice, cotton and silk tutu, linen slippers, on wooden base, 99 x 35 x 35 cm, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon #Degas

On Independence Day, we are reminded of the principles laid out in the Declaration of Independence, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In 2002, Eddie M. Coco Jr. was incarcerated at the East Carroll Parish Prison Farm in Transylvania, Louisiana. Despite his circumstances, he planned to become a lawyer. Wrapped in an American flag, CoCo was photographed by Deborah Luster in 2002 as part of her multiyear project, titled “One Big Self: Prisoners of Louisiana.” In the aftermath of her mother’s unsolved murder, Deborah Luster became obsessed with the effects of violence and crime on families and society. In 1998, she began a multiyear project making portraits of inmates at several prisons in Louisiana, including the maximum-security penitentiary at Angola, where many serve life sentences. Incarcerated men and women volunteered to have their portrait taken for her project, choosing how to pose and present themselves. On the reverse of each tintype, Luster noted details the subjects provided about their life and future plans. Eddie and a few other participants decided to include patriotic symbols for their portraits. What might these symbols have meant to them? __ 📷 Deborah Luster, “Eddie M. “Fat” CoCo, Transylvania, Louisiana,” March 8, 2002, from the series “One Big Self: Prisoners of Louisiana,” gelatin silver prints on aluminum, Gift of Julia J. Norrell, in Honor of Claude Simard and the 25th Anniversary of Photography at the National Gallery of Art © Deborah Luster, Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York

What is happening in this painting? #WrongAnswersOnly __ 🖼 René Magritte, “La condition humaine,” 1933, oil on canvas, Gift of the Collectors Committee 📍 East Building, Upper Level, Gallery 415-B

This 300-year-old goblet is a piece of living history. ✨ Called a "nautilus cup," it combines silver and gilding with a delicately carved shell sourced from the waters where the Indian and Pacific Oceans meet. Back in the 17th century, this cup wasn't just for drinking—it was a symbol of wealth and power, for Swedish royalty to show off to privileged visitors in a chamber full of natural and artistic wonders. In 1670, a master silversmith supplied an elaborate mount for the decorated shell, setting it above a siren who gracefully glides over the ocean—an intricate, truly mesmerizing detail. Take an even closer look in our West Building Gallery 50 (Main Floor) 🔍 __ 🐚 Dutch and Swedish 17th Century, “Nautilus Cup,” 1650 (carving), 1670 (mount) nautilus shell (nacreous layer with etched low relief), silver, and gilded silver height: 12 5/8 in., Patrons' Permanent Fund