Luxe Beat Magazine NOVEMBER 2014 | Page 85

Art More than 70 works are featured in this show, that includes 15 of the most renowned artists such as Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, and Camille Pissarro alongside their lesser known contemporaries. Many of the works on view in this exhibition have rarely or never been previously exhibited in the United States. This exhibition, organized by The Phillips Collection, demonstrates that followers of Neo-Impressionism were drawn to evocative figural subjects, modern urban scenes as well as idealized landscapes and seashores. Their new freedom of expression was also ignited by their interest in literature and music. About The Phillips Collection The building that houses The Phillips Collection combines the former home of its founder, Duncan Phillips, with new expanded galleries. Phillips was an art collector and critic who was instrumental in introducing America to modern art. He was also the grandson of James H. Laughlin, a banker and co-founder of the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company. The Phillips Collection opened to the public in 1921. According to the mission statement declared by Duncan Phillips in 1926, “The Phillips Collection is an intimate museum combined with an experiment station.” Currently thriving in Washington’s vibrant Dupont Circle neighborhood, the collection has expanded to comprise masterpieces by modern and contemporary artists, such as Renoir, Rothko, Bonnard, O’Keeffe, van Gogh, Diebenkorn, among many other impressionist and modern masters. The collection continues to develop with selective new acquisitions, many by contemporary artists. The museum is also known for its important Center for the Study of Modern Art, an environment for collaboration, innovation, engagement with the world, scholarship, and new forms of public participation. Its array of stimulating programs and events includes Conversations with Artists, symposia, lectures, Sunday Concerts, and more. In addition, the museum serves thousands of students and teachers through its award-winning program of educational outreach. Camille Pissarro, Peasant Women Planting Poles in the Ground, 1891. Oil on canvas. 21 1/4 x 18 1/8 in. On loan from a Private Collection, Museums Sheffield, UK. 85 The Phillips Collection 1600 21st Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 www.phillipscollection.org