The Spy always tries to keep an eye open for interesting art shows in Washington that we think are worth the hassle of crossing the Bay Bridge and facing city traffic. One of those exhibitions is now at the Freer Gallery of Arts entitled “Whistler: Streetscapes, Urban Change,” curated by David Park Curry.
Beyond the rave reviews it has received, including a recent review in the Washington Post, it turns out that there is a local connection to this exhibit and its curator. And that involves the long-term friendship and collaboration between David Park Curry and newly appointed Academy Art Museum curator Lee Glazer.
With both friends having a long association with both the Freer and the Colby College Museum of Art, the colleagues had traded thoughts about Whistler’s work on paper for many years, including many images never seen in public before, which finally came to fruition with the Freer exhibition.
With only a few weeks before the exhibit closed on May 4, David and Lee were kind enough to agree to an early Saturday morning chat yesterday about Whistler and these stunning everyday street scenes to encourage Spy readers to make an effort to see this rare display of a remarkable American artist.
This video is approximately seven minutes in length. For more information about the Freer Gallery please go here.
Cover image: James McNeill Whistler, “An Orange Note: Sweet Shop,” 1883 or 1884. (National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer)
Harriett Page says
As an aside to art exhibits, I highly recommend the Bonnard now at the Phillips Gallery in Washington.