after much dithering we came to the asian museum today figuring that the mall would be fairly quiet as most museums are closed on Monday. We were right, it was quiet, we parked at the entrance, walked through with 11 other people and when we headed out onto the mall we were pleased there was nothing that looked like a crowd.
The museum was perfect. Only one floor was open and although we started in the middle by the time I went all the way around I had figured out a bit of what was going on.
The first room was filled with some lovely paintings by an artist I am unfamiliar with, Thomas Wilmore Dewing. I loved the portraits and the landscapes though I couldn’t find a hint as to why these paintings were in the Asian collection.
The next room had a number of paintings by different artists with a similar feel and some commentary about Freers relationship with Whistler?
Then a few rooms of pottery and an over the top recreation of the peacock room, the original having belonged to Frederick Leland having been painted by whistler. I am still very confused about who these people are and what there connection is but the museum is pleasant and so I continue.
The pottery collection was beautiful, expensive and for the first time in a while I am more interested in the collection than in the architecture..
a large part of the museum was dedicated to a retrospective of one of the most famous Japanese painters, Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849. There were screens and prints and these books which they say were written fo rather purpose of teaching.
It is said he painted this painting of the great wave of the coast
By the end , when I reached what was probably the first room I was able to finally figure out a bit of what was going on. The museums initial collection was donated by a collector name Freer, who befriend a painter named Whistler, who seems to tie them together – he painted the peacock room filled with porcelain. Whistler also encouraged Freer to go to Japan to build his collection. Somewhere in the midst of all this, Freer discovered and collected paintings by Dewing, whose paintings, in Freers opinion, evoked the same tomes and feelings as his Japanese pottery.
The museum seems committed to the interplay of Asian and American art. I couldn’t say what things are like in non pandemic times but for me, with an hour, it was perfect.
Had the worst bbq from the Pig and a rainy drive around Dupont Circle. and the best chocolate cake and a good brioche from Le Caprice DC.