The Phillips Collection Announces New Welcome Gallery
New gallery and latest exhibition expand museum’s strategic focus on deepening guest connections and fostering new experiences
WASHINGTON, DC— The Phillips Collection’s entrance gallery redesign represents a forward-thinking vision that explores the museum’s rich history and its relevance for audiences today. Under the leadership of Vradenburg Director & CEO Dr. Jonathan P. Binstock, the museum has reimagined its entrance and orientation gallery, creating a spirit of welcome and invitation. The interactive design reflects the institution’s core values and distinctive approach to how Duncan and Marjorie Phillips collected and displayed art. The Phillips Collection Welcome Gallery highlights the museum’s unique qualities, offering insight into the values, principles, and strategies that distinguish the institution through an inclusive and accessible design. The revamped entrance also sets the stage for the guest’s journey, orienting visitors to the galleries ahead and providing the tools they need to make the most of their engagement with the art. Guests will learn about the philosophies that animate the spirit of the institution while viewing a changing selection of artworks, and they can enjoy a “curate their own gallery” experience in light of the Phillips’s display strategies. A touchscreen map allows guests to discover which artworks are currently on display and navigate their own path through the intimate spaces of the museum. The Welcome Gallery is now open to the public.
According to Dr. Binstock, “This first iteration of our new welcome gallery is an effort to give guests the tools they need to make the most of their visit. It asks and attempts to answer questions like: Why does the Phillips regularly reorganize its permanent collection displays, often juxtaposing works from different time periods, geographical locations, and with different styles? Why are there no explanatory texts on the labels in these galleries?” Binstock continues, “The gallery offers insight into the principles and philosophies that have animated the Phillips since its founding and how they are relevant today.”
Over the past year and as part of a thoroughgoing strategic planning process, The Phillips Collection staff and Board of Trustees have undertaken an in-depth exploration of its history, drawing on over 400 essays and seven books by Duncan Phillips. This research informs the upcoming exhibition Breaking It Down: Conversations from the Vault. Opening on November 2, this exhibition explores how the legacy of the museum can influence its future. Recent contemporary acquisitions are presented in dialogue with the museum’s cornerstone works, offering a fresh perspective on how the Phillipses organized their collection and exhibitions. The key organizing principle of the exhibition, as well as the permanent collection, is the “unit”—groups or works that survey an artist’s career or represent key aspects of an artist’s voice, vision, or creative development. Duncan and Marjorie Phillips created visual dialogues, juxtaposing artists representing diverse generations and backgrounds often without regard for traditional art historical conceptions of chronology or geography. In Breaking It Down, museum guests can explore firsthand the Phillips’s fresh interpretations and experiences of art—a theme that continues to guide the museum today.
Together, these initiatives represent how The Phillips Collection is demonstrating the relevance of its legacy principles and strategies for audiences today, deepening community connections, and continuing to advance its mission of fostering new ways of seeing and experiencing art.
ADMISSION HOURS
The Phillips Collection is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am–5 pm, closed Monday. Beginning Sunday, November 3, the Phillips will pilot a new dedicated Members Hour on Sundays, 10-11 am. Public hours resume 11 am–5 pm.
IMAGE GALLERY
High-resolution press images are available upon request. Please contact lcantrell@phillipscollection.org.
IMAGE: The new Welcome Gallery, Photo: Kevin Allen Photography
ABOUT THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION
Founded in 1921, The Phillips Collection promotes art’s shared healing power by creating an innovative space where art encourages dialogue and self-discovery among visitors. The museum houses one of the world’s most celebrated Impressionist and American modern art collections and continues to grow its collection with important contemporary voices. Its distinctive building combines extensive new galleries with the former home of its founder, Duncan Phillips. The Phillips’s impact spreads nationally and internationally through its diverse and experimental special exhibitions and events, including its award-winning education programs for educators, students, and adults; renowned Phillips Music series; and dynamic art and wellness and Phillips after 5 events. The museum contributes to global dialogues with events like Conversations with Artists and Artists of Conscience. The Phillips Collection values its community partnership with THEARC—the museum’s satellite campus in Southeast DC. The Phillips Collection is a private, non-government museum, supported primarily by donations.