Kreeger Museum Should Not be Missed

Among the many museums in the D.C. area the David Lloyd Kreeger Museum on Foxhall Road, with its relatively small, but selective collection, should not be overlooked by either tourists or residents. True, the massive collections of large, government funded museums in D.C. offer visitors a broad range of works, but those collections often reflect the various, and at times, conflicting interests of too many people, organizations, and institutions. What distinguishes the Kreeger is that it offers visitors an artistic experience based on the tastes and values of just two persons, David and Carmen Kreeger. Their collection is on a more human scale, and visitors can appreciate it in an environment that served first as a private home and later a public museum.

The Kreeger collection contains paintings by Renoir, Courbet, and Corot. Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pierre Bonnard, Paul Cezzanne, Marc Chagall, Edvard Munch, Van Gogh, and Kandinsky are also represented – and that’s just the main floor.
The lower floor is dedicated to African art, contemporary art and Indian and Southeast Asian art. Outside, on the sculpture terrace, is an array of bronze statues by artists such as Arp, Moore, Lipchitz and Somaini.

What makes this collection unique is that David and Carmen Kreeger selected every piece by unanimous decision, that is both had to like a work of art before it became part of their collection, which consists of about 200 items. It is an eclectic collection that reflects the tastes of just two people. What criteria were used to buy art? “I never bought a piece because of its monetary value,” said David Kreeger. “I just bought what I liked.”

The works David and Carmen Kreeger liked and bought are in the home and grounds of the Kreeger home, which was built in the 1960s. Before being contracted by Kreeger, Philip Johnson had already achieved fame by designing The Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut (1949), as well as other important structures such as the Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III Guest House, in New York City (1950), the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art in Fort Worth (1961), and, closer to home, the Museum for Pre-Columbian Art, Dumbarton Oaks, in Washington, D.C. (1963).

The Kreeger collection, located at 2401 Foxhall Road, NW, can be seen Tuesday through Saturday. On weekdays docents guide visitors through a 1.5 hour tour of the house, collection and grounds. Only children over the age of 12 are allowed and reservations are required. Saturday hours are from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Tours are given at 10:30 AM, 12 noon, and 2:00 PM. On Saturdays children off all ages are welcome and no reservations are required. Information about group tours is available by calling 202–338–3552. Limited parking is available on the museum grounds. A car is needed to reach the Kreeger. Bus and Metro routes do not serve the Kreeger Museum. The donation are accepted.
For more information about the Kreeger Museum log onto to www.kreegermuseum.org.