Tucked away in a tony neighborhood near American University in northwest Washington sits The Kreeger Museum. If you are not careful, you may drive by the venue which opened to the public on June 1, 1994. Modest in comparison to other art experiences in the nation’s capital, The Kreeger Museum is worth a visit. The acquisitions and architecture represent a unique time in American art collecting.

Here, in this little Bay: Celebrating 30 Years at the Kreeger

Fourteen artists from nine countries honor nature in a curated exhibit called Here, in this little Bay: Celebrating 30 Years at the Kreeger. The exhibition is on view from June 1, 2024, through October 5, 2024.

“This exhibition introduces a thought-provoking range of creative visions that address environmental disruption and sustainability today. It is an honor to have the work of these artists in our gallery spaces,” says Kreeger Director Helen Chason.

The permanent collection at the Kreeger Museum includes some of the world’s most famous Impressionists such as Claude Monet, Odilon Redon, Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley. These artists depicted nature in a radical way for the time. “Here, in this little bay” takes that energy and explores how contemporary artists use changing approaches to the natural world much like the French Impressionists who worked en plein air during the late 19th-century.

“A group of ethereal waterscapes by Monet installed in galleries punctuated with windows that let the outside in, inspired me to gather an intergenerational, global group of artists--all now living in Maryland, Washington and Virginia--who view landscape and nature through a 21st-century lens,” says guest curator Kristen Hileman. Her resume features curating at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Wondering about the title of the exhibit? “Here, in this little Bay” is the first line of Victorian poet Coventry Patmore’s (1823-1896) piece Magna Est Veritas. The poem juxtaposes the ocean with town-life in a meditation on time and truth.

[Note: A few pieces reside on the main floor of the museum, but most of this exhibit is in the basement which requires going up and down about thirty stairs.]

Permanent Collection

The Kreeger’s permanent collection begins with artists from the 1850’s. Notable European artists include Edvard Munch, Max Beckmann, Jean Dubuffet, Wassily Kandinsky, and Joan Miro. Featured American artists are Alexander Calder, Clyfford Still, Frank Stella, and James Rosenquist. Washington artists represented include William Christenberry, Gene Davis, Willem de Looper, Thomas Downing, Sam Gilliam, Paul Reed, and Betsy Stewart. Learn more about the Kreeger Museum Permanent Collection here.

Who Were the Kreeger’s?

"I never bought art as an investment," David Kreeger once said. "I bought it for love and was lucky. Art that embodies the creative spirit of man transcends the value of money."

David Lloyd Kreeger was born in 1909 in Highland Park, NJ to Russian immigrants who owned a small grocery store. After earning an undergraduate degree at Rutgers, Mr. Kreeger attended Harvard Law School. He moved to Washington, D.C. during World War II and worked for the federal government. He formed a group of investors who bought into Geico. Mr. Kreeger eventually became president and CEO of Geico before retiring in 1974.

David Kreeger and Carmen Matanzo met in Puerto Rico while Mr. Kreeger worked as a lawyer for the Interior Department. The couple began collecting art in the late 1950’s. Unusual for the time, they selected works together.

Their collection features work by Picasso, van Gogh, Monet, Braque, Sisley, Chagall, Frankenthaler, Dubuffet, and Miró. I overhead a guide say that the Kreegers sold some of their extraordinary pieces to help fund important philanthropic causes.

Formed in 1962, The David Lloyd Kreeger Foundation oversees operations. Trustees of The Kreeger Museum are the founders’ children Peter L. Kreeger and Carol Kreeger Ingall in addition to Robert E. Davis and counsel Jay W. Freedman.

The most recent tax filings from 2022 show a modest operation with six employees. Peter Kreeger draws an annual salary of $126,000. Revenue of $824,711 and assets valued at $104, 251,760 which includes the artwork, building, and land.

Who Designed the Kreeger Home?

Quick answer: the great Philip Johnson and Richard Foster in 1963. The Kreegers wanted a home to entertain and exhibit their modern art collection. The couple also maintained a long-term vision of transforming the home into a museum after their deaths. Johnson is best known for his Glass House in New Canaan, CT completed in 1949. Initially, Johnson did not want to take on the commission since he no longer designed private homes. Eventually, he accepted the challenge of designing a residence that would become a museum.

At 22,000 SF, the structure is very large for a home and cost $1.9 million to build. The Kreegers lived at the home from 1967 to 1992. A modular system of 22-by-22-foot cubes could be adapted for different functions of living space, gallery space, or both. The heart of the building is the great hall where three vaulted domes create a natural amplification system that allows for perfect acoustics anywhere in the room. The Kreegers often hosted musical performances in this space. Mr. Kreeger was an accomplished amateur violinist and served as president of the National Symphony Orchestra from 1970 to 1978.

The exterior is clad primarily in white travertine slabs, selected in Italy by Foster who also oversaw construction. Steel, concrete block, and brick reinforce the structure which some consider to be a modern Roman villa. The roof consists of seventeen concrete domes, overlaid with synthetic rubberized material. Landscape architect Louise Odiorne selected tropical plants for the atrium garden at the center of the structure.

The public garden space is the most appealing. Accessible from the great hall, the back porch employs a vaulted roof structure composed of four shallow domes which allows for more light. The porch leads to the pool area which has a Roman feel to it, complete with aqueducts. Modern sculptures dot these areas as well as the five-acre grounds.

Kreeger Museum

2401 Foxhall Road NW, Washington DC, 20007

Gallery hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm.

Admission is $15 for adults; $10 for students, educators, military, and visitors sixty-two and over. The museum is free for visitors eighteen and under. Tickets are available through the website or for purchase at the door.

Notes

• No food or drink (including water bottles) permitted in the galleries, but you can picnic on the grounds.
  No backpacks, umbrellas, or any item larger than 12 x 12 x 6 inches allowed in the galleries.

• No notebooks, sketchpads, pens, pencils, and markers allowed in the galleries.

• Non-flash photography (iPhone/Android) only in the galleries.

• No strollers inside the museum, only in the Sculpture Garden.

• Service animals are welcome.

The parking lot is small, accommodating about twenty cars. Street parking in the neighborhood is available but may require a ten-minute walk to the museum.

Elizabeth Tuico owns Rebel Road Creative, a marketing and content writing consultancy in Washington, D.C. She often writes about art and architecture.