Weekend Recap: Hot. Humid. Art.

A filling, fun, sticky, exhausting weekend. A few friends were in town this weekend, which made for some exploration of local restaurants and watering holes and great conversation. It also got us out of the house on a couple wildly hot, humid days.

On Saturday we explored the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. To be completely honest, I never knew the American Art Museum existed. And it is wonderful! We went there specifically to see a photography exhibit that closed this weekend titled Close to Home: Photographers and Their Families. It showcased nine photographers' shots of their family. I particularly loved the two crisp, saturated photographs by Larry Sultan.

Mom In The Garage

Dad On Bed

Virginia Beahan's series of photographs taken after her aging mother came to live with her are beautiful and haunting.

Christina and Gram on Thanksgiving

First Day of Spring

All images via La Lettre de la Photographie.com.

I also enjoyed the museum's modern and contemporary wing, especially Nam June Paik's enormous multimedia installation Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii.

We later saw Abe Frajndlich's photograph of Paik in the Portrait Gallery along with paintings, photographs, drawings and sculptures of other famous artists, politicians, athletes and performers.