Photo by PoPville flickr user sciascia

This week, I take a break from museum and gallery highlights to round up some recent D.C. art headlines. For this week’s exhibition openings and closings, scroll to the bottom.

> The latest addition to the Senator William A. Clark family collection at the Corcoran Gallery of Art will be an oil painting by Claude Monet that has not been displayed in public since 1925. The work, referred to as Nympheas 1907, was bequeathed by Clark’s daughter Huguette M. Clark, who passed away last month at the age of 104. The painting is part of Monet’s famed “Water Lilies” series and is estimated to be worth at least $25 million. Corcoran chairman Harry Hopper called the work “spectacular” and promised to find it a “happy home” in the museum. It’s not clear if and when Nympheas will be on view. The New York Times obituary refers to the enigmatic heiress as “the last link to New York’s Gilded Age” and is definitely worth a read.

> For the past couple of months, “Missing Person” flyers for the detained Chinese artist and political activist Ai Weiwei have become ubiquitous in some areas of the city, notably in Columbia Heights and near the Chinese Embassy in Glover Park. Now that Weiwei has been released on bail, we can be somewhat confident that his next appearance in Washington will be a happier occasion. A year from now, the Hirshhorn Museum plans to host a large retrospective titled Ai Weiwei: According to What?, which will be on tour from the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. The exhibition will include around 25 works in different mediums executed by the artist over the past decade.

> As of yesterday, the National Building Museum has begun charging an admissions fee. Citing the negative impact of the recession on arts institutions, particularly non-profit museums, the NBD director Chase W. Rynd justified the decision as a last resort in a changing landscape. He wrote in a press release, “Those who wait too long to realize this truth or dismiss it entirely are likely to become casualties of the era.” Entrance will now cost $8 for adults and $5 for children, students and seniors. It will continue to be free for members and — during the summer — for active-duty military personnel and their families.

> The current director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art will be leaving Washington to take over as director of the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design. According to the Associated Press, John W. Smith, who has served as AAA director for five years, led a project that involved digitizing 1.5 million objects from the Archives collection. The move to RISD will take place this September.

> Speaking of departures, this news has been out for nearly a month, but it’s still worth mentioning. After five years in their space on 14th Street NW (just south of P), Irvine Contemporary is moving out at the end of the summer to an as yet unspecified new location due to “unmanageable increases in rent.” The gallery has been a dynamic force in the Logan Circle contemporary art scene, offering new exhibitions almost monthly, and it’s a shame to see them go. According to owner and director Martin Irvine, although a new space hasn’t yet been announced, future shows are being planned for temporary spaces around the U Street area. Irvine now has on view the first of two Artist Tribute Exhibitions, which also celebrate the gallery’s 10th anniversary. The shows will close on Aug. 27.

Opening: Mexico Through the Lens of National Geographic at the Mexican Cultural Institute; Mads Gamdrup: Renunciation at the Corcoran Gallery of Art; Art Deck-O: DC Playing Card Originals at Touchstone Gallery. Closing: Drawing at Marsha Mateyka Gallery.

3435 Holmead Place, NW

I look forward to checking out the renovations when they begin.

From a press release:

Urban Investment Partners (UIP) has acquired three Washington, D.C. apartment buildings at a foreclosure auction for $12,375,000. The buildings, totaling 163 rental units, are located in the Columbia Heights area of northwest Washington.

This acquisition represented three of five properties recently foreclosed by a New York City-based investment group that acquired the debt on the properties from New York Community Bank. The buildings acquired by UIP, a leading real estate investment, development, and property management group based in the District, are:

1430 W Street, NW with 26 units ($3.25 million)
3308-3312 Sherman Avenue, NW, with 34 units ($2,075,000)
3435 Holmead Place, NW with 103 units ($7.05 million)

1430 W Street, NW

3308-3312 Sherman Avenue, NW Courtesy of UIP

Photo by PoPville flickr user elliotmitchell

You can talk about whatever is on your mind – quality of life issues, a beautiful tree you spotted, scuttlebutt, or any random questions/thoughts you may have. I’ll open this thread every morning at 10am.

Back in the end of March we had a pre preview of the space and the transformation is amazing. Lost Society will be opening up on Friday at the corner of 14th and U St, NW. I was fortunate to get a media preview and took tons of photos. You can see their menus here. Straightaway – I can say the space looks amazing, the oysters were delicious and I’m super psyched about their huge roof deck. As always the photos do a better job than I can do with my words.

Lots more photos after the jump – including one of the best new roof decks in town. (more…)

This is one of my favorite embassies. Back in Feb. ’10 we noted that it had just received LEED certification. Hopefully the construction is just cosmetic on the inside. You can see some cool photos on their web site. So I was surprised to see this sign:

Sidenote: Mr. Ambassador, don’t let your newspapers pileup outside – it signals to robbers you’re not home!

Found these on Embassy Row. They were installed in Feb. ’11.

And I couldn’t believe my eyes, but I also spotted two identical ones on the American University campus:

“Dear PoP,

I wanted to showcase my father’s landscaping talent. He’s a 35 year resident of Petworth. Every year, he takes pride in creatively manicuring his front and backyard. He’s a visionary and incorporates a new aesthetic elements every season.”

Awesome!

Three photos of the backyard after the jump. (more…)

Not far from American University. Pretty sweet garden as well:

From a press release:

Friends of Harrison Recreation Center, the U Street Neighborhood Association, and the Meridian Hill Neighborhood Association continue a second season of films on Tuesday, June 28th. Screening fun films the whole family can enjoy, the evening will feature Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, a 2009 action/comedy film set in Washington, DC in which Smithsonian museum artifacts come alive, preceded by a documentary short, The Poodle Trainer, about the life of a Russian poodle trainer and her poodles’ tricks. Both films will include English subtitles.

Admission is free and films will be shown at the field at Harrison Recreation Center on V Street between 13th and 14th Streets, NW. Gates will open at 7 pm. Attendees are encouraged to come early starting at 7 pm to picnic in the park, listen to music spun by local DJs. Families are invited to bring children to play on a moon bounce prior to the films starting at 6:30 pm. As part of the pre-screening festivities for The Poodle Trainer, between 7 – 8:30 pm, sponsor Planet Pet will be distributing FREE dog/cat food and treats to pet owners. Please note that park regulations do not permit pets on the field. Free popcorn will be provided to the first 100 attendees beginning at 7 pm. Showtime will be at sundown, exact time will vary. Local food truck vendors will be on site serving food.

Photo courtesy of U Street Movie Series

The Foot Locker was located at 1934 14th St, NW next to the recently closed Taco Bell/KFC.

Any ideas? From 18th and P St, NW.

If you have any fun or interesting animal/pet photos please shoot me an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say what neighborhood you’re from or upload to the PoPville flickr pool with your pets name and neighborhood. I can’t guarantee I’ll get them all posted but I’ll do my best.

“Sherman gets up on the bed and prowls under the covers, only to pop out at the top/side/nearest foot location”

Photo by PoPville flickr user mosley.brian

“Shen is a 15 year old, male brown Siamese cat in Petworth He is slim (about 10 lbs). Usually an indoor cat, he snuck out the back yard fence on Sunday afternoon from the 200 block of Farragut St NW. Unfortunately, he wasn’t wearing a tag at the time. If anyone spots him, please call Travis or Sandy at 202-607-1242.”

This rental is located at 1629 Columbia Rd, NW:
View Larger Map

The Craigslist ad says:

“This studio suite features approximately 495 sq ft of living space, ample storage including two walk-in closets, and oversized windows allowing for great natural light.
Bordeaux Floor Plan

The Argonne is a full service community located in the heart of Adams Morgan. We are only two blocks to the Columbia Heights Metro Station, and within walking distance to all of your favorite shopping, dining and entertainment destinations!

Community Amenities Include:

ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED
Well Equipped 24 Hour Fitness Center
Rooftop Pool & Sundeck
Concierge Services
Reserved Parking Available
Wireless Internet Lounge
On Site Laundry Center
Dry Cleaning Pick Up & Delivery
Argonne Market & Pica Taco On Site”

$1662 sound right for a studio here?

“Dear PoP,

On Saturday I witnessed a disturbing scene, at 1st and N NW, where I’ve been writing about the need for speed bumps, or a four way stop, more enforcement of the school zone, etc…

A woman in a motorized wheelchair crossing in the cross-walk (which is lined, and marked with a school zone sign and a fluorescent ped x-ing sign), was just struck by the black SUV pictured. The SUV was going fast, and hit the woman and her chair hard.

Cops and ambulances came. Luckily the crowds at Dunbar for a track meet called 9-11 quickly.
The woman was in what looked and sounded like excruciating pain. She said the hot pavement was burning her, but no one was allowed to move her until the paramedics arrived.

I just want the commenters on the earlier blog posts to recognize that no one is being dramatic here.
I don’t want something to be done because it’s convenient for my dog and I. I see near-accidents every day, involving 6 year-olds.

People seem to think there is no real risk, and certainly not one that warrants inconveniencing drivers to any extent.

Is this real enough for you? Will you still respond, “Oh Please, calm down,” now?
Tell that to the lady who just got rocked by the Cadillac going 40mph.

Let’s just keep saying, “1st isn’t a side street, roads were invented for cars, and I’ll honk at every speed bump in protest,” until next week, when another person gets injured.”

We previously spoke about this intersection here and here.

Photo by PoPville flickr user ivan | sciupac

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Photo by PoPville flickr user laurabl