Holy cow that place is ginormous!
The gallery part in the front that is open to the public is literally the tip of the iceberg and only a very minuscule selection of their overall inventory. They said they try to rotate out the artwork on display about every 6 months.
Back behind the polished and well-presented little gallery up front, there is a vast archive of rows upon rows of shelves with incredible artwork and even a shelf full of ship bells.
The highlight for my visit to the Navy Art Gallery was seeing some of the WWII submarine paintings by Thomas Hart Benton and Georges Schreiber.
Up PeriscopeThomas Hart Benton
Oil on canvas, 1944
All Hands BelowGeorges Schreiber
Watercolor, 1943
Periodically when I have happened upon prints of such artwork at various submarine commands, I've wondered where I could go to purchase one of the prints to hang on my own wall. Well, the staff at the Navy Art Gallery pointed me in the direction of Joseph Rudinec's website. From his website, you can order a photographic reproduction of almost any artwork in the Navy Art Gallery, and I think the prices are pretty reasonable for what you get.
Thomas Hart Benton's "Up Periscope" shown above is going on my birthday wishlist this year (not so subtle hint, hint, wink, nudge).
Oh, FYI, the Naval History & Heritage Command has a Facebook page. They have asked their fans who write blogs to put in a plug for them, so this is my plug. I like keeping up to date on activities at the museum and I look forward to the upcoming bicentenial activities for the War of 1812.
Also note that the Naval History & Heritage Command is NOT just for folks in the DC area. If you check out their web page, you will see they have listings of special events and activities going on at Navy museums across the country like Family Fun Fridays at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum and Wild, Wacky, Sometimes Wet Wednesdays at the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, WA. Check it out!
Thomas Hart Benton's "Up Periscope" shown above is going on my birthday wishlist this year (not so subtle hint, hint, wink, nudge).
Oh, FYI, the Naval History & Heritage Command has a Facebook page. They have asked their fans who write blogs to put in a plug for them, so this is my plug. I like keeping up to date on activities at the museum and I look forward to the upcoming bicentenial activities for the War of 1812.Also note that the Naval History & Heritage Command is NOT just for folks in the DC area. If you check out their web page, you will see they have listings of special events and activities going on at Navy museums across the country like Family Fun Fridays at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum and Wild, Wacky, Sometimes Wet Wednesdays at the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, WA. Check it out!
Yea, because we have so much empty wall space as it is! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the art, I want to visit when we have the chance to visit DC.
ReplyDeleteKeyport Naval Museum Rules, I had my retirement there, No cost ( I donated generously to their cause however) the family from the various parts of the country were able to enjoy the museum, retirment and reception there.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete