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America ’ s First Museum of Modern Art
When it opened in Washington , D . C .’ s Dupont Circle neighborhood in 1921 , The Phillips Collection was America ’ s first museum of modern art . It is still housed in the elegant 19th-century home of its founder , Duncan Phillips , but now also has two additions to showcase its collection of more than 3,500 works by great European and American impressionist and modern masters , including Monet , Degas , Cézanne , Matisse , Picasso , O ’ Keeffe , and Rothko , as well as artists of today .
Education has been a key part of the museum ’ s mission since its early years , when art classes were held on the third floor of the house . Today the Phillips has a packed schedule of gallery talks , classes , family programs , and educator workshops . It reaches out to the nation — as well as international audiences — through initiatives such as Prism . K12 and Art
Links to Literacy , a program for underserved D . C . public schools .
To raise funds for these innovative educational programs , the museum holds an annual gala in May , which raised $ 1 million last year . One of its supporters is the Embassy of the State of Qatar , a sponsor of the 2015 event .
Dreaming of Doha
Ambassador Mohammed Al-Kuwari will serve as diplomatic chair for the 2016 Phillips Collection Annual Gala , “ Arabesque : Patterns of Beauty East – West , A Salute to Qatar .” It will be followed by an after party , the “ Dreaming of Doha ” Contemporaries Bash .
Modern masters such as Klee , Kandinsky , Matisse , and Picasso were inspired by the calligraphic ornamentation of Middle Eastern art , patterns at the heart of Islamic Art . These abstract designs not only adorn the surfaces of Qatari architecture but also function as the major decorative elements in the objects and books that play a key role in that rich tradition . Arabesque will pay homage to these designs and celebrate the artistic and cultural connections between the State of Qatar and the United States .
The Phillips Collection Annual Gala attracts more than 400 cultural , political , diplomatic , and business leaders for a cocktail reception and dinner , followed by dancing at the Contemporaries Bash . Unique among such fundraisers , the blacktie event does not take place in a
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downtown hotel but in the historic Georgian revival house , in elegant , intimate rooms adorned with masterworks of modern painting . Pride of place goes to Pierre-Auguste Renoir ’ s Luncheon of the Boating Party , the collection ’ s best-known painting .
By coming along and celebrating Arabesque , the 400 guests at this year ’ s Annual Gala will be helping students across the United States empathize with others through the power of art .
The 2016 Annual Gala takes place on May 13 , starting 6.30 pm . The event ’ s Diplomatic Chair is Qatar Ambassador Mohammed Al-Kuwari . For more information , including tickets and donations , visit phillipscollection . org / support / annual-gala
Organizations Supported by the Embassy of the State of Qatar
Arab American National Museum Cultural Tourism DC Filmfest DC
Smithsonian ’ s Freer and Sackler Galleries
The Kennedy Center National Portrait Gallery The Phillips Collection
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