March 14, 2018

World Book’s celebration of Women’s History Month continues with a look at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C. The museum, which opened in 1987, exhibits the work of women artists of all periods and nationalities. The NMWA collection of more than 4,500 works includes paintings by such celebrated artists as American Mary Cassatt and Mexico’s Frida Kahlo. The museum emphasizes, however, works by lesser-known women artists who have often gone overlooked by larger galleries. The NMWA occupies Washington’s old Masonic Temple, a building that dates from 1903 and appears on the National Register of Historic Places.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements in the literary, performing, and visual arts. Credit: U.S. Department of State

The NMWA is the only major museum in the world “solely dedicated to championing women through the arts.” It was founded by art collectors Wilhelmina Cole Holladay and her husband, Wallace Holladay. Inspired initially by a work by Flemish painter Clara Peeters (see below), the couple sought to collect and promote the works of women artists neglected by art museums as well as art history. After many years, the Holladay Collection became the core of the NMWA, which was incorporated in 1981. After giving private tours in the Holladay home, the NMWA purchased the Masonic Temple in 1983. After significant renovations, the museum opened there in 1987. The museum’s first exhibition was “American Women Artists, 1830-1930.”

Still Life of Fish and Cat by Flemish artist Clara Peeters caught the eye of collectors Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay, and inspired them to create the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Credit: Still life with fish and cat (1620′s), oil on panel by Clara Peeters; National Museum of Women in the Arts

In addition to its permanent collections, the NMWA features temporary exhibitions each year. (Chinese-American artist Hung Liu is currently featured in “Hung Liu In Print,” an exhibition running through early July.) The museum also runs a public program highlighting the power of women in the arts as catalysts for artistic, political, and social change. The NMWA’s 17,500-volume Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center serves as a leading resource on women artists as well as on gender disparity in the arts. The NWMA also publishes art history books and Women in the Arts magazine.