Graciela Iturbide, Mujer Ángel, Desierto de Sonora (Angel Woman, Sonoran Desert), 1979 (printed 2014); Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 in.; NMWA, Gift of Cindy Jones; © Graciela Iturbide, Image courtesy of Throckmorton Fine Art, NYC

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA)—the world’s first major museum solely dedicated to championing women artists—reopened on October 21, 2023, after a two-year renovation, revealing a transformed building, powerful exhibitions and engaging public programs. NMWA reimagined its historic home at 1250 New York Avenue in Washington, D.C., to offer flexible exhibition spaces for immersive exhibitions, a versatile studio/classroom area and improved accessibility for visitors.

“After two long years, we are excited to reopen our doors to our extraordinary community. As we welcome visitors back to enjoy expanded galleries, increased capacity for hands-on workshops and improved accessibility, I believe you’ll find the renovation has been worth the wait,” said Director Susan Fisher Sterling. “We are deeply grateful to our supporters, who have secured the future of NMWA for generations to come.”

Visitors experience art from the moment they enter the building. The rotunda features a dramatic six-foot-tall hanging sculpture by Joana Vasconcelos, as well as paintings by self-taught American artist Clementine Hunter and Indigenous Australian artist Audrey Morton Kngwarreye. On view in the Great Hall are a series of black-and-white prom portrait photographs by Mary Ellen Mark and large-scale architectural photographs of sumptuous spaces by Candida Höfer.

Portraits and self-portraits of women from across the centuries fill the mezzanine, with Eva Gonzalès’s Portrait d’une jeune femme (Portrait of a Young Woman) (1873–74), Frida Kahlo’s iconic Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky (1937) and Zanele Muholi’s photograph Katlego Mashiloane and Nosipho Lavuta, Ext. 2, Lakeside, Johannesburg (2007), among others.

NMWA’s inaugural major exhibition, The Sky’s the Limit, features contemporary sculptures and immersive installations by 13 international and U.S.-based artists. To complement the grand scope of The Sky’s the Limit, NMWA presents two focus exhibitions. Hung Liu: Making History highlights nine works by the renowned Chinese-born American artist (1948–2021), who transformed her canvases and prints into evocative memorial sites for women and children. Impressive: Antoinette Bouzonnet-Stella focuses on the 17th-century French artist’s series of 25 prints from 1675, The Entrance of the Emperor Sigismond into Mantua, installed in a unique wrap-around presentation. Both exhibitions are on view through October 20, 2024.

To find out more about the museum and exhibition programme please go to the direct link.