Dans Hamptons

Given the present political climate, our nation's Capitol doesn't conjure up many positive images. Even the White House is a turnoff for a lot of people, considering who lives there. Even so, Washington D.C. is a place of stunning visual imagery, regardless of what goes on behind the scenes of the political arena. The city is especially beautiful in the springtime, when cherry blossoms permeate the landscape no matter where a person walks or rides. Such vistas recall a huge art installation, completed by the various majestic monuments dotting the city.

Let's consider not only less obvious art venues, but also some of this critic's favorite settings for the visual arts - off the beaten path and (mostly) devoid of tourists.

First is my own personal favorite hotel, the St. Gregory, located between Foggy Bottom and Georgetown at M. and 21st. Street. Its stylistic mix is a pleasant surprise, pairing a sophisticated exterior structure of steel and glass with interior paintings evoking French Impressionism in the lobby sitting room.

The biggest surprise, however, comes from the sculpture right inside the doors - a lifelike statue of Marilyn Monroe with her skirt above her knees, in her iconic pose from the film The Seven Year Itch. This work may seem out of place in a luxurious hotel, yet the juxtaposition of both popular and cosmopolitan cultures feels appropriate in this case.

Other contradictory compilations exist in art settings that can also be counted among my favorite places. Take, for example, a Chinese buffet restaurant on M Street, near Connecticut Avenue.

While the food is delicious, the photography on the walls truly captures my attention - black and white images of Paris life that remind me of Henri Cartier Bresson's work. Again, two diverse cultures, East and West, coming together.

Another example is more subtle and political - the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) at Independence and Third Avenues. While the architecture combines the idea of old materials with a modern style, similar to the Guggenheim's circular design, the Museum's location is also striking, as it is directly across the street from the imposing Capitol building. It's as if the United States government is either protecting Indian tradition or, conversely, making sure that its presence throughout Native American history does not go unnoticed.

The current exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, "Modernism: Designing a New World, 1914-1939," also has many intrinsic contradictions, as art movements go. The Corcoran itself, founded in 1869, is another favorite place of mine. Familiar works make up this comprehensive exhibition, but my personal preferences include the graphic arts examples, particularly posters promoting the 1939 New York World's Fair and agit prop works from Russia. Films from the early 1920s are also favorites, like Hans Richter's Rhythmus 21, featuring pulsating shapes and geometric abstractions. Its style recalls not only Constructivism, but also Leger's Cubist work, "Ballet Mecanique."

"Modernism: Designing a New World" will be on view at the Corcoran Gallery until July 29, 2007.