Travel and Dish

It all began in 1890 when American railroad magnate Charles Lang Freer met with artist James McNeill Whistler in his London studio. The influential artist encouraged Freer to expand his art collection by acquiring Asian art, and for ten years, Freer began collecting in earnest. He eventually amassed 1,000 works by Whistler and 9,500 works of Asian art. 

Flash forward to 1906, when Freer contacted President Theodore Roosevelt. Freer asked if the President would be interested in a donation of his collection to the United States. Of course, Roosevelt accepted, but now the questions was how to display these rare works of art? The first decision was to keep them in the Nation’s Capital.

Roosevelt offered a location for a new museum on the National Mall. Freer helped design the Italianate-style museum and it became the first national museum of art in the country and the first art museum on the National Mall. The Free Museum of Art opened in 1923, with live peacocks roaming the courtyard. It was an instant sensation.

The museum didn’t always attract attention. It’s not as showy or well known as most Smithsonian museums. But visitors would discover this magical world when they ventured inside.

Between 2016 and 2017, the museum closed for a major renovation, which would connect the two museums -the Freer and the Arthur M. Sackler art galleries (Sackler contains art work from the Middle East). The two museums were combined and renamed the National Museum of Asian Art.

Among the Freer’s walls are more than 45,000 objects dating from the antiquity to current day. There are pieces from Japan, Nepal, Korea, China and the Islamic world. For an overview of the works on display, join one of the daily docent-led tours. Of all the masterworks on display, The Peacock Room is a must-see. This captivating room is a replica of the London dining room where shipping tycoon Frederick R. Leyland assembled his blue and white porcelain collection from China and displayed it on gilded shelves.

The design and color choices were made mostly by Whistler, and eventually Freer purchased every item, adding ceramics of his own. Central to room is Whistler’s painting Princess from the Land of Porcelain and a mural of frolicking peacocks. 

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Museum of Asian Art. If you’re in Washington DC or a local wandering the National Mall, stop by for a look. It’s located right next to the Smithsonian Metro Station. To learn about the Centennial celebrations, click here.