Happy Birthday To The Phillips Collection, America’s First Museum Of Modern Art

After the deaths of his father and brother in 1917 and 1918, Duncan Phillips found solace in art. His wife, Marjorie Phillips, was a painter. They opened The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., in 1921. They are pictured in the Main Gallery, circa 1920.

The Washington, D.C., gallery turns 100 this year. Susan Stamberg has fond memories of visiting back in the ’60s: “It was like visiting a really rich uncle with fabulous taste and a collector’s eye.”

(Image credit: The Phillips Collection)

The Washington, D.C., gallery turns 100 this year. Susan Stamberg has fond memories of visiting back in the ’60s: “It was like visiting a really rich uncle with fabulous taste and a collector’s eye.”