Sunday Morning in DC

Morning activity on the National Mall

On Sunday morning we decided to go downtown early to see the new Degas/Cassatt exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. We got there at 10 am to grab a parking space and because the Gallery doesn't open until 11 am we walked around the Mall, visiting my favorite little pocket garden, the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden,  and the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden. I just love that Ripley garden, it is the perfect size and filled with really interesting plants. Sandwiched between the Hirshhorn and the old Smithsonian building, it is easy to miss, but it a beautiful little oasis in DC, definitely worth a visit. It was a beautiful morning to walk around the Mall, especially so with a chocolate croissant and coffee from Bakery Paul.

National Gallery of Art

 The exhibit was great, not too crowded as we were early. Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt were contemporaries and good friends, and had a lot of influence on each other's works. They collected and supported each other's works. It was interesting to see their works together, and especially the portraits and drawings Degas did of Mary Cassatt. I was especially interested because I am reading a book right now, The Art Forger, which is about a woman who is a sort of expert on Degas and there is a lot of talk about Degas and his techniques, so it was even more interesting to view his paintings.

Burghers of Calais by Rodin

Monumental Head by Giacometti

Mary Livingston Riley Garden