National Museum of Women in the Arts

Masonic Temple
National Museum of Women in the Arts
National Museum of Women in the Arts is located in Central Washington, D.C.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
National Museum of Women in the Arts is located in the United States
National Museum of Women in the Arts
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Location1250 New York Ave NW
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates38°54′0.184″N 77°1′45.534″W / 38.90005111°N 77.02931500°W / 38.90005111; -77.02931500
Area0.3 acres (0.12 ha)
Built1903
ArchitectWood, Donn & Deming
Architectural styleClassical Revival
NRHP reference No.86002920[1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 18, 1987

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington, D.C., is "the first museum in the world solely dedicated" to championing women through the arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay. Since opening in 1987, the museum has acquired a collection of more than 6,000 works by more than 1,000 artists, ranging from the 16th century to today. The collection includes works by Mary Cassatt, Alma Woodsey Thomas, Élisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun, and Amy Sherald. NMWA also holds the only painting by Frida Kahlo in Washington, D.C., Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky.

The museum occupies an old Masonic Temple, a building listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. In 2021 the museum temporarily closed to undergo a $66 million transformative renovation. The museum reopened to the public on October 21, 2023.[2]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ Sutton, Ben. "US National Museum of Women in the Arts to reopen in October following $67.5m renovation". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 15 February 2023.