The Kreeger Museum

The Kreeger Museum is truly a hidden gem. It is located in the western part of Washington in the primarily residential Foxhall neighborhood. It is far from downtown and the big Smithsonian museums. It has a parking lot for about 15 cars, after which you have to drive around looking for a residential street to park on.

The museum is housed in what had been the home of David and Carmen Kreeger. David Kreeger was the son of Russian immigrant parents, a graduate of Rutgers. He made his money as chairman of GEICO. And a lot of that money went into amassing an incredible collection of mostly modern art. Among his other involvements in the arts in Washington, he was chairman of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and president of the National Symphony Orchestra. He founded the Washington Opera and sat on the board of the National Gallery of Art.

He and Carmen amassed a collection of modern art, heavy on impressionists and cubists. The collection includes a number of Picasso’s and Monet’s as well as works by Van Gogh, Miro, Degas, Cezanne and Chagall. Being in a private collection most of us have not seen these works. There are also a few ancient pieces and a lovely sculpture garden.

When I walked into the Kreeger I couldn’t believe what I found.

The Picasso’s