Washington Gallery of Modern Art

The Washington Gallery of Modern Art was a museum in Dupont Circle devoted to contemporary works by artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Indiana, and Marcel Duchamp. It housed roughly 150 pieces and served as a destination for art enthusiasts throughout the region.

The museum was founded by Helen Stern in 1961 and quickly became a center for emerging artistic trends in the city. It closed after seven years in 1968, with its collection sold to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

The gallery organized the groundbreaking Washington Color Painters exhibition in 1965, which established recognition for the Washington Color School movement in American art.

The building sat near Dupont Circle metro station, which made arriving by public transportation straightforward. Its central location allowed visitors to reach it easily on foot and connect it with other nearby attractions.

The museum hosted the Pop Festival in 1963, where Robert Rauschenberg performed his work Pelican and Claes Oldenburg presented a performance piece. This event made the venue a notable gathering place for experimental art forms in the 1960s.

Location: Washington, D.C.

Inception: 1961

Founders: Helen Stern

GPS coordinates: 38.90990,-77.04640

Latest update: December 13, 2025 17:07