Cyndy's Bottom Line: Intimate art collection interesting history of the house and the philanthropist behind the collection. read more

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We went one Saturday afternoon and were absolutely positively surprised by the art collection of Picassos, Braques, Monets and other modernists including some extraordinary sculptures and some very contemporary works, in addition to a collection of African art objects (masks, totems, religious or sacred items). The docent was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information about the family and the collection. Only part of the museum, the main floor, is wheelchair accessible, so wheelchairs users can't see the contemporary collection in the basement. One wonders why they haven't built an outside walkway around to the basement area and to the pool area so that is also accessible.... read more

The Kreeger Museum - sign over the door - Museums Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Absolutely wonderful. This is one of the best "house museums" I've ever seen, anywhere. The architecture is by Phillip Johnson and is a treat in and of itself. The collection is amazing, and it's rare to see Impressionist works in a residential setting. It really adds a humanizing dimension to them. There are some superb Picasso examples, and several non-typical pieces by Mondrian and Chagall. Some notes: -No elevator, and a double staircase is the only access to the lower level. -It's easy to miss on a semi-busy road lined with gorgeous mansions. Make sure you have the exact address and look for the little gold sign. No Metro access. -Reservations and tours are required on the weekdays, but you can roam on Saturday. Our tour guide was very nice, but being "art" people we could have done it on our own. Overall this is a fantastic hidden gem if you are into art and architecture, far from the crazy screaming children of the mall, and entirely worth the trip. read more

The Kreeger is a gem among the DC museums! Away from the busy Mall you will find a beautifully designed building by Philip Johnson, an exquisite collection of paintings and .... the stunning Sculpture Garden, located in acres around the museum, features work by Jean Arp, John L, Dreyfuss, Carol Brown Goldberg, Rainer Lagemann, Jacques Lipchitz, Dalya Luttwak, Aristide Maillol, Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi, George Rickey, Lucien Wercollier and notable Washington, DC artists Kendall Buster, Ledelle Moe, Wendy Ross, John Ruppert and Foon Sham. If you enjoy sculpture this is a must! read more

Beautiful architecture as well as art work. Monet room was beautiful and peaceful, few Van Gogh paintings, Rodin sculptures, and one unique Mondrian piece in the library of his earlier work of landscape. Few outdoor sculptures, some are newer collections. Learned about Kreeger who was a Washingtonian and lived there with his wife Carmen. He was an amateur musician and philanthropist and USG government lawyer. He loved art and music and this home is a representation of all he loved. They host regular concert series here and also appear you have outdoor yoga downturns. Had free admission via Smithsonian Live and not sure if it is worth $10 unless there are specific pieces you want to see. Very small museum can be completed in less than an hour and there was a very help staff who helped us find parking. Thank you! read more

The Geico man brought out a magnificent collection of art. Besides the Picasso that captured my eyes are the masks in the back of the lower level. There were like tribal masks and such. Me being me, I tried looking at it from the back side wondering how people can just wear a wooden mask. There's also a small collection of sculptures to keep the imagination running. read more

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The best Hidden Gem in Washington DC. You will never find such a collection of fine art with such proportions of visitors to docents. This is one of the few places you can be one on one with a painting and meditate on it as opposed to being in the crowd read more

This museum is an experience. First, and most important I love the art that they have in their collection. Top notch. Second the location which is out standing. It's amazing to see the work in a situation where it's not a typical museum setting. Third their curated exhibitions are top notch. When I walk into a mansion like this full of art, I wonder what it was like to live like this. So visits there have a multifaceted impact on me. The art is excellent, and you can experience the aesthetics in a way that was unusual to me. That is in a residence vs large white walled museum. Take a moment to visit on a normal day and during an event for a different impact. So far I've only visited a few times, but it's on my list of locations where I must return. Some have commented on quality of individual works. I think you need to look at an artist's complete catalog to understand where they are coming from. That is, I never want to just listen to one track on an album. I want to experience the entire thing. The same thing with Van Gogh, sure, some of his works are better than others, but I want to see them all. This museum is worth the experience to me. I'm glad they are there. read more

A hidden gem in DC. This place isn't huge, which what makes it really nice for a visit. It also isn't too crowded, which is also nice. There is a lot of great artwork and the building is amazing. It is also a great place to sit outside and relax. If you have never been here and want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the other DC museums, I highly recommend this place. read more

A fantastic museum located in a purpose built private home. The original owners were avid collectors of art in DC, specializing in Picasso (and Picasso-esque), Monet (and Monet-esque), and Rodin. With some changing exhibits, and an extremely informative interpretation guide, this is definitely the place to go to again. The grand hall is also host to concerts, and some lectures take place downstairs. The insurance on this place must cost an absolute fortune - with that in mind, the $8 entry fee is hardly expensive. read more

A hidden gem in DC and a must see for people who enjoy small collections. This private museum, while difficult to get to without a car, is well worth the visit. Be sure to get a tour, as the docents are very knowledgeable about the art, the architecture and the history of the building. Our docent tour guide Irene was wonderful. The 90 minute tour went by too quickly. Well definitely come back the next time we are in DC read more

Finally came to the Kreeger thanks to a Living Social deal. I have to agree with Jennifer N.'s assessment. This is an interesting place to check out once, I but cannot picture myself returning. The number of pieces displayed is not large, and many of them are underwhelming. And this type of modern 1960s building depresses me for some reason. However, the Kreeger (just like the Hillwood) is definitely worth a visit just to see how the 1% used to live. read more

This is a fantastic museum. It's. It overwhelming and the art and the sculpture garden is great. The collection is recognizable and diverse. You see the masters. Go when it's warm out so you can spend sometime outside. This is a great place to kill an hour. The art and the mansion are wonderful. I wonder what it would have been like to live here like the Kreegers did. The staff are knowledgable and very kind. Well worth the trip. No cafe or anything but a great place. I wouldn't bring kids here though as its a look-and see museum. No interactive exhibits, just collections. read more

Like Jennifer N, I found the collection here underwhelming. And, like Dee B., I found the overall experience a bit depressing. The property feels a bit run-down and minimally maintained. I've wanted to check out this Museum for some time based on all of the praise it has received. My husband and I trekked over an hour to get here only to find we were frankly "done and over it" in less than 30 minutes. read more

I love this museum. A little hard to get to, and you have to pay, but it's worth it! The modern and African art in the basement were my favorite. The sculptures outside are cool too, and we saw deer in their backyard! read more

Although its location is somewhat oddly placed in comparison to other museums in D.C. and away from the city, it is a beautiful property and a great place to observe rare, stunning original works from artists such as Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh. It is worth the price of admission ($10 I believe) and the sculpture gardens that are underway will definitely be a sight to see! read more

A total hidden gem in Georgetown- if you're looking for a fun new place to check out as a local tourist, this is definitely it! The architecture is beautiful and there's some really lovely places to sit outside (a day in the Fall or Spring would be ideal, but we went in the middle of summer and it was still lovely). Be sure to look up tour times and check them out. read more

A little out of the way and does have an admission fee but for me, it was worth it. A nice variety and the sculpture garden is fantastic.

It's odd to see the Kreeger compared to the Barnes and Isabella Gardner, as the collection is smaller than either of those and of much lower quality. Also, whereas the Barnes, in particular, has an eccentric display format, the Kreeger just seems careless---some paintings sit in a room which receives harsh direct light while others are in an awkward, dead ended hallway that limits appreciation. The emphasis is on "brand name" art, esp. the paintings. All of the painters and most of the sculptors are recognizable, but much of the work is of poor quality---stereotypical-looking Picassos from his "phoning it in period", several washed out rather than subtle Monets, etc. I did like the Hindu sculptures although no one could tell me much about them and some of the pieces in the sculpture garden were quite good. I saw the Kreeger on free museum day and would question whether it was worth normal admission price, esp. for a return visit. It makes more sense for people who want to see all of DC's museums or are rounding out a comprehensive view of Impressionists and early Moderns. The directions are somewhat misleading for those using public transport. I suspect that no one at the museum has ever taken a bus. Get off at Reservoir & Hoban and hike up Hoban to Foxhall. The distance is a bit more than the half mile suggested on the Kreeger website, but not bad on a non-summer day. read more

This museum would be worth the visit, if for no reason, because of the building itself, a masterpiece house by Philip Johnson, built in travertine with an incredible swimming pool (now turned into a fountain). The collection includes masterpieces by many major Impressionist and modern artists and a few excellent pieces of Asian art. I was less interested in the temporary exhibition and some of the outdoor sculptures. Also, a bit more explanatory text about the art might be a welcome enhancement. read more

Went to the Kreeger Museum on Saturday for yoga in the sculpture garden and then stayed to tour the museum. First off, the yoga in the sculpture garden was great and incredibly relaxing next to the reflecting pool. It is exciting to see so many venues offering free yoga around DC and I hope the Kreeger Museum will continue to do this. Even if you're not a yogi though a trip to the Kreeger Museum is a must! This is an architectural and artistic gem away from all the 'touristy' DC area. We decided to take the noon tour and we so incredibly fortunate to have the Head of Education, Antonia, as our guide. At some point most tours can get pretty dry but Antonia had me captivated the entire time. Beyond her vast knowledge of the museum/house and artwork, she was very engaging and personable. The collection itself was stunning and learning the stories beyond each piece made it that much more meaningful. The Kreeger Museum reminded me a lot of Peggy Guggenheim's house in Venice, Italy; it was intimate, inviting and a true treat for any fan of modern art. I will definitely be visiting again and hope to attend on of the concerts in the Grand Hall. read more

The house itself and the collection deserve at least 4 stars, but I wasn't a huge fan of the tour. I should note that I generally don't like guided tours - I'd rather look around on my own and stop to read about the things I'm interested in. And this tour was particularly long-winded. It's sort of a good thing we took the tour, though, because doing so was the really the only way to learn about the artwork. There were plaques next to the pieces saying who the artist was, but didn't include any extra information about technique, etc. I wish they would provide a pamphlet or other reading material for visitors who would rather not go on an hour-long guided tour. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and obviously passionate about the subject matter, but could have kept the tour a bit shorter by not including her own personal opinions about the art. I would go back to the gallery again, but would explore on my own, rather than taking the tour. read more

worth every penny. pleasant, unobtrusive staff is a nice change of pace from other dc museums (like the overbearing, ridiculously rude phillips staff). kreeger's collection is top notch, too. read more

The Kreeger Museum is a great place to take children to expose them to art on a small scale, however, be sure to take them on a Friday or Saturday when you do not have to take a tour. I took my grandson, age 6, on a tour on election day. The tour guide tolerated my grandson who is very well behaved and very smart. The lady at the ticket desk was delightful and gave my grandson a book with pictures of little clippings from various paintings. The child is supposed to find the paintings that contain the pictures in the book. My grandson loved looking for those paintings. The tour is really too long for a child, in fact,even the older children present were bored. My grandson wanted to linger in the main hall but everyone must move with the tour guide as there is not enough staff to monitor the various rooms during the week. During the tour, some of the adults wandered over to talk to my grandson who was eager to tell them all about Van Gogh's ear. The grounds and sculptures are wonderful for children. read more