The Arts Club of Washington
Literary Committee
Presents
Duncan and Majorie Phillips: America’s First Museum of Modern Art
with Author Pamela Carter-Birken
Thursday, September 18, 2025
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Arts Club Members $25 – Non-Members $30
Please join us for a fascinating evening at the historic Monroe House as the Arts Club of Washington proudly hosts independent scholar, journalist and author Dr. Carter-Birken who will discuss her book about the Phillips family, founders of The Phillips Collection.
About the Book
He was born to privilege and sought the world of art. She lived at the center of that world-a working artist encouraged by the famous artist in her extended family. Together, Duncan and Marjorie Acker Phillips founded The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., the first museum of modern art in America. It opened in the grand Phillips family home in 1921, eight years before New York City’s Museum of Modern Art and only a few weeks after they wed.
With unfettered access to archival material, author Pamela Carter-Birken argues that The Phillips Collection’s relevancy comes from Duncan Phillip’s commitment to providing optimal conditions for personal exploration of art. In-depth collecting of certain artists was one of Phillips’ methods of encouraging independent thinking in viewers. Paintings by Pierre Bonnard, Arthur Dove, Georgia O’Keeffe, John Marin, Jacob Lawrence, and Mark Rothko provide testament to the power of America’s first museum of modern art.
About the Author
Pamela Carter-Birken is an independent scholar and journalist with an interdisciplinary doctoral degree from Georgetown University. Dr. Carter-Birken writes about an array of topics, but always with a perspective on how art and literature affect the human experience. Her work has been published in several national magazines and journals.
Price includes reception with full bar and hors d’oeuvres after the presentation.
Discounted parking available at 2001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW DC (Enter @first garage on the left, just past I Street).
Seating is limited; registration online recommended no later than Monday, 15 September 2025.
Bring your copy for author’s book-signing. Purchase now at
https://www.amazon.com/Duncan-Marjorie-Phillips-Americas-History/dp/1648893279/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
