“You Cannot Not Know History”: Philip Johnson at Dumbarton Oaks

In designing the museum extension that houses the Robert Woods Bliss Collection of Pre-Columbian Art, architect Philip Johnson (1906–2005) admitted to being inspired by the domed structures of traditional Turkish madrasas. A fountain serves as a central focal point with the soothing sound of falling water, yet modern glass walls open up the building to the outside. The experience is unique. Johnson’s work was colored by a lifelong interest in history and art.

Reservations required: museum@doaks.org.

Hilary Lewis worked closely with Philip Johnson for over a decade, and recorded his memoirs and ideas on architecture. She is the co-author of Philip Johnson: The Architect in His Own Words and The Architecture of Philip Johnson. Following Johnson’s passing in 2005, Lewis served as the Philip Johnson Scholar at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Glass House site.