I snuck in under the wire and went to see the Paint Made Flesh exhibit at the Phillips Collection yesterday. Today is the last day, and I’ve been meaning to go, well, since it opened. I decided to join the museum, since a basic membership is only $60 and grants free access to all the exhibits throughout the year, along with other benefits. Paint Made Flesh was $12 anyway, so it seemed to make sense. Also I work nearby and have ambitious plans to occasionally drop by the museum during lunch.
The exhibit was great, and much more expansive than other exhibits I’ve seen at the Phillips– it takes up the whole third floor of the new building. It also seemed to feature a lot more high-impact works by prominent artists than other exhibits the Collection has offered. I especially liked the two on display from John Currin, Lucean Freud’s ”Naked Man, Back View,” and “Woman” by de Kooning.
Here is one by Currin, “Hobo,” modeled on his wife:
Here is the painting by Freud, a grandson of Sigmund Freud, called “Naked Man, Back View.” The subject is a popular London drag queen and performance artist, but here he is striped down and looks vulnerable:
Here is “Woman,” by de Kooning. I’m ambivalent about it because it is a vicious portrayal of a woman (the colors and brush strokes are violent and she is practically bearing her teeth), but de Kooning’s emotion really comes through. The placard next to the painting said it was evidence of de Kooning’s “conflicted” feelings about women because the subject is portrayed as aggressive and appalling but soft and seductive at the same time. The latter description didn’t come through for me, but I was still drawn to the piece:
If you have time to make it to the exhibit today before it closes, you should. If not, you can see a video tour of the exhibit here.
This morning, 22 white ghost bikes were placed at the intersection of Connecticut and R St. for 22-year-old cyclist Alice Swanson, who was killed in the intersection last July. After the accident, the Washington Area Bicycle Association placed a single ghost bike in the spot to memorialize Swanson. Two weeks ago, the city removed the bike without notice to Swanson’s family and friends. Now the bike is back, with 21 more. See more information 
If so, you will have no problem finding somewhere entertaining to go in Dupont this evening. There are so many great events tonight! Here is a rundown:
Bluemercury is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and is giving away a bag full of free samples with every $50 purchase. But! Free samples at Bluemercury are not stingy portions of stuff you would never use, like you might get at a department store. You will not get stuck with a drop of wrinkle cream and a mini tube of hot pink lipstick. The samples are generous helpings of high quality products you might buy anyway. A really great deal, and a nice way to celebrate Bluemercury’s anniversary. The contents of my bag of swag are pictured here.
At today’s farmers’ market it was clear that the season is changing. No more blackberries, no more blueberries. Instead, Honeycrips apples! I am sad to see the berries go but I will take Honeycrisp apples over berries any day of the week. They are huge and perfectly tangy. I didn’t go at the end of the market today so I didn’t get any great deals, but I did get a lot of deliciousness:
I spotted this heart art on the side of Plum Blossom today, on 18th St. between T and Florida. Like a little valentine to the District! Awww.
A few weeks ago I posted 
The scaffolding in front of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s embassy (on S St. and New Hampshire) has been removed, and the building looks nice. It is a welcome change from the sad state of the old building, which was a dilapidated eyesore on a prominent corner. According to the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission, the old building was also attracting vermin and vagrants, and was generally bringing down the “well being” of people in the neighborhood. Now it looks great! And, bonus, it’s right across the street from the new dog park! 
Back in July of 2007 the Dupont ANC passed a