Psst. Wanna See Some Pictures? (1 cent)

You probably know that, when you drive south on 17th Street, NW, you pass the headquarters of the American Red Cross, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Organization of American States. You probably do not know that, behind the OAS building, fronting on 18th street, is the Art Museum of the OAS. I am not sure that anyone has ever gone there.

Yesterday, I decided that would be a good destination, but much to my surprise, I was faced with a sign telling me it was closed for the installation of a new exhibit and would be back open on March 14. In the meantime, the sign went on to say, check out the exhibit called "Brazil-Haiti: Naive Art" in the main OAS building.

I walked back around to the front entrance on 17th Street. There was no sign about any art exhibit, and no "why don't you come on in?" welcome mat out. I asked a Latin American looking woman (she looked Latin American because she was coming out of the OAS building), if there was an art exhibit inside, and she told me that the museum was "around back". I told her what I saw and she finally admitted that there was "little" (actually, she said "leetle") exhibit inside.

I walked up the steps and through the door, and was met by a metal detector and its operator. I asked him about the art exhibit. He told me that the museum was closed today, and that it was on 18th Street. I told him about the sign, and he admitted, reluctantly I think, that there was an exhibit inside, and invited me through his domain. I stripped myself of anything metallic and walked in.

To my surprise, the exhibit, which is located directly through the courtyard, has somewhere between 80 and 90 pieces, divided equally between Haitian and Brazilian. Apparently, this exhibit was displayed at the United Nations in November and December, and then it was moved here. It was put together by a naive art museum in Brazil, and the goal was to compare the Brazilian pieces (which on the whole I did not care for) with Haitian art (and some of the Haitian pieces were masterpieces of this idiom). The Haitian works included paintings by Philome Obin, Hector Hyppolite, Rigaud Benoit and Prefete Duffaut, all very well know.

My favorite was called "Rosalio Bobo et son Cabinet" by Obin. It would be worth the price of admission (if there were a price) just to see it.

Although the exhibit is largely one of oil on canvas or board, there are also a few sculpted pieces and ceramic pieces, as well as carvings from steel and aluminum.

How long will this exhibit be here? I don't know. Will anyone besides me (and OAS employees) see it? I don't know that, either.