glenstone museum

We have heard about this museum for several years and finally made a reservation and went. Why did we wait so long!!! The museum is in a rural setting that adds to the graciousness of the experience. The exhibits are well presented and the docents very helpful. We will return as exhibits change.

My wife and I make reservations (Wednesday - Saturday only and Hourly Reservations are from 10am - 4pm , see http://www.glenstone.org/) here once a season or so and it is a great treat to take visitors to the area to since it if not well know, but a first class experience in every way from the surroundings, the exhibits, the knowledgeable docents who care for you, the architecture etc.

Located on Glen Road in Potomac, Maryland, it is an unusual spot for a museum. Once inside the grounds, the land is expansive. the building and exhibits are interesting.

Set in the small, rolling hills of Potomac, Glenstone Museum is a well hidden gem. Its foundation is a private collection that soon outgrew its "home" and necessitated larger space that has become a museum. Glenstone is growing with another building on the horizon that will make even more of the collection available to the public. The current art exhibit comes from Peter Fischli and David Weiss with an intriguing and amusing display of key moments in modern history using the media of rubber and unfired clay. These sculptures lead back into a room with interesting sculpture captured by the camera, past a fully furnished room portraying an artist's studio into a photographic exhibit and slide show. The rather lengthy tour does not wear the visitor out but only entices him to search for the next creative expressions. The grounds feature some delightfully large and interesting sculptures, including Richard Serra's Sylvester, a large maze in the shape of two concentric circles leading to a central opening. The docents, all well trained in the field of art, meet visitors in the parking lot and act as personal guides. Accessible only by reservation, Glenstone is delightful surprise!

The architecture and grounds of this property is beyond words. If you like contemporary art and architecture you should visit. The docents on staff are incredible. They let you take in the experience from the sidelines. Engage them because they are so knowledgeable. I plan to return often.

I will be the naysayer among the reviews. I did not enjoy my Glenstone experience. The grounds are absolutely beautiful, as are the large sculptures on display, but I am not a fan of the architectual style of the museum and the owner's home. In addition, the view of the museum shown on Glenstone's website--its best side--can't be seen upon approach; the entrance, save the Serra sculpture, is unappealingly at one end of the building. I like a lot of modern architecture, but was unimpressed with these buildings. The real problem for me, though, was the particular exhibit we saw this past weekend (8/23). I found it pretentious, affected, and lacking beauty or visual interest. The seven galleries comprising the museum all contained the works of two artists, Peter Fischli and David Weiss--that was six galleries too many in my opinion. My quick take is that Glenstone is definitely worth seeing--at least some of the 1% are giving back--but before going, do a little research about the current exhibition. It will make for a more pleasurable experience.

I hesitate to review Glenstone because part of the joy when visiting is the feeling that you are a private guest viewing a hidden treasure trove of contemporary art that no one else knows about. But since they are building a massive expansion, the secret is out, so here goes:Visiting Glenstone today is an extraordinary experience for anyone who loves art. The museum itself is a beautiful work of art. The collection is fascinating and well curated. Just driving up to the entrance is a pleasure for the outside sculpture. Your private docent leads you through the gallery answering questions but otherwise allowing you to experience the art without further intermediation. To visit, you make reservations on line in advance and its open only a few days a week. You will be the only ones there during your visitation slot. Your private docent takes you through at your pace. If, by chance, you take a wrong turn as you drive from the gate to the museum, a swat team descends upon you and redirects you - security is that tight. Once the larger facility is completed, the intimacy of the experience and some of the attendant magic will surely be lost. But that's not an unreasonable price to pay for having more of the collection on view. And perhaps there will be a place set aside for visitors to linger over a cup of coffee while they contemplate the beauty of the collection, the architecture and the grounds.

You must make an advance reservation. When you arrive your small group (12 or less) will be assigned a private docent who will walk you through their current exhibit for about an hour. Our docent was a totally charming older woman. What they exhibit at any one time only represents about 3 % of the museum's collection. So you'll have to look forward to when they change the exhibit in about a year so you can return. This will be less of a problem when they finish construction on the new pavillions they are currenty constructing. You can also sign up for a separte tour of the grounds--they have a lot of outdoor sculptures.

This is a private museum that requires on line reservations. Open Wed-Sat. We saw an exhibit devoted entirely to Peter Fischli and David Weiss. It was one of the most creative and inventive displays I've seen. Well worth the drive. The owners are building museum 5 times as large. The only drawback is no photos at all.

Contemporary art, beautiful gallery, great experience. The gallery does not want people writing about it; go experience it, both the grounds and the works of art.

Unknown to many art lovers in the Washington, DC area is a relatively new museum (2006) located in rolling and wooded landscape of Potomac, Maryland. This is a private collection, only a small portion of which can be displayed in the current museum and on the grounds. A second museum is being constructed to display additional items from the post World War II period. The owner's residence is also on the site and the combination of outdoor sculpture (includes a fantastic Jeff Koons head), work by Andy Goldsworthy in 3 outdoor stone structures, and the current retrospective exhibit in the museum of the collaborative work of Peter Fischl and the late David Weiss, combine for a visual symphony of aesthetic pleasures. One needs to make an appointment in advance to visit the grounds and museum, but on a lovely day...it is pure pleasure!