The Kreeger Museum, Washington

In 1959, David and Carmen Kreeger began a personal collection of modern art, forming a shared vision based on creative passion instead of investment. David Kreeger himself said, “Art that embodies the creative spirit of men transcends the value of money." In 1994, four years after David’s death, the Kreeger Museum opened under the direction of Judy A. Greenberg with the mission of enhancing “the understanding and appreciation of art, architecture and music,” three of the Kreegers’ lifelong passions and favorite Jeopardy! categories.

Today, their personal acquisitions form the foundation of a collection of 19th- and 20th-century paintings from masters such as Monet, Cézanne, and Picasso, along with works of traditional African and Asian art. Art pervades every inch of the museum campus, from the 5.5-acre wooded sculpture garden surrounding the building to the building itself designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Philip Johnson using a modernist approach and limestone imported from Italy. The building uses light and movement to guide visitors through the great hall, gallery spaces, and recital hall for performances of Beethoven’s B-sides.