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On This Day

Discover how artworks were displayed at The Phillips Collection over the seven decades between 1931 and 1999.

Gallery with paintings hanging on the wall with question marks covering the artwork

Since the museum’s founding, Duncan Phillips envisioned it as a place to experiment with “congenial spirits” by placing collection artworks in different arrangements, independent of artist nationality, geography, and movement. The registrars document each gallery’s results, as installation reports. These reports provide historical insight and inspiration for present-day installations.

Search On This Day for a day from the 20th century to see the art that was hanging in The Phillips Collection galleries. Draw comparisons to current installations, explore how the collection has grown, or recall when you experienced the installation in person. Some reports feature short narratives and additional archival items to create a more complete snapshot in time.

To view the complete collection of installation reports through 2020, visit ArchivesSpace. 

Select a date to see what was on view that day:

Only dates with records can be selected; the search engine will locate reports of all records from that day or reports of the nearest date. Additional dates are currently being added.

Building locations: Learn more about how the building has evolved over time. 

Reading the reports: Lists are arranged chronologically, then by building, gallery, and wall. It is assumed that works listed underneath each wall were hung from left to right, unless noted otherwise.