Art Excursions, Inc.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Kickoff Tour: Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday

It’s a fact that every year is an American-centered one for our business since we travel exclusively in the United States. However, we aim to celebrate our Nation’s 250th birthday in style! Therefore, in planning our entire 2026 schedule, we want to connect you with outstanding collections and exhibitions of American artists.

What better way to kick off the celebration than a tour in Washington, D.C.? Our re-imagined itinerary features:

1. -An special exhibit of works by Mary Cassatt -- the only American member of the French Impressionism movement
   

2. -Remarkable personal-turned-public collections amassed by visionary Americans, including Duncan Phillips; Claribel and Etta Cone; Andrew Mellon; Marjorie Merriweather Post; and Henry Walters
   

3. -An opportunity to explore some of the most important monuments and memorials that tell the complex story of America
   

Perfect Timing: The Nation’s Capital Celebrates its 250th Birthday in Full Bloom

Most Americans know about the gift of 3,020 flowering cherry trees (in several varieties) from Tokyo to Washington, DC, the majority of which ended up along the Tidal Basin. What many don’t know is that the peak period to see the Capital itself in full bloom comes after the so-called “peak” of the Yoshino variety around the Tidal Basin. For example, the Kwanzan variety pictured above blooms about two weeks after the Yoshinos, which have been peaking in late March over the past decade.

Going beyond the tidal basin, the trees and shrubs of Washington, D.C. put on a spectacular spring display in the month of April. In past years, our groups have enjoyed blooming pear, crabapple, Kwanzan cherry, magnolia, quince, and redbud trees plus forsythia, azalea, wisteria, and gardens with flowering roses, tulips, daffodils, and the like.

The Phillips Collection

Opened to the public in 1921 in Washington’s vibrant Dupont Circle neighborhood, The Phillips Collection features paintings by old masters and by great nineteenth and twentieth-century artists including Renoir, Rothko, Bonnard, O'Keeffe, van Gogh and Diebenkorn. Its distinctive building combines extensive new galleries with the former home of its founder, Duncan Phillips. The collection continues to develop with selective new acquisitions, many by contemporary artists. Art historian and tour host Jeff Mishur will provide a private guided tour of museum highlights.

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Marjorie Merriweather Post, heir to the Post cereal fortune, founded Hillwood Museum and Gardens, her former twenty-five acre estate. Today, Hillwood possesses countless examples of paintings, furniture pieces, fine Sèvres porcelain, 18th century French gold boxes, and the most important assemblage of Russian imperial art outside Russia featuring more than ninety pieces of Fabergé.

We will receive a private guided tour of the historic mansion and its collections. You will also have time to explore the estate's extensive gardens, which are a delight in the spring.

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore

Several years ago, one of our customers gave us a book titled “Treasures of American Museums” by Charles Mathes. He knew it was appropriate given our commitment to American cities. Our 2026 itinerary includes a day trip to Baltimore where we’ll visit two venues featured in this helpful resource. The first of the two venues is The Walters Art Museum.

Mathes writes: "When Henry Walters bequeathed his gallery and art collection to the city of Baltimore in 1931, it was regarded as one of the greatest acts of cultural philanthropy in American history.” Walters transformed his father’s collection into “one of the finest in private hands in America, a treasure trove of 22,000 works ranging from the artifacts of ancient Egypt to the paintings of European Old Masters to early 20th century decorative arts.” Highlights of the paintings collection include works by Bronzino, Raphael, van Dyck, el Greco, Manet and Monet. We’ll enjoy a private tour of collection highlights.

The Baltimore Museum of Art: Featuring the Cone Collection -- Matisse fans take note!

The other Maryland venue featured in the “Treasures of American Museums” text is The Baltimore Museum of Art -- an encyclopedic institution with “unique strengths in several different areas,” including American painting, decorative arts, furniture and period rooms.

Our private highlights tour will focus on the museum’s most famous collection, which was bequeathed by Dr. Claribel and Ms. Etta Cone. According to Mathes, “these sisters traveled throughout Europe beginning at the turn of the century with their friend Gertrude Stein, who...inspired their passionate interest in modern art.” The Cone Collection includes excellent works by van Gogh, Renoir, Gauguin and Picasso. Most remarkably, the Cone sisters amassed the basis for the world’s largest collection of works by Matisse. With more than 1,200 pieces, The Baltimore Museum of Art’s Matisse collection exceeds even that of the artist’s namesake museum in Nice.

The National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art is one of the world's great art museums, a true source of national pride. Established in the twentieth century, the collection includes a very impressive display of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and 19th and 20th century European and American art. But the museum’s galleries also display remarkable and extensive holdings of western art from earlier periods. Art historian Jeff Mishur will provide a private guided tour of museum highlights. Some of the objects you’ll study in depth on Jeff’s tour include:

1. •The only Leonardo painting on the continent
   

2. •The Thomas Cole series “Voyage of Life” -- a true American treasure by a founder of The Hudson River School
   

3. •Seminal works by van Eyck, Bosch, Rembrandt, Vermeer and other Old Masters
   

DC’s Monuments and Memorials: a Private Highlights Tour

Our previous tours in DC have featured the FDR Memorial for the quality of the memorial itself as well as for its picturesque setting. For our 2026 tour we are expanding the experience to include other monuments and memorials including The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Martin Luther King Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Marine Corps War Memorial, and the World War II Memorial. There will be plenty of opportunity to see each site on foot and up close.

The special exhibition “Mary Cassatt: An American in Paris”

Mary Cassatt worked as an artist in an age when most women of her station were restricted to the home.  Despite this, she was able to work within her social structure to achieve success by painting subjects derived from the everyday life of modern women.  She also recognized a market opportunity for images of motherhood and depicted ordinary mothers and kids in striking compositions. To mark the centennial of the artist’s death, The National Gallery of Art hosts a special exhibition of her work.

The special exhibition “Miro and The United States”

This special exhibit explores the impact of Spanish artist Joan Miró (1893–1983) on the art world in the U.S. from the 1940s through the 1960s. Museum visitors will come to understand how the artist’s relationships with American artists, collectors, and institutions spurred new inspiration and experimentation on both sides of the Atlantic. Featuring Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois, Lee Krasner, Norman Lewis, Jackson Pollock, Helen Frankenthaler, and Adolph Gottlieb, among others, this exhibition will enrich our understanding of the development of post-war art.

Accommodations in Old Town Alexandria

Art Excursions understands that our choice of accommodations contributes to the overall experience of the boutique tours we design and lead. Consequently, our clients have come to expect a high standard of hotel as well as a location that is ideal for walking to shops, galleries, museums, restaurants, theaters and concert venues.

For this tour we have selected a four star property located in charming and chic Old Town Alexandria. Our hotel receives consistent high marks on Tripadvisor and other travel review sites. Dating to 1749 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Old Town Alexandria now boasts a revitalized waterfront with 18th and 19th century architecture, cobblestone streets, historic attractions, shops and restaurants. Our hotel is alongside Old Town Alexandria's shops, restaurants, art galleries and museums.

Tour Study Leader and Host -- Art Historian Jeff Mishur

Art historian Jeff Mishur, co-owner of Art Excursions, hosts this tour. Jeff is a sought-after guide for private tours of architecture, public sculpture and museum collections. He is also one of the Chicago area's most popular lecturers on art and architecture. Art Excursions is pleased to offer as part of this small group tour itinerary multiple private guided tours by Jeff.

TOUR INCLUDES

1. ‣Accommodations in Old Town Alexandria for 3 nights
   

2. ‣Admissions to venues and exhibitions with private tours as highlighted above
   

3. ‣Commentaries about various itinerary highlights by Jeff Mishur
   

4. ‣A welcome dinner in Old Town Alexandria
   

5. ‣Daily breakfast
   

6. ‣Lunch daily
   

7. ‣Transportation to and from all itinerary elements not within walking distance
   

8. ‣Independent time to take in what you like at each event on the itinerary
   

9. ‣Driver gratuities
   

10. ‣The opportunity to add extra pre or post-tour nights at a special rate with the destination fee waived.
    

TOUR DOES NOT INCLUDE

Gratuities for tour guides and hotel staff; incidentals at hotel; costs for items not specified above; airfare and airport transfers. We can book airfare on your behalf if you prefer not to make your own arrangements.  We do charge a $45 per ticket booking fee for this service.

TOUR PRICING - The amounts below reflect advance pricing and are valid for registrations and deposits received by January 31, 2026. After this date, prices are subject to change.

$2,150 per person in a room with 1 king bed (based on double occupancy)

$2,175 per person in a room with 2 queen beds (based on double occupancy)

$350 single supplement

A NOTE ABOUT BOOKING FLIGHTS

We know some clients have a tendency to look into airfares before even signing up for our tours. We wish to offer a reminder that airfares fluctuate daily. The old theory that the earlier one books a flight, the lower fare they will pay does not apply in our era. Fare prices are driven by sale periods that are announced periodically by a given carrier and then matched by other carriers.

TRAVELING AS A SINGLE?

Our boutique tours are ideal for single travelers, singles traveling together, or couples. We typically have a mix of these types of travelers. If you wish to know why we charge a single supplement or have any other questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page or email us.

TOUR RESERVATIONS

Group size is limited. Reservations accepted first-come, first-served. For more details please email artexcursions@yahoo.com or call 630/671-9745.

READY TO SIGN UP?

Great! Just email us at ae-news@artexcursions.com or artexcursions@yahoo.com and we’ll follow up with a tour application. Our phone number is 630.671.9745