Since I’ve seen most of the obvious tourist sites in Washington DC by now, my daughter kindly provided me with a list of offbeat attractions. One of them was The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly. It reminds me of Simon Rodia’s Watts Towers in Los Angeles.
James Hampton spent 14 years creating his vision in a rented carriage house in Washington DC. Like Rodia, he used found objects such as old furniture, foil, light bulbs, and jelly jars. He wanted to prepare for Christ’s return to Earth.
The objects on the left are supposed to represent the Old Testament and the items on the right the New Testament. Personally, I couldn’t make out obvious references to either.
Although several people knew of the work’s existence, it didn’t really become well-known until after Hampton’s death in 1964, when the owner of the carriage house publicized it. It’s now housed in the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum.
If you can see the Biblical references, let me know.
The American Art Museum is located at the intersection of 8th and G Streets NW in Washington DC. Since it is one of America’s Smithsonian institutions, admission is free. It is open daily from 11:30am to 7:00pm.
August 24, 2024