Discover Washington, DC through the Eyes of a Working Artist and Lifelong Washingtonian
I’m Marcel Richter, a professional artist, educator, and private guide specializing in personalized art and museum tours for individuals and small groups. My tours offer something different from the traditional museum experience: the perspective of someone who actually creates art. Together, we look beyond names, dates, and art-historical facts to explore how great works of art are made—how artists use color, composition, light, perspective, materials, and technique to create something extraordinary. Just as importantly, we uncover the personalities, ideas, rivalries, historical events, and fascinating stories behind the works themselves.
My tours are particularly well suited to professionals and business travelers who have a few hours in Washington and want to experience something memorable. Whether you are already passionate about art or simply curious to discover it in a new way, I will create an engaging, conversational experience tailored to your interests and the time you have available. In addition to my museum tours, I offer a private Washington Highlights tour exploring the history, architecture, symbolism, and lesser-known stories behind the capital’s most important monuments and landmarks.
Washington is an international city, and so is my own background. I grew up in a German family in the Washington, DC area, studied Russian at Georgetown University, and have lived for extended periods in both Berlin and Saint Petersburg. I speak and conduct tours in English, German, Russian, and French, and particularly enjoy sharing Washington’s art, history, and culture with visitors from around the world. Whichever language you speak, my goal is to make your time in Washington feel less like a conventional tour and more like spending a few fascinating hours exploring the city with someone who knows it, loves it, and is eager to share it with you.
National Gallery of Art Highlights Tour
Experience some of the National Gallery's greatest masterpieces through the eyes of a working artist. We explore composition, color, technique, symbolism, and the fascinating stories behind the artists and their works--from the Renaissance and Baroque to Impressionism and modern art.
Portraits of America
National Portrait Gallery Tour. Meet the presidents, generals, inventors, writers, artists, reformers, and other remarkable personalities who shaped America through one of Washington’s most fascinating collections. More than an art tour, this is a journey through American history told through the faces and stories of the people who made it.
Washington Through Art
Discover Washington’s extraordinary art collections on a customized museum tour designed around your interests. Depending on what you would most like to see, we can explore the National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Phillips Collection, or other museums and collections throughout the city.
Washington Highlights: Monuments, Memorials & the Nation’s Capital
Discover Washington’s iconic landmarks while hearing the human stories and historical events behind them. Depending on your interests and available time, the tour can include the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, World War II and Vietnam Veterans Memorials, White House, U.S. Capitol, Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and other highlights of the National Mall.
Interested in a Private Tour?
I'll be happy to create a personalized experience for you.
Phone: 202-765-5085
E-mail: artist@marcelgrichter.com To view my art, click here