Recently, I went to check out an unusual pop-up exhibit located in an empty storefront in the outdoor retail courtyard underneath the Watergate apartment complex. There, tucked between a liquor store and a Thai restaurant, currently sits a big collection of 81 portraits by the artist Laurie Munn—a ll of them pictures of people who were in some way associated with the Watergate scandal. The cumulative effect of these neat rows of head shots is imposing: face after face of people captured as they looked back in the 1970s when they were embroiled in an era-defining series of events that kicked off with the notorious break-in at the Watergate. The paintings, covering much of the wall space, include obvious figures like Richard Nixon, Woodward and Bernstein, and Mark “Deep Throat” Felt, as well as people like Jane Fonda whose presence is less expected. Munn specializes in these kinds of themed portrait series, having also painted, for example, the first 43 US presidents. “I love doing things in a series because you get up every day and you know who’s next,” says Munn, who lives in Tarrytown, New York. “You don’t have to stop and say, ‘Now what am I going to do?’ ” Munn was inspired to tackle the Watergate scandal after Mark Felt died in 2008. It took two years to do the initial group of pictures, which include members of the Nixon administration, people who investigated the scandal, and figures who were popular during the broader cultural moment.  So how did the portraits end up inside this storefront? The exhibit, staffed by volunteers, is part of an effort to create a Watergate Museum inside the complex, which is being spearheaded by resident Keith Krom. The museum, announced back in May, could one day feature artifacts and interactive exhibits to tell the story of the Watergate, both as a work of architecture and the site of the break-in. At the back of the room is a display with renderings and other information about the idea. But the main draw is the portraits—and also the quirky outdoor-shopping-mall location, which provides visitors with a view of the Watergate they might not be familiar with. The free exhibit, which was originally set to close this month, has been extended to April 25. It’s located in the courtyard shops underneath Watergate East at 2538 Virginia Avenue, NW, and the hours are: Tuesdays: 10 AM – 2 PM Wednesdays: 3 PM – 7 PM Thursdays: 10 AM – 2 PM Saturdays: 1 PM – 5 PMThe post We Checked Out a Hidden Art Exhibit at the Watergate first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less