The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, has a world-renowned collection of art, including the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in North America. It was established in 1937 after a donation by Andrew W. Mellon and has two buildings, one for Renaissance to 19th-century art and one for modern art. The gallery is free to enter and hosts temporary exhibitions.
The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, DC. It houses one of the finest collections of paintings, photographs, drawings and sculptures in the world. The only Leonardo da Vinci painting in North America, Ginevra de’ Benci, is the centerpiece of the gallery’s collection, but it houses tens of thousands of other works by artists such as Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Titian, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Monet, Van Gogh, Delacroix, Rodin, Degas, Goya and others.
Congress established the National Gallery of Art in 1937. The impetus for its creation was a substantial donation of artwork by financier and philanthropist Andrew W. Mellon. Mellon, a former US Treasury Secretary and one of the wealthiest individuals in the United States, had used his fortune to amass one of the finest private art collections in the world. Towards the end of his life he donated this collection to the town for the construction of a gallery, together with funds for a building to house it. Mellon originally intended to give his collection to the Smithsonian Museum, but his 1937 gift proposed the creation of a new gallery instead.
1941 saw the opening of the main building of the National Gallery of Art. John Russell Pope, architect of the Jefferson Memorial, designed this neoclassical building, now known as the West Building. Another building, the East Building, designed by IM Pei, opened in 1978, and an outdoor sculpture garden opened in 1999. An underground passage connects the two buildings. The West Building contains mainly art from the Renaissance period through the 19th century, while the East Building mainly houses modern art.
Since its inception, the National Gallery of Art has continued to acquire new works, solidifying its reputation as one of the world’s leading art museums. In 2010, it was the sixth most visited art museum in the world and the second most visited in the United States. Only the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York attracted more visitors.
The National Gallery of Art draws its funding from a combination of federal funds and private donations. Consequently, admission is free. The gallery is open all year round, closing only at Christmas and January 1st. In addition to its main collection, the National Gallery hosts temporary exhibitions which include both works on loan from museums around the world and works which, although part of the museum’s collection, are not normally exhibited.
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