The National Gallery of Art opened in 1941 after financier Andrew W. Mellon donated his collection and funded a Neoclassical building designed by John Russell Pope. Mellon, who served as Treasury Secretary under four presidents, began assembling Old Masters during World War I. His greatest coup came in 1930-1931 when he purchased 21 paintings from the Soviet government's Hermitage sale, including Raphael's Alba Madonna and Jan van Eyck's Annunciation. Mellon insisted the museum not bear his name, envisioning a truly national institution.
The founding collection of 126 paintings expanded through donations from Samuel Kress, Chester Dale, and Mellon's children. Today the gallery holds over 150,000 works. Leonardo da Vinci's Portrait of Ginevra Benci is the only Leonardo painting in the Americas. Peter Paul Rubens and Giorgione represent the Baroque and Renaissance. Berthe Morisot and Impressionist works fill the upper galleries. I.M. Pei's East Building, funded by Paul Mellon, opened in 1978 for modern art. Admission remains free.
National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., United States houses 100 masterpieces in our database, including works by Claude Monet, Thomas Cole and Edgar Degas and 12 other artists. Notable works include Woman with a Parasol and Woman Holding a Balance.
Top Genres at National Gallery of Art
Famous Works at National Gallery of Art
Page 1 of 3Browse 100 notable artworks in our database. Click any work to see details and plan your visit.
