National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C., United States
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Visitor Information
Museum Address
6th and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20565, USA
Washington, D.C., United States
Ticket Prices
Free
Featured Artists
15 artists in database
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.
Visiting National Gallery of Art
Monet's Woman with a Parasol and Vermeer's Woman Holding a Balance are highlights. Winslow Homer's Breezing Up represents the American collection.
Yes, always free. It's one of the few major world museums with no admission charge at any time. Both the neoclassical West Building and the I.M. Pei East Building are free. Monet's Impressionist works are in the West Building's ground floor.
Winslow Homer's Breezing Up, Gilbert Stuart's Lansdowne portrait of George Washington, and Hudson River School landscapes. The American galleries cover colonial through 20th-century art.
The West Building covers European and American art from the 13th through 19th centuries. The East Building (designed by I.M. Pei, 1978) focuses on modern and contemporary art. They're connected by an underground walkway with a moving walkway and light installation.
Monet's Japanese Footbridge and Woman with a Parasol lead the Impressionist galleries. Renoir, Degas, and Cassatt are also well represented. The collection was largely built from the Mellon, Widener, and Chester Dale donations.
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Browse Our CollectionPlease note: Artwork locations and display status may change. Some paintings may be on loan, in restoration, or moved to different galleries within the museum. We recommend contacting National Gallery of Art directly to confirm specific artwork availability before your visit.
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