National Gallery of Art

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the National Gallery of the United States, for other National Galleries, see National Gallery.

The East Building of the National Gallery of Art

The West Building of the National Gallery of Art.

The National Gallery of Art is an art museum, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The museum was established in 1937 by the Congress, with funds for construction and a substantial art collection donated by Andrew W. Mellon. Samuel H. Kress contributed the museum's original collection of Italian art.

Centerpiece on the main floor of the West Building.
Photo: Marc Averette

1 Buildings
2 Operations
3 References
4 Links

[edit] Buildings

The museum comprises two buildings, the East Building and the West Building, that are linked by an underground passage. The original museum building, now known as the West Building, opened on March 17, 1941. Its design, by architect John Russell Pope, is neoclassical, with a gigantic columned portico and a massive dome reminiscent of the Pantheon (as is Pope's other notable Washington, D.C. building, the Jefferson Memorial), except for the West Building's symmetrically-attached extended wings. The design of the East Building by architect I.M. Pei is also geometrical, but fragmented or faceted by comparison to the West Building's cool classicism; from above, it appears as if made of interlocking diamonds. The East Building, the gift of Paul Mellon and the Andrew W. Mellon Foudation, opened in 1978. The NGA also opened an adjacent sculpture garden in 1999.

The West Building has an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures by European masters from the medieval period through the late 19th century, as well as pre-20th century works by American artists. Highlights of the collection include many paintings by Jan Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Western Hemisphere.

The East Building focuses on modern and contemporary art, with a collection including works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Alexander Calder. The East Building also contains the main offices of the NGA and a large research facility.

To the west of the West Building, across Seventh Street, is the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. The 6.1 acres (25,000 m²) of the garden are centered on a large circular fountain (an ice rink in the winter) surrounded by stone seating. The exhibited sculptures in the surrounding landscaped area include pieces by Joan Miro, Louise Bourgeois, and Hector Guimard.

[edit] Operations

The National Gallery of Art is supported through a private-public partnership. The United States federal government provides funds, through annual appropriations, to support the museum's operations and maintenance. All artwork, as well as special programs, are provided through private donations and funds. The museum is not part of the Smithsonian Institution. It is one of the more than 90 cultural institutions in the United States that are Smithsonian "affiliate museums".

Noted directors of the National Gallery have included John Walker and J. Carter Brown. Earl A. Powell III is the current director.

Entry to both buildings of the National Gallery of Art is free of charge. The museum is open daily during winter, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (11 - 6 p.m. on Sundays), with extended hours during summer.

USGS satellite image of the West (left) and East (right) Buildings of the National Gallery of Art, taken April 26, 2002. Please note that the perspective has been distorted due to the imaging process.