Press Release

National Gallery of Art Launches New Program to Share Nation’s Art Collection with Museums Across the United States

Four women with pale, peach skin, wearing long white dresses, stand or sit on a sunny beach in this wide, horizontal painting. People and carriages are painted as hazy gray silhouettes spread along the beach in the distance. The silhouettes span the left half of the horizon, which comes halfway up the painting. To our right, the water is a pale blue with loose strokes of white, light gray, and ice blue to suggest waves and surf. On the pale sand, three of the women sit close to us, huddled under two broad parasols on a brown blanket. Their bodies face the water, and their features and clothing are loosely painted. The woman closest to us has a white dress with lapis-blue bows down the front and a blue sash tied at her back. Her flat, round, straw-yellow hat is tied onto her head with a black bow. She wears a yellow glove on the hand we can see, and she props one parasol over her far shoulder. The inside of the parasol is bright blue, the outside cream white. The other two women sit together under the second parasol, also cream colored. In the center of the trio, the woman wears an olive-green shawl or wrap, and her reddish-brown hair might be loose over her shoulders. The third seated woman wears a bright red wrap and a dark hat. A bit behind these women, a fourth stands looking toward them or the water. She also wears a long white dress under a vivid red jacket and a small brown cap. She holds her skirt with one hand and touches her hat with another gloved hand. Another loosely painted form farther back along the beach appears to be a woman wearing black and holding a white parasol. The artist signed and dated the painting with the location in the bottom right corner: “W. H. 1874 East Hampton L. I.”
Winslow Homer, East Hampton Beach, Long Island, 1874, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 2012.89.2

Chris Abanavas

[email protected]

(202) 842-6358

“Across the Nation” enables Americans throughout the country to experience masterpieces from the national collection at their local museums
 

Washington, DC—Today, the National Gallery of Art announces details of its “Across the Nation” partnership program bringing key works of art from its permanent collection to regional museums across the United States in 2025 and 2026. Through “Across the Nation,” the National Gallery has lent works of art by renowned artists from its collection—including Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Dorothea Lange, Sandro Botticelli, Rembrandt van Rijn, Henri Matisse, and Mark Rothko—to 10 partner museums in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Utah, and Washington. This program creates unprecedented access to the nation’s masterworks by placing them directly in communities throughout the country. “Across the Nation” is part of the National Gallery’s programming commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America in 2026.

Partner institutions have each selected between one and ten artworks on loan—spanning painting, photography, and installation—from the National Gallery’s collection. Partners include Anchorage Museum (Anchorage, AK), Boise Art Museum (Boise, ID), Denver Art Museum (Denver, CO), Figge Art Museum (Davenport, IA), Flint Institute of Arts (Flint, MI), Mint Museum (Charlotte, NC),  New Britain Museum of Art (New Britain, CT), Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (Salt Lake City, UT), and Whatcom Museum (Bellingham, WA). The Nevada Museum of Art (Reno, NV) is presenting an iteration of the National Gallery’s 2023–2024 exhibition Dorothea Lange: Seeing People. All “Across the Nation” presentations will be on view by May 2025, with several presentations on view now.

Partner institutions were selected to broaden access to the nation’s art collection in as many regions of the United States as possible. The lending program—including expenses associated with the transport and installation of the artworks—is supported by the National Gallery, with minimal to no cost for partner institutions. The National Gallery is also providing additional support by way of conservation services and training, as well as marketing. Marketing campaigns within the museums’ local communities are underwritten as part of the program, creating greater awareness for the program, and the National Gallery is collaborating with partners to develop and execute digital and educational programming pegged to their “Across the Nation” presentations in 2025–2026.

“‘Across the Nation’ is the manifestation of the National Gallery’s vision as the nation’s art museum, and we are so thrilled to bring some of the most beloved works from the nation’s collection of art directly into communities across the country,” said Kaywin Feldman, director of the National Gallery of Art.

For their “Across the Nation” presentations, partner museums selected works from the National Gallery’s collection that bring new perspectives to their own installations and complement public programs and interests of their respective communities. Loans include:

  • On view now, the Anchorage Museum (Anchorage, AK) is exhibiting paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe, Mark Rothko, and Nancy Graves.
  • On view now, Denver Art Museum (Denver, CO) is presenting a painting by Rembrandt van Rijn alongside a portrait of Rembrandt painted by his studio, both from the National Gallery’s collection, offering a new perspective on the artist.
  • On view now, the Whatcom Museum (Bellingham, WA) features works by leaders of the impressionist movement, including Henri Matisse, Auguste Renoir, and Paul Cezanne.
  • On view now, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (Salt Lake City, UT) presents a large-scale wall drawing by Sol Lewitt—marking the second time the work has ever been on view.
  • Opening in April, Boise Art Museum (Boise, ID) will exhibit paintings by Mark Rothko, Berthe Morisot, and Thomas Eakins.
  • Opening in April, the Flint Institute of Arts (Flint, MI) will exhibit three paintings spanning the breadth of art history by Sandro Botticelli, Hans Memling, and Andy Warhol.
  • Opening in April, the Mint Museum (Charlotte, NC) will exhibit three paintings by Alma Thomas, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Edgar Degas.
  • Opening in April, the Nevada Museum of Art (Reno, NV) will present a new iteration of the exhibition Dorothea Lange: Seeing People, which was organized and curated by the National Gallery, where it was originally exhibited in 2023–2024. The exhibition will be on view in Nevada through February 2026.
  • Opening in May, the Figge Art Museum (Davenport, IA) will exhibit 10 historical masterworks from Northern Europe dating from 1537 to 1700, by artists including Lucas Cranach the Elder, Anthony van Dyck, Frans Hals, and Louis Vallée.
  • Opening in May, the New Britain Museum of Art (New Britain, CT), will present a historical painting by Robert Duncanson and a painting by Winslow Homer.

About the National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art welcomes all people to explore art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Nearly four million people come through its doors each year—with millions more online—making it one of the most visited art museums in the world. The National Gallery's renowned collection includes nearly 160,000 works of art, from the ancient world to today. Admission to the West and East Buildings, Sculpture Garden, special exhibitions, and public programs is always free.

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