WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The National Gallery of Art was created in 1937 for the people of the United States of America by a joint resolution of Congress, accepting the gift of financier and art collector Andrew W. Mellon. During the 1920s, Mr. Mellon began collecting with the intention of forming a gallery of art for the nation in Washington. In 1937, the year of his death, he promised his collection to the United States. Funds for the construction of the West Building were provided by The A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust. On March 17, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the completed building and the collections on behalf of the people of the United States of America. http://www.nga.gov/press en-us ℗ & © 2008 National Gallery of Art (Update to October 14, 2011 News Release)—Following a two-year renovation, the galleries devoted to impressionism and post-impressionism in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art reopen to the public on January 28, 2012. Among the greatest collections in the world of paintings by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin, the Gallery's later 19th-century French paintings will return to public view in a freshly conceived installation design. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/french_reopen.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/french_reopen.shtm Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST The National Gallery of Art will celebrate the reopening of its galleries devoted to 19th-century French impressionist and post-impressionist painting with an array of public programs throughout the opening weekend of January 28–29, 2012, and later. Located on the Main Floor of the West Building, the galleries will reopen to the public on January 28, following a two-year renovation. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/french_reopen_related.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/french_reopen_related.shtm Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) was the greatest draftsman of the 20th century, exploring every technique from a single line to explosions of color. Through some 60 works, "Picasso's Drawings, 1890–1921: Reinventing Tradition" presents the dazzling development of the artist as a draftsman during the first 30 years of his career, from the precocious academic exercises of his youth to his radical innovations of cubism and collage. On view at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from January 29 through May 6, 2012, the exhibition includes many of Picasso's finest drawings, watercolors, and pastels, borrowed from American and European public and private collections—including the Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte—and seven drawings from the Gallery's collection of 278 works by Picasso. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3201/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3201/index.shtm Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:10:00 EST An exhibition at the National Gallery of Art will showcase its rich holdings of works on paper by the Italian baroque master Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (1609–1664), as well as works by his contemporaries and followers. On view in the Gallery's West Building from January 29 to July 8, 2012, "The Baroque Genius of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione" suggests, for the first time, the complex sources of his style such as Rembrandt van Rijn and Claude Lorrain, as well as its importance for later artists, from Giambattista Piranesi and the Tiepolo family to Antoine Watteau and François Boucher. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3497/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3497/index.shtm Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:10:00 EST To celebrate African American History Month, the National Gallery of Art presents an array of offerings honoring this rich and diverse cultural legacy. On February 12, Professor David C. Driskell participates in a discussion with curator Ruth Fine, addressing for the first time his role as a collector, and on February 26, collectors and former National Basketball Association players Elliot Perry and Darrell Walker will appear in conversation with Michael D. Harris, Atlanta-based artist, professor, scholar, and curator. The following week, on March 4, the Gallery will host a lecture by Bridget R. Cooks, associate professor of art history and African American Studies, University of California, Irvine, followed by a book signing of her new publication "Exhibiting Blackness: African Americans and the American Art Museum." http://www.nga.gov/press/2012/aahm_2012.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2012/aahm_2012.shtm Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST As 2012 opens, the National Gallery of Art welcomes an impressive group of noted authors and scholars to the podium. Four book signings, two symposia, a public conference, the annual Elson Lecture, and the 61st A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts round out the season. http://www.nga.gov/press/2012/lecture_2012_jan_mar.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2012/lecture_2012_jan_mar.shtm Mon, 9 Jan 2012 12:50:00 EST The winter season opens with an exceptional array of international films and explores a broad spectrum of historic and contemporary cinema. Included this season are a variety of classic and recent films, new restorations, experimental works, and documentary features. http://www.nga.gov/press/2012/film_winter.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2012/film_winter.shtm Fri, 6 Jan 2012 11:26:00 EST This winter the National Gallery of Art celebrates the New Year with a wide selection of family programs, including the ever-popular Film Program for Children and Teens. http://www.nga.gov/press/2012/film_children_winter.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2012/film_children_winter.shtm Fri, 6 Jan 2012 11:26:00 EST "Helen made groundbreaking contributions to the development of modern art in the United States. Pouring and brushing paint onto large swaths of canvas, she achieved an expansive lyricism that inspired many artists and yet remained uniquely her own. Her masterpiece, 'Mountains and Sea,' has long been on view at the National Gallery of Art," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. "Also, the Gallery celebrated her distinctive experiments on paper in our 1993 exhibition 'Helen Frankenthaler: Prints.'" http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/frankenthaler.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/frankenthaler.shtm Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:40:00 EST Washington, DC—The National Gallery of Art presents a special installation of three of Mark Rothko's paintings made for the so-called Seagram Mural Project, timed to coincide with the presentation of John Logan's play "Red" at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater (January 20 to March 4), which dramatizes Rothko's struggle with the commission. "Mark Rothko: Seagram Murals" is on view in the Concourse galleries of the East Building from December 6, 2011, through August 15, 2012. These works became part of the Gallery's collection in the mid-1980s, as part of a vast gift of works from the Mark Rothko Foundation (now closed), making the Gallery the largest public repository of the artist's work. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/rothko.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/rotho.shtm Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST This spring, the National Gallery of Art Cherry Blossom Music Festival celebrates the exhibition "Colorful Realm: Japanese Bird-And-Flower Paintings by Itō Jakuchū (1716–1800)," on view from March 30 through April 29, 2012, as well as the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs from March 20 through April 27, 2012. This year marks the centennial of Japan's gift of 3,000 cherry trees to the nation's capital. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/concerts_jakuchu.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/concerts_jakuchu.shtm Fri, 9 Dec 2011 13:05:00 EST The National Gallery of Art celebrates the holiday season throughout the month of December with festive decorations and an array of free programs including concerts, caroling, gallery talks, and a film. All programs are free and available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden ice rink offers skaters of all ages an opportunity to enjoy the holiday season on the ice, surrounded by large-scale sculpture, while the Gallery Shops feature art-inspired holiday gift bags and wrapping supplies, seasonal gift cards, holiday books, and gifts for the home and family, including the elegant 2011 National Gallery of Art holiday ornament, recreated in 24-karat gold electroplate. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/holiday_2011.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/holiday_2011.shtm Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EST The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden's 2011–2012 ice-skating season will begin November 18 and continue through March 11, weather permitting. A wide variety of skating classes will be offered for all ages. Located on the National Mall between 7th and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue NW, the ice rink is a favorite destination, attracting thousands of visitors to skate in the nation's capital. The ice rink is managed by Guest Services, Inc. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/skating.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/skating.shtm Tue, 8 Nov 2011 17:11:00 EST The artist Christo presented the National Gallery of Art with two original preparatory collages for "Over The River," both dating from 2010, for the Gallery's permanent collection. The gifts were unveiled during a press conference on November 8, 2011, with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, a day after Interior's Bureau of Land Management officially approved "Over The River," a project for the Arkansas River in Colorado that Christo developed with his late wife and collaborator, Jeanne-Claude. The collages are on view with four earlier related works by Christo in the lobby of the East Building Auditorium through January 23, 2012. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/acqu_christo.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/acqu_christo.shtm Tue, 8 Nov 2011 09:55:00 EST Mel Bochner's renowned innovations in conceptual art come to life in the words he paints on canvas. On view at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from November 6, 2011, through April 8, 2012, "In the Tower: Mel Bochner" presents 43 thesaurus-inspired works from the last 45 years, including many new and unseen works from his studio. The exhibition provides a compelling view of Bochner's early and recent work—of the young as well as the mature artist. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3432/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3432/index.shtm Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:53:00 EST Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi, known as Antico (c. 1455–1528), transformed the art of bronze sculpture. His contributions are celebrated in "Antico: The Golden Age of Renaissance Bronzes," the first monographic exhibition in the United States devoted to the Italian sculptor and goldsmith. On view at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from November 6, 2011, through April 8, 2012, the exhibition includes some 40 rare works—medals, reliefs, busts, and Antico's renowned statuettes—more than three-quarters of the sculptor's known works. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3241/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3241/index.shtm Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:53:00 EST This fall the National Gallery of Art offers an array of family activities, including a talk and children's book signing for "Belle: The Amazing, Astonishingly Magical Journey of an Artfully Painted Lady." The popular Film Program for Children and Teens also returns in October, November, and December with films from the United States as well as Belgium, France, and Canada. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/films_fall_family.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/films_fall_family.shtm Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:35:00 EST Following a two-year renovation, the galleries devoted to impressionism and post-impressionism in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art will reopen to the public on January 29, 2012. Among the greatest collections in the world of paintings by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin, the Gallery's later 19th-century French paintings will return to public view in a freshly conceived installation design. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/french_reopen.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/french_reopen.shtm Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:35:00 EST As Washington welcomes the fall season, Chef Fabio Trabocchi of the Penn Quarter restaurant Fiola has added robust new dishes to the National Gallery of Art Garden Café menu inspired by harvest ingredients and an impressive exhibition of Italian works—"Italian Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, 1525–1835," on view through November 27, 2011. Chef Trabocchi first created signature Italian dishes for the Garden Café Italia menu in honor of "Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals" (February 20–May 30, 2011), and revised the menu once before with lighter summertime offerings in honor of Italian Master Drawings. Chef Trabocchi's Garden Café Italia menu, consisting of a buffet as well as à la carte dishes, is also inspired by Italian masterpieces in the Gallery's renowned permanent collection. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/cafe_italia_fall.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/cafe_italia_fall.shtm Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:12:00 EST The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (CASVA) at the National Gallery of Art has announced the appointments of members for 2011–2012. They include Julian Gardner, University of Warwick (emeritus), as Samuel H. Kress Professor; Carmen C. Bambach, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, who continues as Andrew W. Mellon Professor for 2010–2012; and Marc Fumaroli, Collège de France, and Jacqueline Lichtenstein, Université Paris–Sorbonne, as Edmond J. Safra Visiting Professors for fall 2011. Craig Clunas, University of Oxford, has been named the 61st A. W. Mellon Lecturer in the Fine Arts for spring 2012. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/casva_2011_2012.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/casva_2011_2012.shtm Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:18:00 EST In honor of "Harry Callahan at 100," the Callahan family—including the artist's wife, Eleanor, and daughter, Barbara—has given the Gallery an extraordinary gift of 45 of his photographs, 34 of which are included in the exhibition. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/acqu_callahan.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/acqu_callahan.shtm Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:58:00 EST When George Bellows died at the age of forty-two in 1925, he was hailed as one of the greatest artists America had yet produced. In 2012, the National Gallery of Art will present the first comprehensive exhibition of Bellows' career in more than three decades. Including some 140 paintings, drawings, and lithographs, "George Bellows (1882–1925)" will then travel to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, November 14, 2012, through February 18, 2013, and close at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, March 16 through June 9, 2013. The accompanying catalogue will document and define Bellows' unique place in the history of American art and in the annals of modernism. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/2835/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/2835/index.shtm Fri, 30 Sep 2011 08:15:00 EST The fall film season at the National Gallery of Art begins in October with a screening of "Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child" in conjunction with the "Warhol: Headlines" exhibition, on view at the Gallery from September 25, 2011, through January 2, 1012. Five documentaries profiling Warhol contemporaries, along with the film series Andy Warhol, also celebrate the exhibition. In November, musicians Dean and Britta (Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips) will present the Washington premiere of their multimedia performance "13 Most Beautiful… Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests." http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/films_fall_2011.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/films_fall_2011.shtm Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:18:00 EST A newly expanded version of the Gemini G.E.L. (Graphic Editions Limited) Online Catalogue Raisonné introduces 333 works produced by the acclaimed Los Angeles print and sculpture workshop between early 1997 and late 2005. The online catalogue now represents 2,069 editions, recording Gemini's creative activity from its 1966 inception through 2005. Since 1981, the National Gallery of Art has been home to the Gemini G.E.L. Archive, which represents an example of virtually every print and edition sculpture produced by this important workshop. The Gallery's holdings of Gemini works are a cornerstone of its contemporary graphic art collection. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/wotm.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/wotm.shtm Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST The year 2012 marks the centenary of the birth of Harry Callahan (1912–1999), whose highly experimental, visually daring, and elegant photographs made him one of the most innovative artists of the 20th century. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3354/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3354/index.shtm Fri, 9 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EST One of Japan's most renowned cultural treasures will come to Washington, DC, in celebration of the centennial of Japan's gift of 3,000 cherry trees to the nation's capital. Entitled "Colorful Realm of Living Beings" (J. Dōshoku sai-e; c. 1757–1766), this 30-scroll set of bird-and-flower paintings on silk is the centerpiece of the landmark exhibition "Colorful Realm: Japanese Bird-and-Flower Paintings by Itō Jakuchū (1716–1800)," on view at the National Gallery of Art's West Building from March 30 through April 29, 2012. Exhibited for four weeks only (owing to their fragility), these works will be in Washington during the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs from March 20 through April 27, 2012. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3234/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3234/index.shtm Thur, 8 Sep 2011 19:00:00 EST The National Gallery of Art presents its 70th season of the longest-running free Sunday concert series in the nation's capital from September 18, 2011, through June 24, 2012. The fall season's offerings include a radio broadcast of "From the Top with Christopher O'Riley" from the Gallery's East Building Auditorium, a festival honoring the 170th birthday of Czech composer Antonin Dvořák ("Mutual Inspirations"), five concerts celebrating Gallery exhibitions, a presentation of three concerts from the Gallery's cycle of the complete Beethoven String Quartets, and four concerts noting the 200th birthday of Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. The Gallery celebrates the holiday season this year with two concerts,and continues the tradition of holiday caroling in the West Building Rotunda with performances by choirs from Washington, DC, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/concerts_fall_2011.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/concerts_fall_2011.shtm Fri, 2 Sep 2011 15:30:00 EST An array of public programs arrive on the National Mall this fall in celebration of artist Andy Warhol (1928–1987), who radically shifted traditional boundaries between fine art and popular culture. "Warhol On the Mall" is a joint celebration on the occasion of two exhibitions: "Warhol: Headlines," at the National Gallery of Art, Washington (September 25, 2011–January 2, 2012) and "Andy Warhol: Shadows" at the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (September 25, 2011–January 15, 2012). http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/wotm.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/wotm.shtm Tue, 29 Aug 2011 06:42:00 EST This fall, the National Gallery of Art offers an extensive array of public lecture programs featuring a distinguished group of notable authors, artists, and scholars. Rounding out the season are two public symposia, five book signings, a Diamonstein-Spielvogel Lecture, the Sydney J. Freedberg Lecture on Italian Art, and a panel discussion. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/lectures_fall_2011.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/lectures_fall_2011.shtm Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:30:00 EST Jonathan Bober has joined the National Gallery of Art, Washington, as curator and head of the department of old master prints. He succeeds Peter Parshall, who headed the department from 1999 until his retirement in 2010. One of Bober's first undertakings will be organizing an exhibition from the Gallery's collection to explore the graphic work of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione. The exhibition will focus on the complex origins of Castiglione's graphic oeuvre, including the etchings of Rembrandt, and his critical influence on later masters ranging from François Boucher to Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/bober.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/bober.shtm Thu, 4 Aug 2011 11:42:00 EST The Pastrana Tapestries—among the finest Gothic tapestries in the world—will be on view together for the first time in the United States at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from September 18, 2011 through January 8, 2012. "The Invention of Glory: Afonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries" will feature the recently restored set of four monumental tapestries that commemorate the conquest of two strategically located cities in Morocco by the king of Portugal, Afonso V (1432–1481). http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3344/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3344/index.shtm Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:20:00 EST The National Gallery of Art welcomed 13 graduate students and recent bachelor's degree recipients to participate in its 2011 summer internship program. The summer interns this year are also joined by two volunteer interns and a Culturex Fellow funded by the Ministry of Culture, Spain. The international group was selected through a competitive process. The nine-week internships began on Monday, June 13, and continue through Friday, August 12. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/interns_summer_2011.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/interns_summer_2011.shtm Fri, 1 Jul 2011 10:53:00 EST The summer film program at the National Gallery of Art opens in July with a cinematic portrait of late artist Louise Bourgeois, the inspirational French-American sculptor, in Marion Cajori and Amei Wallach's "Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress, and the Tangerine." This is one of several film series this season to highlight international cinema. Beginning on July 9, the Gallery's annual preservation series, "From Vault to Screen: New Preservation from France," salutes the national film archive of France with several ciné-concerts that feature live musical accompaniment to a variety of silent French films. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/films_summer_2011_cinema.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/films_summer_2011_cinema.shtm Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:01:00 EST The renowned painting "Gallery of the Louvre" (1831–1833) by American inventor Samuel F. B. Morse (1791–1872) has been recently conserved and will be on view in a focus exhibition at the National Gallery of Art near the East Garden Court of the West Building. On loan from the Terra Foundation for American Art from June 25, 2011, through July 8, 2012, the painting depicts masterpieces from the Louvre's collection that Morse "reinstalled" in one of that museum's grandest galleries, the Salon Carré. "A New Look: Samuel F. B. Morse's 'Gallery of the Louvre'" was previously on view at Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut, from March 1 through June 12, 2011. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3404/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3404/index.shtm Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EST As summer arrives in Washington, Chef Fabio Trabocchi of the Penn Quarter restaurant Fiola has revamped the National Gallery of Art Garden Café menu with lighter options inspired by a stellar exhibition of Italian drawings—"Italian Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, 1525–1835," on view through November 27, 2011. Chef Trabocchi first created signature Italian dishes for the Garden Café Italia menu in honor of "Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals" (February 20–May 30, 2011), and will revise the menu once again in the fall to celebrate "Antico: The Golden Age of Renaissance Bronzes" (November 6, 2011–April 8, 2012). Chef Trabocchi's Garden Café Italia menu, consisting of a buffet as well as à la carte dishes, is also inspired by Italian masterpieces belonging to the Gallery's renowned permanent collection. . http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/cafe_italia_summer.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/cafe_italia_summer.shtm Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:20:00 EST The National Gallery of Art welcomes the summer season with a variety of programs for children and young adults, including its popular Film Program for Children and Teens in July and August. Admission is free of charge. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/films_summer_2011.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/films_summer_2011.shtm Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:50:00 EST The famed "Capitoline Venus," one of the best-preserved sculptures to survive from Roman antiquity, will be officially presented in the grand West Building Rotunda of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, when the Mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno inaugurates in on June 8; it remains on view until September 5. Due to an early installation, visitors to the Gallery will be able to see "A Masterpiece from the Capitoline Museum, Rome" beginning June 4. The "Capitoline Venus," which measures approximately six feet six inches in height, derives from the celebrated "Aphrodite of Cnidos" created by the renowned classical Greek sculptor Praxiteles around 360 BC. It has only left Rome on one other occasion—when Napoleon seized it in 1797 (it was returned in 1816). http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/venus.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/venus.shtm Fri, 3 Jun 2011 14:05:00 EST "Declaration of Independence: The Stone Copy" presents one of only 31 existing copies of the "Stone" facsimile of the historic document in the American galleries of the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, May 28 through September 5, 2011. On loan from David M. Rubenstein, it is installed near American painter Gilbert Stuart's portraits of Declaration of Independence signers John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/doi.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/doi.shtm Fri, 27 May 2011 16:10:00 EST The National Gallery of Art welcomes summer with lectures by distinguished guest lecturers, as well as Gallery staff and experts. Highlights of the season include three guest lectures and an Italian-themed summer lecture series. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/lectures_summer_2011.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/lectures_summer_2011.shtm Mon, 23 May 2011 10:32:00 EST At its annual meeting in April, the Collectors Committee of the National Gallery of Art made possible the acquisition of "Great America" (1994) by Kerry James Marshall (b. 1955). Now on view in the East Building's Concourse galleries, it is the Gallery's first painting by this major midcareer artist. Marshall, a devoted student of the human figure and the history of art, draws upon the experience of African Americans to create imposing, contemporary history paintings. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/marshall.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/marshall.shtm Fri, 13 May 2011 10:52:00 EST The "Jazz in the Garden+ concert series, the National Gallery of Art's beloved summer tradition, begins its 11th season on Friday, May 27, with weekly performances through Friday, September 9. The free concert series features an array of jazz artists performing a wide variety of styles—including salsa, blusion, vibraphone, and Afrofunk—every Friday evening from 5:00 to 8:30 at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, rain or shine. Mark Prince's performance on June 3 also marks the fifth year of Jazz in the Garden's collaboration with the DC Jazz Festival. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/jazz_garden_2011.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/jazz_garden_2011.shtm Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:12:00 EST Joan Miró's (1893–1983) affection for his native Catalonia and his passionate response to one of the most turbulent periods in European history will be examined in the first exhibition of the artist's work at the National Gallery of Art, Washington. On view in the East Building from May 6 to August 12, 2012, "Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape" will bring together some 80 paintings, works on paper, and sculptures drawn from his entire career. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3275/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3275/index.shtm Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:51:00 EST Splendors of Italian draftsmanship from the late Renaissance to the height of the neoclassical movement in the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection will be showcased at the National Gallery of Art, Washington. On view in the Gallery's West Building from May 8 to November 27, 2011, "Italian Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection: 1525–1835" will include 65 stunning Italian compositions and study sheets by the most important artists of the period, from Giulio Romano and Pellegrino Tibaldi to Canaletto, all three members of the Tiepolo family, and Giovanni Battista Piranesi. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3253/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3253/index.shtm Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:46:00 EST The astonishing dexterity and passion for detail of American printmaker John Taylor Arms (1887–1953) is revealed in the first exhibition of his works at the National Gallery of Art, Washington. On view in the West Building from May 8 to November 27, 2011, "The Gothic Spirit of John Taylor Arms" features some 60 prints, drawings, and copperplates that span the artist's career, from his early New York series to his finest images of cathedrals. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3081/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3081/index.shtm Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:46:00 EST At its annual meeting in April, the Collectors Committee of the National Gallery of Art made possible the acquisition of "Great America" (1994) by Kerry James Marshall (b. 1955)—the Gallery's first painting by the midcareer African American artist—and "Knight's Heritage" (1963), a sculpture by Anne Truitt (1921–2004). Both works will be on view beginning May 1 in the East Building's Concourse galleries. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/cc_2011.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/cc_2011.shtm Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST The legacy of Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) extends to the National Gallery of Art, which has in its permanent collection a bronze bust of the composer, sculpted and cast in 1909 by Auguste Rodin. Gallery talks and lectures on the subject of this sculpture and related art, a film, and a concert are scheduled for spring 2011, commemorating Mahler's death on May 18, 1911. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/mahler.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/mahler.shtm Fri, 8 Apr 2011 13:12:00 EST After a thorough examination, conservators from the National Gallery of Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art report that the painting "Two Tahitian Women" by Paul Gauguin sustained no damage. It will go back on public view on Tuesday morning, April 5. The Gallery is open free of charge, Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/gauguin.shtm#update http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/gauguin.shtm#update Mon, 4 Apr 2011 11:12:00 EST At approximately 4:45 pm on Friday, April 1, a woman hit the plexiglass covering the painting "Two Tahitian Women" (1899) by Paul Gauguin and attempted to pull it from the wall in the exhibition currently on view, "Gauguin: Maker of Myth." Initial examination indicates that the painting has not suffered any damage. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/gauguin.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/gauguin.shtm Mon, 4 Apr 2011 11:12:00 EST The spring film season begins in April with the series Richard Dindo: Artists, Writers, and Rebels, from the renowned Swiss director's works focusing on infamous cultural icons. One of Dindo's documentaries features painter and sculptor Paul Gauguin in conjunction with the "Gauguin: Maker of Myth" exhibition, on view at the Gallery from February 27 through June 5, 2011. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/films_spring_2011.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/films_spring_2011.shtm Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:40:00 EST In the first monographic exhibition of Gabriel Metsu's work in the United States, 33 paintings reveal the artist's extraordinary ability to capture ordinary moments of 17th-century Dutch life with spontaneity and unerring realism. On view in the East Building of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from April 10 through July 24, 2011, "Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667)" includes 14 paintings that have never been on view in the U.S. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3116/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3116/index.shtm Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:39:00 EST Upcoming, current, and touring exhibitions. http://www.nga.gov/press/schedule/aes.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/schedule/aes.shtm Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:39:00 EST Mary Beard, professor of classics, University of Cambridge, will present the Sixtieth A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts series, entitled "The Twelve Caesars: Images of Power from Ancient Rome to Salvador Dali," this spring at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/lectures_mellon.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/lectures_mellon.shtm Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:50:00 EST The National Gallery of Art, Washington, recently acquired American painter Thomas Moran's "Green River Cliffs, Wyoming," 1881, a gift of the Milligan and Thomson Families. It was ten years after his first trip west in 1871 that Moran completed the most stunning of all his Green River paintings. The dramatic landscape is presented in a special installation on the main floor of the West Building from March 4 through June 26, 2011. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/moran.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/moran.shtm Fri, 4 Mar 2011 16:26:00 EST Lewis Baltz' black-and-white series of photographs called Prototypes will be featured at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from March 20 through July 31, 2011, in the West Building. "Lewis Baltz: Prototypes/Ronde de Nuit" includes some 60 works that question the transformation of the postwar industrial landscape of America. The exhibition also includes works by Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt, and Richard Serra--artists who inspired Baltz--as well as Baltz' remarkable 12-panel color mural Ronde de Nuit (1991-1992). http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3286/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3286/index.shtm Thu, 3 Mar 2011 16:47:00 EST A new exhibition featuring 20 works by groundbreaking contemporary artist Nam June Paik (1932-2006) will be on view March 13 through October 2, 2011, in the East Building of the National Gallery of Art. "In the Tower: Nam June Paik" is the third in a series of shows installed in the Tower Gallery that centers on developments in art since midcentury. The Paik exhibition is presented in two galleries and includes closed-circuit video works, a variety of previously unseen works on paper, and a short film about the artist. The centerpiece of the show, "One Candle, Candle Projection" (1988-2000), receives its most ambitious installation ever, taking full advantage of the vaulting, self-contained space of the I.M. Pei-designed tower. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3376/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3376/index.shtm Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:27:00 EST The National Gallery of Art has long been a favorite place to impress a date, offering strolls through the galleries, free films and concerts, cozy dining in the picturesque Garden Cafe, even ice skating at the Gallery's Sculpture Garden Ice Rink. This February, in celebration of Valentine's Day and coinciding with Destination DC's second annual "Date Nights DC: A 28-Day Stimulus Plan for Love and Relationships" program (www.datenightsdc.org), the Gallery has an inviting array of perfectly artful ways for couples to spend time with each other. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/date_night_dc.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/date_night_dc.shtm Tue, 8 Feb 2011 16:23:00 EST In honor of the exhibitions "Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals" (February 20-May 30, 2011) and "Italian Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection," 1525-1835 (May 8-November 27, 2011), Chef Fabio Trabocchi is transforming the menu in the Garden Cafe from February 11, 2011, to March 20, 2012, with signature Italian dishes. Chef Trabocchi has returned from New York to DC to open the highly anticipated restaurant Fiola in Penn Quarter, scheduled to debut this spring. In creating the Garden Cafe Italia menu, he has also looked to the Gallery's renowned collection of Italian masterpieces for inspiration. Offered as a buffet as well as à la carte, dishes will change seasonally. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/cafe_italia.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/cafe_italia.shtm Mon, 7 Feb 2011 15:25:00 EST To celebrate African American History Month, the National Gallery of Art presents an array of offerings honoring this rich and diverse cultural legacy during the month of February. On February 13, film director Charles Burnett will introduce a screening of his acclaimed 1977 film, "Killer of Sheep." This film will be preceded by his 1995 short, "When It Rains." As part of the Gallery's popular Sunday night concert series, violist Marcus Thompson and pianist Judith Gordon will perform music by J.S. Bach, Schumann, James Lee III, and Enescu on February 13, while pianist William Chapman Nyaho will perform music of the African diaspora on February 16. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/afram_hist.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/afram_hist.shtm Mon, 7 Feb 2011 15:25:00 EST Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in the West Building, West Garden Court unless otherwise indicated. Please enter at 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Concerts are free of charge with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/concerts_feb_jun.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/concerts_feb_jun.shtm Mon, 7 Feb 2011 15:25:00 EST The National Gallery of Art's holdings of works by Edgar Degas (1834-1917) include the world's greatest collection of the artist's lifetime sculptures, which is the focus of a new publication: "Edgar Degas Sculpture." The 19th volume in the Gallery's Systematic Catalogue of the permanent collections, this lavishly illustrated book presents the Gallery's unique collection. In 1956, the American collector Paul Mellon purchased the entire group of original Degas sculptures and gave the lion's share to the National Gallery of Art between 1985 and 1999. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/degas.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/degas.shtm Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:15:00 EST As 2011 begins, the National Gallery of Art lecture program welcomes a distinguished group of artists and scholars to the podium. Two symposia, the 60th A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts, the annual Elson Lecture, and five book signings highlight the season. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/lectures_jan_jun.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/lectures_jan_jun.shtm Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:23:00 EST The planned removal and reinstallation of the marble veneer of the 33-year-old East Building of the National Gallery of Art will begin in early March 2011; the project is expected to be completed by spring 2014. While the East Building will remain open to the public during the entire period, the project will necessitate the following developments: http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/facade.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/facade.shtm Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:05:00 EST The National Gallery is now offering audio tours of its renowned permanent collection for adults and children on new equipment with color screens and high-quality sound--free of charge for the first time in the Gallery's history. The Director's Tour for adults features Gallery experts insights into the collections many masterpieces. Highlights of this tour are offered in a variety of languages. Last summer, the Gallery also introduced a childrens audio tour designed especially for ages 7-12, exploring 50 paintings in the West Building. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/tours_audio.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/tours_audio.shtm Thu, 13 Jan 2011 13:43:00 EST One of the oldest surviving gondolas from Venice is now on view on the mezzanine of the East Building at the National Gallery of Art, Washington. It will complement the exhibition "Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals," on view from February 20 through May 30, 2011. The gondola dates from the mid-19th century and was once owned by American painter Thomas Moran (1837-1926). On loan from The Mariners' Museum, Newport News, Virginia, the gondola measures 37 feet long by 5 feet wide. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/2866/gondola.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/2866/gondola.shtm Fri, 7 Jan 2011 16:51:00 EST The National Gallery of Art Film Program for Children and Teens will kick off the new year with an assortment of films including animation, live action, and historical classics. This unique program will present films from the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Norway, promising exciting adventures and charming food stories, including the tale of two bakers competing to win the World's Greatest Cake Contest in the acclaimed "Crema Suprema". Young audiences will also learn how Francisco de Goya drew inspiration from the world around him. http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/film_children_winter_2011.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2011/film_children_winter_2011.shtm Wed, 5 Jan 2011 10:06:00 EST The winter season opens with a diverse and exceptional array of international films, Washington premieres, and special events including two series focusing on classic and midcentury cinema of Italy. In conjunction with the exhibition "Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals" (February 20-May 30), "Neorealismo 1941-1954: Days of Glory" is dedicated to directors who crafted moving image art out of the turmoil of postwar Italy. "Remembering Risorigimento," celebrating the 150th anniversary of the 19th century Italian reunification movement, includes a recently restored 35 mm print of Visconti's Il "Gattopardo (The Leopard)", courtesy of The Film Foundation and Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia-Cineteca Nazionale. http://www.nga.gov/press/2010/film_2011.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2010/film_2011.shtm Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:19:00 EST Paul Gauguin's (1848-1903) sumptuous, colorful images of Brittany and the islands of the South Seas, some of the most beloved in modern art, are among 100 works by the artist in the first major exhibition of his career in the United States in some 20 years. On view from February 27 through June 5, 2011, at the National Gallery of Art, Washington--the sole U.S. venue--the exhibition "Gauguin: Maker of Myth", along with its accompanying catalogue, examines the role that myth-making played in Gauguin's art, shedding new light on his life and career. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3011/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3011/index.shtm Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:26:00 EST The National Gallery of Art welcomes the Allen Memorial Art Museum of Oberlin College's Saint Sebastian Tended by Irene (1625) by Hendrick ter Brugghen. The painting will be the focal point of "Larger Than Life: Ter Brugghen's Saint Sebastian Tended by Irene," a focus installation celebrating two of Ter Brugghen's most luminous and lyrical compositions, on view from January 21 through May 15, 2011. It comes to the Gallery after being on view at The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, from September 11, 2010 to January 16, 2011. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3367/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3367/index.shtm Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:26:00 EST The National Gallery of Art, Washington, will present 20 of Canaletto's finest paintings of Venice with 33 by his most important contemporaries, including Gaspar Vanvitelli, Luca Carlevarijs, Michele Marieschi, Bernardo Bellotto, and Francesco Guardi, in "Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals", on view from February 20 through May 30, 2011, in the East Building. These dazzling cityscapes represent the best view painters of Venice--each responding to the city in his own way, and each competing in a market driven largely by the British Grand Tour, at its height during the 18th century. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/2866/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/2866/index.shtm Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:29:00 EST The first exhibition to examine works that Andy Warhol created on the theme of news headlines will premiere at the National Gallery of Art, Washington. On view from September 25, 2011, to January 2, 2012, "WARHOL: HEADLINES" will define and bring together works the artist based largely on the tabloid news, demonstrating his career-long obsession with the sensational side of contemporary news media. Source materials for the art will be presented for comparison, revealing Warhol's role as both editor and author. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/2870/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/2870/index.shtm Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:47:00 EST The first exhibition to explore the rich dialogue between Victorian-era British photography and Pre-Raphaelite painting showcases how these parallel artistic phenomena informed and inspired one another. The Pre-Raphaelite Lens: British Photography and Painting, 1848-1875 includes some 100 photographs and 20 paintings and watercolors by leading artists such as Julia Margaret Cameron, Lewis Carroll, John Everett Millais, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. On view at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, West Building, from October 31, 2010 through January 30, 2011, the exhibition chronicles the roles photography and Pre-Raphaelite art played in changing concepts of vision and truth in representation in the Victorian era. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/2874/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/2874/index.shtm Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:09:00 EST The bizarre yet scientifically accurate composite heads painted by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526-1593) will be exhibited together for the first time in the United States, at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from September 19, 2010 through January 9, 2011. Arcimboldo, 1526-1593: Nature and Fantasy includes 16 of the most spectacular of these paintings of heads composed of plants, animals, and other objects. They are joined by 32 additional works, such as drawings by Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer, small bronzes, illustrated books and manuscripts, and ceramics, to provide a context for Arcimboldo's inventions, revealing his debt to established traditions of physiognomic and nature studies. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3053/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3053/index.shtm Thu, 9 Sep 2010 16:20:00 EST New York investment broker Chester Dale's 1962 bequest made the National Gallery of Art one of the leading repositories in North America of French art of the late-19th and early 20th centuries. "From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection", on view in the Gallery's West Building from January 31, 2010 through July 31, 2011, will bring together 81 of the finest French and American paintings that Dale and his wife Maud, an artist and critic, assembled from the 1920s through the 1950s. http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3063/index.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3063/index.shtm Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:20:00 EST "Multiverse," the largest and most complex light sculpture created by American artist Leo Villareal (b. 1967) may now be experienced by visitors as they pass through the Concourse walkway between the East and West Buildings of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Commissioned by the Gallery and on view for one year, the work features approximately 41,000 computer-programmed LED nodes that run through channels along the entire 200-foot-long space. The development of this LED (light-emitting diode) project began three years ago and the installation created by Villareal specifically for this location began last September. http://www.nga.gov/press/2008/villareal.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2008/villareal.shtm Fri, 5 Sep 2008 12:11:00 EST (Updated December 9, 2008) New York collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, with the assistance of the National Gallery of Art, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, have launched a national gifts program entitled The Dorothy and "Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States." It is distributing 2,500 works from the Vogels' collection of contemporary art throughout the nation, with fifty works going to a selected art institution in each of the fifty states. http://www.nga.gov/press/2008/vogel50x50_a.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2008/vogel50x50_a.shtm Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:22:00 EST (Updated February 4, 2008) As part of a worldwide initiative, the National Gallery of Art is seeking information about drawings, watercolors, and paintings on paper in public and private collections by the American artist Mark Rothko (1903-1970). The National Gallery of Art is publishing a multivolume catalogue raisonné, "Mark Rothko: The Works on Paper," which will document more than 2,700 objects that are largely unknown to both art specialists and the public. Demonstrating the range of Rothko's creative achievements, these volumes will be the definitive historical record of Rothko's oeuvre on paper for decades to come. http://www.nga.gov/press/2007/rothko.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2007/rothko.shtm Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:47:00 EST British artist Andy Goldsworthy has been commissioned to create a site-specific sculpture for the National Gallery of Art's East Building. The project, "Roof," will comprise approximately nine stacked slate, low-profile hollow domes five and a half feet high and 27 feet in diameter, with centered oculi two feet in diameter. The installation will run the length of the ground-level garden area on the north side of the East Building along Pennsylvania Avenue. Goldsworthy selected the domical form, with which he has worked since the late 1970s, as a counterpoint to the many architectural domes in Washington, D.C. The artist, his assistant, and a team of five British wallers will begin installing the work on November 29, 2004, pause for the holidays, and return to finish by the beginning of February 2005. http://www.nga.gov/press/2004/releases/fall/goldsworthy.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2004/releases/fall/goldsworthy.shtm Mon, 14 Mar 2005 09:00:49 EST Four draftspeople are executing contemporary artist Sol LeWitt's "Wall Drawing #65." Lines not short, not straight, crossing and touching, drawn at random, using four colors, uniformly dispersed with maximum density, covering the entire surface of the wall (first installation 1971), on an interior wall of the concourse level galleries of the East Building, National Gallery of Art. The drawing began on Monday, May 10, and will continue through Wednesday, May 19, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in full view of the public. The work was donated to the National Gallery of Art by well-known collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel in 2001. http://www.nga.gov/press/2004/releases/spring/lewitt.shtm http://www.nga.gov/press/2004/releases/spring/lewitt.shtm Tue, 18 May 2004 10:48:05 EST