The significant gifts of the Gallery’s founding benefactors—the Mellons, Samuel Kress, the Wideners, Chester Dale, and Lessing J. Rosenwald—form the core of the collection. Many of these “gifts to the nation,” as well as the works that have entered the collection in subsequent years, have captivating histories of ownership that include monarchs, captains of industry, notable authors, and famous dealers. We will examine the ownership histories of artworks from the Gallery’s collection using readings from America's National Gallery of Art and the Gallery’s systematic catalogs.
Molli Kuenstner, lecturer
Suggested Readings
America's National Gallery of Art (PDF 7.7MB)