National Gallery of Art Library

Discover exceptional resources—from special exhibitions to collections of rare books, handmade artists’ books, and art images.

  • Hours

    Monday–Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
    Closed on federal holidays

  • Location

    National Gallery of Art East Building
    4th Street and Pennsylvania Ave NW
    Washington, DC

Library Online Catalog

Browse the online catalog of books and journal titles owned by the Library, including auction catalogs, proprietary databases, and art history resources.

Overhead view of library atrium

Make an Appointment

Appointments are recommended for first-time visitors and required for those who would like advance book retrieval.

A woman standing by windows reading a book in the library

Ask a Librarian

We welcome inquiries on a wide range of subjects supported by the Library's collections and resources available elsewhere.

Research and collections

Information for Researchers

We welcome those curious about art to use our collections. Learn more about our policies and prepare for your visit.

Rare Books

Our rare books collection comprises over 12,000 volumes of early printed books and primary source material related to the history of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present, particularly the Italian, Dutch, Flemish, French, German, Spanish, British, and American schools.

Image Collections

The library’s department of image collections is a study and research center predominantly for images of Western art and architecture and is one of the largest of its kind. Its holdings number over 16 million photographs, slides, negatives, microforms, and digital images. 

Periodicals

The library offers more than 3,000 scholarly journal titles, including over 1,000 current digital and print subscriptions to scholarly journals of art history in Western languages. A selection of current newspapers and general-interest magazines is available in the periodicals reading room.

Auction Catalogs

One of the best collections of auction catalogs in North America (more than 100,000 publications from the 18th century onward) is shelved on the Concourse level by name of the house or dealer, and up to 10 per day can be retrieved for a reader.

Vertical Files

Published documents of fewer than 50 pages—small catalogs, pamphlets, invitations, and other ephemera—are housed in the vertical files. Documenting exhibitions primarily from the mid-20th century onward, the collection offers exhibition histories and material valuable for provenance research.

A pink flower with a yellow caterpillar crawling on it.

Current Exhibition

In the Library: Recent Acquisitions, 2023–2024

See a selection of new acquisitions for the Library’s rare book collection.

Additional resources

 

Mailing address

National Gallery of Art
2000 South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785

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National Gallery of Art Archives

The archives is the primary source for the history of the National Gallery of Art. We collect, preserve, and make available documentation relating to the museum’s past and development, including its exhibitions, acquisitions, scholarly and educational programs, and buildings.

The Center

The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts is the National Gallery’s research institute. We foster the study of the production, use, and cultural meaning of art, artifacts, architecture, urbanism, photography, and film from all places and periods.