Overview: The exhibition celebrated the 15th anniversary of the opening of the National Gallery. For the occasion, 70 paintings and 24 sculptures, acquired in the last 5 years by the Kress Foundation, were placed on indefinite loan. The new installations and rehanging involved 26 galleries of paintings and 6 galleries of sculpture. The famous Gustave Dreyfus collection of 1,306 Renaissance bronzes, purchased en bloc by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, was also opened to the public and installed in 3 specially prepared galleries on the ground floor under the supervision of Perry B. Cott. An evening reception took place on March 17, 1956; attendance at the special evening opening was 11,690.