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Highlights of the History of the National Gallery of Art

This timeline is an introduction to the rich history of the National Gallery as a preeminent cultural institution. Selected key events from the museum’s past are supplemented with archival images, audio recordings, and other documentary material from the holdings of the National Gallery of Art Archives.

Scroll down to view events by decade or click the line of dots below to navigate to a specific year.

For more information about the history of the National Gallery, please contact the National Gallery Archives at [email protected].

1920s

1928

Andrew W. Mellon in his apartment at 1785 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC, with A View on a High Road by Meindert Hobbema hanging above the fireplace mantel. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Secretary of the Treasury Andrew W. Mellon first writes of his interest in establishing a national art museum in the nation’s capital.

1930s

1931

Andrew W. Mellon completes his purchase of 21 masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum, including Raphael’s Alba Madonna, Van Eyck’s The Annunciation, and Botticelli’s The Adoration of the Magi.

About three dozen people gather in a grassy field to either side of a crumbling structure to kneel and pray before a woman and baby in the center of this horizontal painting. The woman, Mary, and baby, Jesus, have smooth, pale skin while the others have light or tanned skin. The structure has sand-colored stone pillars, a wooden triangular, pitched roof, and a straw floor. Mary, who has an elongated torso, sits facing us with her knees apart. She wears an azure-blue robe over a rose-pink dress. A shell-pink veil covers her head and body. Jesus sits on her left knee, his pudgy body angled to our left. He is nude except for a transparent cloth wrapped over one shoulder and the opposite hip. Mary’s left hand braces his torso. On Mary’s right, our left, Joseph, an older man, stands facing us. He clasps his hands at his chest and leans on a long stick. He has wrinkled skin, long, gray curly hair, and a full beard. Both Mary and Joseph tilt their heads to their right, our left, as they look down at Jesus. Joseph wears a golden yellow robe over a blue tunic. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus have faint gold halos. Behind them, a brown cow and gray donkey rest on the straw. People closest to Mary and Jesus kneel and bow their heads while the people to the left and right sides mostly stand. Three men kneeling closest to Mary and Jesus offer gifts, including a bronze vessel and a gold jar. One man has long dark brown hair and a beard, and wears a gold crown. Another man is bald with long gray hair and beard, while the third is cleanshaven with shoulder-length brown hair. These men wear robes in powder blue, carnation pink, or celery green with delicate silver and gold embelishments. Others in the crowd range in age from young and cleanshaven to older and bearded. They wear robes and tunics in shades of raspberry pink, butterscotch yellow, lapis blue, plum purple, or forest green. Several horses, their coats white or cinnamon brown, stand among the crowd, a few with riders. To our right, one horse rears its head and two others stand facing each other. Beyond the crowd, grassy green meadows and hills dotted with trees lead back to the horizon. A pale blue sky fills the top third of the composition.

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Sandro Botticelli, The Adoration of the Magi, c. 1478/1482, tempera and oil on poplar panel, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.22

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Jean Siméon Chardin, The House of Cards, probably 1737, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.90

Shown from the hips up, a man with peachy skin and long, brown curly hair and goatee stands in front of a window opening onto a moonlit sky in this vertical portrait painting. His body faces our right and his right fist, closer to us, rests on his hip so his elbow juts toward us. Wearing a dark, wide brimmed hat, he turns his head to look over his right shoulder directly at us. His eyebrows are slightly raised over brown eyes, and he has a bumpy nose, a slight double chin, and pale pink lips that curve in the suggestion of a smile. He wears a golden yellow jacket with buttons along the sleeve we can see. The wrist of the jacket is trimmed with a wide, lace-edged cuff and a similarly wide, lace-trimmed collar lies over the armor breastplate that covers his chest. A marigold-orange sash is tied around the breastplate as well near the waist, and the goldenrod-yellow jacket drapes from a portly belly over his hips. He stands in front of a gray wall pierced with a rectangular window. The view has a veil of dark gray clouds over the moonlit sky.

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Frans Hals, Portrait of a Member of the Haarlem Civic Guard, c. 1636/1638, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.68

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Frans Hals, Portrait of a Young Man, 1646/1648, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.71

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Adriaen Hanneman, Henry, Duke of Gloucester, c. 1653, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.51

A man hangs from a wooden cross at the top center of this vertical painting, with a woman standing at the foot of the cross to our left and a man to our right, all in front of a deep landscape with mountains along a river. All the people have light skin. The feet of the man on the cross, Jesus, line up with the tops of the heads of the people standing below. Jesus hangs by a nail driven through each palm, and his overlapping feet are nailed into a short platform that angles downward. He has shoulder-length brown hair and a short brown beard. His head tips forward, and his eyes are downcast or closed. He has a straight nose, high cheekbones, and his lips are closed. Blood trickles down his forehead from a ring of thorns around his head, from the nails in his hands and feet, and from a short gash over his right ribs, on our left. A white loincloth is wrapped around his hips, and the end of it flutters as if in a breeze to our left. The man’s body is lean but muscular. A slip of paper with the letters “INRI” has been affixed to a small panel on the cross above Jesus’s head. Below and to our left of the cross, a woman stands with her head bowed, looking down with her hands clasped in prayer. Her hair is covered with a tan-colored veil and she wears a gold-edged, navy-blue robe that covers her head and body. She and the cleanshaven, blond man standing to our right of the cross both have bare feet. The man looks up at the cross with his lips parted. His fingers are intertwined and then flipped, palms-down, with his arms straight. His raspberry pink-robe falls over one shoulder and around his hips, over a topaz-blue, ankle-length tunic. The dirt-packed ground on which they stand is lined along the bottom edge of the panel with plants and flowers. The golden-brown land dips beyond the people, leading down to a river that winds into the distance. A castle-like structure perches on cliff-like outcroppings high along the left edge of the painting, and buildings at the foot of that outcropping line the river. Two people walk and one person fishes off a bridge near the town. A few boats, one with full sails unfurled and another possibly with oars out to row, float in the river beyond, which is flanked in the deep distance by mountains painted blue in the haze. The horizon comes about halfway up the composition, crossing the painting just beneath Jesus’s feet. The sky above deepens from pale yellow along the horizon to robin’s egg blue where a few wispy clouds create streaks along the top edge.

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Pietro Perugino, The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John, Saint Jerome, and Saint Mary Magdalene, c. 1482/1485, oil on panel transferred to canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.27.a–c

A woman and two children, all with pale skin and flushed cheeks, sit together in a landscape in this round painting. The woman takes up most of the composition as she sits with her right leg, to our left, tucked under her body. Her other leg, on our right, is bent so the foot rests on the ground, and that knee angles up and out to the side. She wears a rose-pink dress under a topaz-blue robe, and a finger between the pages of a closed book holds her place. Her brown hair is twisted away from her face. She has delicate features and her pink lips are closed. She looks and leans to our left around a nude young boy who half-sits and half-stands against her bent leg. The boy has blond hair and pudgy, toddler-like cheeks and body. The boy reaches his right hand, on our left, to grasp the tall, thin cross held by the second young boy, who sits on the ground next to the pair. This second boy has darker brown hair and wears a garment resembling animal fur. The boy kneels facing the woman and looks up at her and the blond boy. The trio sits on a flat, grassy area in front of a body of water painted light turquoise. Mountains in the deep distance are pale azure blue beneath a nearly clear blue sky.

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Raphael, The Alba Madonna, c. 1510, oil on panel transferred to canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.24

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Raphael, Saint George and the Dragon, c. 1506, oil on panel, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.26

Shown from about the waist up, a light-skinned man with sagging jowls and a double chin wears a fur garment and hat, a large teardrop pearl earring, and gold chains in this vertical painting. In front of a cracked gray stone wall, the man's body is angled to our right but he turns his face to look at us with brown eyes under a furrowed brow. He has a bulbous nose, and his lips are slightly parted under a wide, wispy mustache. His brown hair is mostly hidden under the tall dark brown fur hat, which is wrapped with a gold chain with a gold medallion at the front. The chestnut-brown fur coat looks especially fuzzy along the neckline, which is also encircled with a thick gold chain. A gold, crown-shaped pendant with a black brush hangs over his right shoulder, closer to us. He holds a gold-tipped cane with his right hand, his thumb extended along the cane. The artist signed and dated the work in the upper right corner,

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Rembrandt van Rijn, A Polish Nobleman, 1637, oil on panel, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.78

Shown from the lap up against a dark background, a pale-skinned woman wearing a black dress looks out at us in this vertical portrait. Soft light coming from our left highlights her oval face, the peach blush on her cheeks, and her crisp white collar, cap, and cuffs. Her brown hair is pulled back under the cap that flares slightly over her ears and the wide, lace-trimmed collar covers her shoulders. She has dark eyes, a straight nose, and her pink lips are slightly parted. Her left arm, on our right, rests on a table covered with a rose-red patterned carpet next to two pieces of fruit, perhaps apples, and a book fastened with metal clasps. She rests her other arm on the arm of the wooden chair and holds a deep pink carnation the same color as the carpet. She wears a ring on the third finger of each hand. The artist signed the work with black paint against the dark background near the upper right corner: “Rembrandt. f.1656.”

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Rembrandt van Rijn, A Woman Holding a Pink, 1656, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.75

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Rembrandt Workshop (possibly Carel Fabritius), A Girl with a Broom, probably begun 1646/1648 and completed 1651, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.74

A pale-skinned woman sits in a pool of light against a deeply shadowed background in the bottom half of this vertical painting. She sits in the center of the composition, in a heavy wooden armchair next to a bed, which is flanked by two men. The woman wears a rose-pink, fur-trimmed robe draped over a white chemise. A pearl necklace and gold bracelets gleam at her throat and wrists, and her chestnut-brown hair is partially pulled up while curls fall to her shoulders. She looks to her left, our right, at a shadowy bearded man. He wears a turban wrapped in a gold chain, a cloak patterned with shades of bronze, olive green, and rust red, and a sword hangs from his belt. He stands facing our left, stooping slightly to rest his right arm, farther from us, on her chair, and his hand brushes her shoulder. The woman's mouth is open and brow furrowed as she points to the bed with her right hand, to our left. Her other hand holds up the loose neckline of her chemise to cover her chest. The bed is angled slightly away from us, to our left. It is covered with white linens and a mustard-yellow coverlet. A burgundy-red cloth or garment is draped over a bedpost at the foot of the bed. A younger man stands on the far side of the bed with his body angled to our right. He wears an olive-green tunic. A broad, scarlet-red sash is tied around his waist, and a bunch of keys hangs from it. Shoulder-length, light brown hair frames his face. His head tilts slightly to our right, and his hands are clasped at the waist, holding what looks like a black cap. A faint light him behind him creates a soft halo around his body. The top half of the painting is swallowed in deep shadow. The artist signed and dated the painting in the lower right, “Rembrandt. f. 1655.”

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Rembrandt Workshop, Joseph Accused by Potiphar's Wife, 1655, oil on canvas transferred to canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.79

Shown from the waist up, a bearded man with a tanned, peachy complexion wears a turban and voluminous robes and looks out at us in this vertical portrait painting. Lit strongly from the left, the man’s brow is slightly furrowed over brown eyes, and his gray beard is trimmed. His turban is accented with a gold chain and feather, and his fur-lined robe is clasped over a burgundy-red garment with another gold chain. His right hand, on our left, grasps a sash that wraps around his waist, while his other hand rests on a wooden staff. The gray background behind the man deepens into shadows at the corners. The artist’s signature is painted to our left near the man’s upper arm. The first letter “R” is missing so it reads “embrandt ft.”

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Rembrandt van Rijn and Workshop (Probably Govaert Flinck), Man in Oriental Costume, c. 1635, oil on linen, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1940.1.13

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Sir Anthony van Dyck, Isabella Brant, 1621, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.47

Shown from about the hips up, a young, pale-skinned man with curly brown hair stands facing and looking at us, wearing a plum-purple coat under a golden yellow cape in this vertical portrait painting. The man’s oval face is angled a little to our left so he looks out from the corners of his gray eyes. His left eyebrow, on our right, is slightly arched. His skin is smooth and his cheeks lightly flushed. He has a long, straight nose, his pink lips are closed, and there is a faintly painted suggestion of a goatee. Wavy bangs fall across his forehead, and he has curly, chin-length hair. He stands with his right hand, on our left, on his hip, and in his other arm, he holds a wooden staff with a pewter-gray, metal, scoop-like hook at the top. White lace trims the high neck of his garment and the cuffs of his sleeves. Light reflecting off the plum-purple coat suggests a soft material, possibly velvet. Crisp reflections on the deep, butter-yellow cape fastened over one shoulder suggest satin. An emerald-green cloth hanging from the top right corner of the painting falls behind the man’s shoulder. Behind the cloth and to our left, a craggy, rocky outcropping opens to a view of a landscape with a green valley and topaz-blue mountains in the distance. Bands of golden light illuminate the cloudy sky above. The work is inscribed with yellow lettering in the lower right corner to read, “Philip Lord Wharton 1632 about ye age of 19.” The artist’s name is painted in the lower left: “P. Sr Ant: vandike.”

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Sir Anthony van Dyck, Philip, Lord Wharton, 1632, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.50

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Sir Anthony van Dyck, Portrait of a Flemish Lady, probably 1618, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1940.1.14

A young girl stands next to and holds the hand of an elegantly dressed woman sitting in a wooden armchair near stone columns, in front of a crimson-red curtain pulled up to reveal a distant landscape view in this vertical portrait painting. The child and woman have smooth, light skin, and the fabric of their dresses has a silken sheen. To our right, the woman sits with her knees angled slightly to our left, and she looks at us with dark blue eyes under faint brows. Her brown hair is pulled back from her high forehead under a hair covering set with pearls. Her pointed chin is slightly pulled back, and her pale pink lips are closed. A teardrop-shaped pearl hangs from the ear we can see, and she wears two strands of pearls like a choker, above a thick, pleated lace ruff. The fabric of the long-sleeved bodice has a gold-on-gold pattern, and is lined with a row of buttons down the front. Filmy lace cuffs extend back over her forearms from her wrists. Her full, floor-length skirt is scarlet red with a gold, brocade-like pattern, and has silvery-gray stripes down the front and around the lower hem. The cloak she wears over the dress has a black-on-black floral pattern. Three thick gold chains hang across her bodice, and she wears a square-cut, gray stone set in a gold ring on the third finger of her left hand. To our left, the young girl stands next to the wooden arm of the chair and holds the woman’s hands with both of hers. The child looks at us with gray eyes, and her pale pink lips are parted in a slight smile. Her light brown hair is pulled back under a gray band, perhaps of fur, around her head, over an apricot-colored head covering that matches her dress. The tight-fitting, long-sleeved bodice is striped with bands of alternating gold and pink geometric designs against the apricot-peach background. A lace-edged collar lies across her shoulders. A red, oval pendant hangs from her three-standed pearl necklace, and she wears three pearl bracelets on one wrist. A thick gold chain falls across her chest and around one hip. The floor-length, full skirt has buttercup-yellow and shell-pink highlights on the coral-colored background. Behind the pair, the red curtain has been pulled up so it seems to flutter behind the woman’s head, in front of stone columns that frame a distant landscape view with trees. A blocky structure, presumably a building, sits on the far distant, hazy horizon. Light pours down in streaks from steel-gray clouds against a pale blue sky.

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Sir Anthony van Dyck, Susanna Fourment and Her Daughter, 1621, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.48

A partially nude woman with pale, peachy skin sits to our left looking into a mirror held up by a nearly nude, winged child to our right in this vertical painting. The woman’s body is angled to our left but she looks across her body to our right. She holds her left hand to her chest, and her right hand grips the fur-lined edge of the scarlet-red, velvet fabric that drapes over that upper arm and around her hips. Her blond hair is coiled up in rows of pearls, and she has dark eyes, a straight nose, and her pale pink lips turn up in a subtle smile. A teardrop pearl earring hangs from the ear we can see, and she wears rings and gold bracelets. The child-like figure to the right stands on a gold-striped cushion facing away from us as he holds up the rectangular, black-framed mirror. He has small silver wings and a sash of golden yellow hangs from one shoulder around the opposite hip. A second child reaches from behind the mirror to hold up a ring of laurel leaves. A forest-green curtain is gathered in the upper left corner and the beige wall beyond falls into shadow to our right.

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Titian, Venus with a Mirror, c. 1555, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.34

A woman and winged angel, both with pale, peach skin, are situated in a church interior in this tall, narrow painting. To our left, the angel has long, blond, curly hair, smooth skin, and is smiling. The wings are outlined in royal blue, and they blend from blue to green to yellow to crimson. The angel holds one hand, closer to us, up at chest height with the index finger subtly pointing upward. Holding a long scepter in the other hand, the angel angles their body toward the woman to our right. The angel wears a gold jewel and pearl-encrusted crown and a jeweled long, voluminous robe in scarlet-red and shimmering gold brocade. The neck and along the opening down the front are lined with pearls and jewels. The angel looks toward the woman, who wears a royal-blue dress tied with a red belt at the high waist. Her long brown hair is tied back but one tendril falls over her left shoulder, to our right. She kneels facing us with her raised hands facing outward. Her head is tipped a bit to our left, and she looks up and into the distance to our right with lips slightly parted. She kneels behind a book lying open on a low table. A vase of white lilies and a red cushion lies on the floor in front of the table, close to us. The floor is decorated with people and scenes outlined in black and set into square panels, as if inlaid with wood. The church behind and above the people has a row of tall, narrow arches with bull’s-eye glass windows. A walkway lined with columns runs above the arches, and sunlight comes in through arched windows under the flat wood ceiling. A white dove flies toward the woman on gold lines from a window at the upper left of the painting. Latin words painted in gold capital letters are exchanged between the people. The angel says, “AVE GRA PLENA.” The letters of the woman’s response are painted upside down and backward: “ECCE ANCILLA DNI.”

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Jan van Eyck, The Annunciation, c. 1434/1436, oil on canvas transferred from panel, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.39

Shown from the shoulders up, a man with a flushed complexion, wearing a crimson-red cap and garment, looks at us from the corners of his eyes in this vertical portrait painting. He is brightly lit from behind us and the mahogany-brown background is deep in shadow. The man’s shoulders angle to our right, and he turns his head slightly to look at us with brown, deep-set eyes under arched brows. His wispy, auburn-brown goatee is tinged in silvery gray. His nose is slightly bulbous, and his thin lips are tightly closed in a straight line. Wrinkles and jowls give his face a paunchy look. His tall, flat-topped, fez-shaped hat covers his hair. A white, nearly translucent collar curls up along his neck and flares out to points at his collar. Rose-pink highlights on his red cape suggest it is a shiny material, like silk, and it is fastened with several small, dark buttons down the front.

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Circle of Diego Velázquez, Pope Innocent X, c. 1650, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.80

Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931

Veronese, The Finding of Moses, probably 1570/1575, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.38

Click an image above to open the slideshow Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon 1930-1931.

1935

Conceptual drawing for the National Gallery of Art by John Russell Pope, February 1936. Photostat of lost original. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Andrew W. Mellon commissions architect John Russell Pope to make the first sketches for the National Gallery of Art at a site on the National Mall in Washington.

1936

Newspaper clipping, "Mellon Gives Priceless Art Building to U.S.," Washington Star, January 3, 1937.

On December 22, Andrew W. Mellon writes to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, formally offering to donate his art collection and to build the National Gallery of Art.

1937

West Building original construction progress, July 1937. Commercial Photo Co. Gift of Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

On March 24, Congress passes legislation to establish the National Gallery of Art.

In August, Andrew W. Mellon and John Russell Pope die within 24 hours of each other, shortly after construction for the new museum begins (left).

1939

Samuel H. Kress’s Fifth Avenue apartment in New York City with Pesellino’s The Crucifixion with Saint Jerome and Saint Francis, Domenico Veneziano’s Madonna and Child, Giovanni Bellini’s Saint Jerome Reading, and other works of art in view, late 1930s. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Samuel H. Kress and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation donate a collection of Italian paintings and sculpture, the first major addition to the National Gallery’s collection (above).

The Gallery loans three paintings from the Mellon collection to the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco and three to the New York World’s Fair, the first loans made by the new museum (below).

This vertical portrait painting shows a pale-skinned older woman wearing a full, long-sleeved black dress with a wide white ruff at her neck and white lace cuffs at her wrists. She sits in a curving, low-backed wood chair against a pale brown background. Her body and the chair are angled slightly to our left, and she looks directly at us. She has small eyes, pink, rounded cheeks, and a wide chin. Her lips are parted in a slight smile, and her hair is covered by a starched, sheer white cap that flares at the sides. The ruff around her neck is gathered in accordion-like, narrow figure-eight folds, and it extends flat and stiff, nearly to her shoulders. Close inspection reveals that the dress is woven with a black-on-black brocade pattern and has a line of small black buttons down the front. She holds a small brown leather book tooled with gold ornament in her right hand, on our left, and her other hand rests on the arm of the chair. She wears a gold ring on each hand. An inscription is painted to our left of her head: “AETAT SVAE 60 ANo 1633.”

First Works of Art Loaned by the Gallery in 1939

Frans Hals, Portrait of an Elderly Lady, 1633, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.67. Loaned to the exhibition Masterpieces of Art (April 30–October 31, 1939) at the New York World’s Fair.

Shown from the waist up, an older man with pale, peachy skin looks out at us with deep-set, gray eyes under a furrowed brow, in front of a sable-brown background in this vertical portrait painting. His body is angled to our left, and his face turns to us. He has a faintly pink, bulbous nose, and his slightly sunken cheeks are shaded with gray. His peach-colored lips are framed with a wispy, gray mustache and goatee. Bronze-orange lines are incised within the battleship gray of his hair to create soft curls under his brown beret, which has gold trim around the base. The dark collar of his fawn-brown coat is turned up so his neck is covered. He is lit from the upper left, so his body and the right side of the painting are deeply shadowed. On our left, the canvas is painted with blended strokes of tawny and dark brown. His dark coat blends into the background, and his folded hands are in shadow in the lower left corner. The brushstrokes are visible in some areas, especially in the man’s face. The painting is signed and dated next to his shoulder, to our left, “Rembrandt f. 1659.”

First Works of Art Loaned by the Gallery in 1939

Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait, 1659, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.72. Loaned to the exhibition Masterpieces of Art (April 30–October 31, 1939) at the New York World’s Fair.

First Works of Art Loaned by the Gallery in 1939

Gerard ter Borch the Younger, The Suitor's Visit, c. 1658, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.58. Loaned to the exhibition Masterpieces of Art (April 30–October 31, 1939) at the New York World’s Fair.

Shown from the waist up, a light-skinned man sits sideways in a wooden chair so the arm closer to us rests along the chair’s back in this vertical portrait painting. Brushstrokes are visible throughout, especially in the clothing and hair. The man’s right arm, to our left, drapes across the back of the chair. His face turns slightly to our right, and he looks at us with gray eyes under black, curving brows. He has an oval face with high cheekbones and a snub nose. His coral-pink lips are closed and framed by a mustache and pointed patch of hair under his lower lip. He is lit from our left so the far side of his face is in shadow. His loose, curly brown hair cascades over his shoulders. He wears a tall black hat with a stiff, wide brim with a black rosette or pompom on the brim to our right side. The hat is tipped slightly to one side so it angles away from us. A flat, stiff, white collar extends from his chin down to his shoulders, and two tassels hang at this throat. The voluminous sleeve along the back of the chair has a gold pattern picked out in loosely painted, swirling, feathered, and flaring lines against a black background. The jacket is unbuttoned along the forearm to reveal a stark white undershirt that is gathered with a narrow ruffle at the wrist. The chair has a crimson-red center framed by wooden rails to each side and along the top. The background is earth brown to our right of the man, and deepens to dark shadows along the left. A coat of arms, the size of the man’s palm, hangs from the back wall. Three black cow heads create an inverted triangle on a gold field. Under the coat of arms the artist inscribed, “AETA SVAE.22 1645.”

First Works of Art Loaned by the Gallery in 1939

Frans Hals, Willem Coymans, 1645, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.69. Loaned to the Golden Gate International Exposition (February 1–December 1, 1939) in San Francisco.

Shown from the hips up, a young man with pale skin and wearing black clothing sits with his body angled to our right as he turns to look at us in this vertical portrait painting. He looks out with green eyes under hooded lids. Light falls across his face from the upper left so his bumped nose casts a shadow on his high cheekbone. He has a wispy mustache over full, pink lips, which are slightly parted. His hair falls to his shoulders in auburn-brown curls, framing his slender face. Two silvery tassels hang on cords from a tall, wide, flat, bright white collar, which contrasts with the velvety black of his voluminous, long-sleeved jacket. His left hand, farther from us, rests on his knee and the other hand is curled so the back of his knuckles press against his right hip, closer to us. A patch of crimson red near that hand could be a pillow on his chair. His hat rests, presumably on a table, just beyond his legs. The hat has a tall, tapering, conical crown with a flat top. The shadowy wall behind him is mottled with slate gray and caramel brown, with a slightly darker panel to suggest a shallow niche.

First Works of Art Loaned by the Gallery in 1939

Rembrandt van Rijn, A Young Man Seated at a Table (possibly Govaert Flinck), c. 1660, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.77. Loaned to the Golden Gate International Exposition (February 1–December 1, 1939) in San Francisco.

First Works of Art Loaned by the Gallery in 1939

Pieter de Hooch, A Dutch Courtyard, 1658/1660, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.56. Loaned to the Golden Gate International Exposition (February 1–December 1, 1939) in San Francisco.

Click an image above to view the slideshow, Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum Purchased by Andrew Mellon in 1931.

1940s

1940

West Building original construction progress, November 1940. Commercial Photo Co. Gift of Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Construction of the museum's building is completed in December and installation of works of art begins.

1941

President Franklin D. Roosevelt speaking at the dedication of the National Gallery of Art, March 17, 1941. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

The National Gallery of Art is dedicated on March 17 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt at evening ceremonies attended by 8,822 guests (above and below). The museum opens to the public the next day.

Listen to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech at the National Gallery of Art dedication ceremony, March 17, 1941 (above).

The National Gallery's first special exhibition, Two Hundred American Watercolors, opens on the ground floor on May 15.

Nightly black-outs of the National Gallery building for air-raid protection begin on December 8.

1942

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Mill, 1645/1648

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Mill, 1645/1648, oil on canvas, Widener Collection, 1942.9.62

Joseph Widener donates the Widener collection of paintings, sculptures, tapestries, jewels, furniture, ceramics, and other art objects in memory of his father, Peter A. B. Widener (right).

The National Gallery’s most valuable paintings and sculpture are evacuated to Biltmore House in North Carolina for wartime protection.

The National Gallery remains open on Sunday evenings for the "benefit of men in the armed forces and war workers in the city." Sunday evening orchestra concerts are presented through the generosity of Chester Dale (below).

The Gallery remains open on Sunday evenings for the "benefit of men in the armed forces and war workers in the city." Sunday evening orchestra concerts are presented through the generosity of Chester Dale.

The Gallery remains open on Sunday evenings for the "benefit of men in the armed forces and war workers in the city." Sunday evening orchestra concerts are presented through the generosity of Chester Dale.

US Servicemen and Servicewomen at the National Gallery of Art during World War II

US servicemen entering the National Gallery of Art, c. 1942. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

US Servicemen and Servicewomen at the National Gallery of Art during World War II

Two US sailors in the West Building Constitution Avenue lobby, c. 1942. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

US Servicemen and Servicewomen at the National Gallery of Art during World War II

US servicewomen looking at art at the National Gallery of Art, c. 1942. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

US Servicemen and Servicewomen at the National Gallery of Art during World War II

National Gallery of Art Orchestra performing in a concert in the East Garden Court, December 26, 1942. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

US Servicemen and Servicewomen at the National Gallery of Art during World War II

US servicemen in the Founders Room, c. 1942. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

US Servicemen and Servicewomen at the National Gallery of Art during World War II

US servicemen sleeping at the National Gallery of Art, c. 1942. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Click an image above to open the slideshow, US Servicemen and Servicewomen at the National Gallery of Art during World War II.

1943

Lessing J. Rosenwald. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Lessing J. Rosenwald (left) donates a collection of prints and drawings, his first major gift to the museum. His gifts eventually total over 22,000 prints and drawings.

The American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas, known as the Roberts Commission, is organized with its headquarters in the museum.

The National Gallery accepts the Index of American Design, a collection of more than 18,000 drawings and watercolors documenting early American design and craftsmanship, and related research materials, from the federal Works Progress Administration (below).

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

Dorothy Dwin, Man's Shoe, 1941, watercolor and graphite, Index of American Design, 1943.8.1977

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

Virginia Berge, Dress, 1935/1942, watercolor and graphite, Index of American Design, 1943.8.1574

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

Mina Lowry, Doll, c. 1936, watercolor, graphite, and gouache, Index of American Design, 1943.8.11221

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

Ethel Dougan, Saddle Blanket, c. 1930, watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil, Index of American Design, 1943.8.14718

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

Ferdinand Cartier, Chest of Drawers, c. 1939, watercolor, colored pencil, and pen and ink, Index of American Design, 1943.8.4699

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

Pearl Torell, Cast Iron Fence, c. 1939, watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite, Index of American Design, 1943.8.16990

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

Lucille Chabot, Gabriel Weather Vane, c. 1939, watercolor and gouache over graphite, Index of American Design, 1943.8.9505

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

Yolande Delasser, Adam and Eve, c. 1939, watercolor over graphite with scraping, Index of American Design, 1943.8.8096

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

John Tarantino, Milk Pan, probably 1940, watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil, Index of American Design, 1943.8.7021

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

Lon Cronk, Shaker Dining Table and Chairs, c. 1937, watercolor and graphite, Index of American Design, 1943.8.13634

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

Beverly Chichester, Doll Bed Applique Patchwork Quilt, c. 1937, watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, and graphite, Index of American Design, 1943.8.389

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

Frances Lichten, Toy Warship, 1935/1942, watercolor and graphite, Index of American Design, 1943.8.13006

Selected Works from the Index of American Design

Max Fernekes, Duck Decoy, 1937, watercolor and graphite, Index of American Design, 1943.8.17980

More Index of American Design Features

Folk Arts of the Spanish Southwest

Pennsylvania German Folk Art

Click an image above to open the slideshow, Selected Works from the Index of American Design.

1944

The first annual American Music Festival is held on Sunday evenings during March and April in the East Garden Court.

Works of art are returned to the National Gallery from wartime storage at Biltmore House (below).

Return of Works of Art to the National Gallery of Art after Wartime Storage at the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, 1944

Trucks at the Biltmore House preparing to return works of art to the National Gallery of Art after wartime storage, October 1944. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Return of Works of Art to the National Gallery of Art after Wartime Storage at the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, 1944

Gallery director David Finley (second from left) and Gallery chief curator John Walker (fourth from left) with crates holding works of art being transferred to a truck, October 1944. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Return of Works of Art to the National Gallery of Art after Wartime Storage at the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, 1944

Workers moving crates containing works of art to a truck, October 1944. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Return of Works of Art to the National Gallery of Art after Wartime Storage at the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, 1944

Workers moving crates containing works of art to a truck, October 1944. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Return of Works of Art to the National Gallery of Art after Wartime Storage at the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, 1944

Trucks carrying works of art preparing to leave the Biltmore House for the National Gallery of Art, October 1944. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Return of Works of Art to the National Gallery of Art after Wartime Storage at the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, 1944

Trucks returning works of art to the National Gallery of Art, October 1944. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Return of Works of Art to the National Gallery of Art after Wartime Storage at the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, 1944

Security escorting trucks returning works of art to the National Gallery of Art, October 1944. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Return of Works of Art to the National Gallery of Art after Wartime Storage at the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, 1944

Workers unloading crates from a truck at the National Gallery of Art, October 1944. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Click an image above to open the slideshow, Return of Works of Art to the National Gallery of Art after Wartime Storage at the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, 1944.

1946

West Building Main Floor gallery M-24. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

In honor of the museum’s fifth anniversary, six new galleries are completed for the special opening exhibition of the Kress collection.

1947

Rembrandt Peale, George Washington, 1859

Rembrandt Peale, George Washington, 1859, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1947.17.16

The A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust gives the Gallery 113 portraits from the Clarke collection, with the provision that some works may be transferred to a national portrait gallery, should one be established.

1948

Crowds in the exhibition Paintings from the Berlin Museums (March 17–April 25, 1948). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Nearly one million people see 202 paintings from Berlin Museums during a 40-day exhibition at the National Gallery of Art.

1949

Alfred Stieglitz, The City of Ambitions, 1910, printed in or before 1913

Alfred Stieglitz, The City of Ambitions, 1910, photogravure on beige thin slightly textured laid Japan paper, in or before 1913, Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949.3.308

A key set of about 1,500 photographic prints by Alfred Stieglitz is given to the National Gallery by Georgia O’Keeffe, executor of the Stieglitz estate.

1950s

1950

West Building, Main Floor gallery M-60. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Twelve new exhibition galleries open on the east side of the National Gallery’s Main Floor.

1952

The first A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts are given by Jacques Maritain on the subject of "Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry."

1953

American 19th Century, The Mounted Acrobats, 1825 or after

American 19th Century, The Mounted Acrobats, 1825 or after, oil on wood, Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1953.5.18

Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch give 142 paintings from their collection of early American art, the first of several major gifts to the National Gallery.

1956

Rush H. Kress (left), Jocelyn Kress, and National Gallery of Art director David Finley at the opening of the Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture Acquired by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 1951–1956 (March 18–October 30, 1956). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

In celebration of its 15th anniversary, a special night opening is held for the Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture Acquired by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 1951-1956.

1958

Two visitors with the LecTour self-guided audio tour system in front of Winslow Homer’s Right and Left. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

The innovative LecTour radio guide system is installed in several main floor galleries.

1960s

1962

Chester Dale in the National Gallery of Art West Garden Court, c. 1943. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Chester Dale dies, bequeathing his collection of modern French and American paintings to the National Gallery of Art.

1963

Visitors viewing Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (January 9–February 3, 1963). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

The Mona Lisa, lent by the Government of the French Republic to President Kennedy and the people of the United States, is viewed by more than a half million visitors in its 26-day display at the National Gallery.

1966

National Gallery of Art director John Walker (left), First Lady Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon at the opening reception for the exhibition French Paintings from the Collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon and Mrs. Mellon Bruce (March 18–May 1, 1966). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

In honor of the museum’s 25th anniversary, the National Gallery exhibits 19th- and 20th-century French paintings from the collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon and Ailsa Mellon Bruce.

1967

Leonardo da Vinci, Ginevra de' Benci [obverse], c. 1474/1478

Leonardo da Vinci, Ginevra de' Benci, c. 1474/1478, oil on panel, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1967.6.1.a

Leonardo da Vinci's Ginevra de'Benci is acquired through the generosity of the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund (left).

Paul Mellon and Ailsa Mellon Bruce donate funds for the new East Building.

1968

Early conceptual sketch for the East Building by I. M. Pei, 1968. Gift of I. M. Pei & Partners, National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

I. M. Pei & Partners begin schematic drawings for the East Building, which includes a new research center for advanced study in the visual arts.

1970s

1971

Ground-breaking ceremonies are held for the East Building on May 6.

East Building Ground-Breaking Ceremony, May 6, 1971

Paul Mellon speaking at the East Building ground-breaking ceremony, May 6, 1971. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

East Building Ground-Breaking Ceremony, May 6, 1971

Left to right: Gallery president Paul Mellon, Chief Justice and Gallery chairman Warren Burger, and Gallery director J. Carter Brown at the East Building ground-breaking ceremony, May 6, 1971. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

East Building Ground-Breaking Ceremony, May 6, 1971

Left to right: Chief Justice and Gallery chairman Warren Burger, Gallery president Paul Mellon, and J. Slater Davidson Jr., president of Chas. H. Tompkins Company, the general contractor, at the East Building ground-breaking ceremony, May 6, 1971. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

East Building Ground-Breaking Ceremony, May 6, 1971

Left to right: Chief Justice and Gallery chairman Warren Burger, Gallery president Paul Mellon, and J. Slater Davidson Jr., president of Chas. H. Tompkins Company, the general contractor, at the East Building ground-breaking ceremony, May 6, 1971. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

East Building Ground-Breaking Ceremony, May 6, 1971

National Gallery of Art former director David Finley (left), his wife, Margaret, and Mr. and Mrs. I. M. Pei (right) at the East Building ground-breaking ceremony, May 6, 1971. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Click an image above to open the slideshow, East Building Ground-Breaking Ceremony, May 6, 1971.

1973

Crowds in the exhibition Impressionist and Post Impressionist Paintings from the U.S.S.R. (April 1–29, 1973). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

French impressionist paintings from the Hermitage and Pushkin Museums are exhibited, the first Western paintings lent to the United States by the Soviet Union.

1974

Paul Mellon (left), First Lady Betty Ford, and Chinese diplomat Liu Yang-Chiao at the opening reception for The Exhibition of Archaeological Finds of the People’s Republic of China (December 13, 1974–March 30, 1975). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

The Exhibition of Archaeological Finds of The People's Republic of China opens and is seen by nearly 700,000 people.

1975

The Collectors Committee is established at the Gallery and adopts a three-year program to commission large-scale works of art for the new East Building.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Paul Matisse (left) and Alexander Calder study a model of Calder’s mobile Untitled (1976) for the East Building, November 5, 1975. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Installing Alexander Calder’s mobile Untitled (1976), November 1977. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Installing Alexander Calder’s mobile Untitled (1976), November 1977. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Installing Henry Moore’s Knife Edge Mirror Two Piece, 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Architect I. M. Pei (left) and Gallery director J. Carter Brown (right) with sculptor Henry Moore for the installation of Knife Edge Mirror Two Piece, 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Henry Moore with Knife Edge Mirror Two Piece, 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Anthony Caro (left) overseeing the installation of his sculpture National Gallery Ledge Piece, March 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Anthony Caro overseeing the installation of his sculpture National Gallery Ledge Piece, March 1978. Photograph by Dennis Brack/Black Star. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Installing Anthony Caro’s National Gallery Ledge Piece, March 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Weaver Josep Royo installing his tapestry after Joan Miró’s Woman, March 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Installing Josep Royo’s tapestry after Joan Miró’s Woman at the Gallery, March 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Robert Motherwell’s Reconciliation Elegy, 1978. Photograph by Dennis Brack/Black Star. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Art handlers with Isamu Noguchi’s Great Rock of Inner Seeking, January 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Isamu Noguchi’s Great Rock of Inner Seeking, January 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

James Rosati (second from right) overseeing the installation of his sculpture Untitled at the Gallery, March 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

James Rosati overseeing the installation of his sculpture Untitled at the Gallery, March 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

National Gallery of Art director J. Carter Brown (left) and collector and donor Madeleine Lejwa with Jean Arp’s tapestry Variation Sur Aubette, May 1976. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

National Gallery of Art director J. Carter Brown and collector and donor Madeleine Lejwa with Jean Arp’s tapestry Variation Sur Aubette, May 1976. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978

Jean Arp’s Oriforme, c. 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Click an image above to open the slideshow, Commissioned and Specially Selected Works of Art for the National Gallery’s New East Building, 1975–1978.

1976

The exhibition Treasures of Tutankhamun begins its US tour at the National Gallery, where it is viewed by more than 835,000 visitors.

Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977)

Visitors outside waiting in line for the exhibition Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977)

Entrance to Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977)

Antechamber room in Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977)

Antechamber room in Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977)

Visit of President and First Lady Carter with Gallery director J. Carter Brown (left) to the exhibition Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977)

Actress Elizabeth Taylor and US Senator John Warner at Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977)

Actor Robert Redford with Gallery curator Earl A. Powell III (left) at Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Click an image above to open the slideshow, Treasures of Tutankhamun (November 17, 1976–March 15, 1977).

1977

Alexander Calder, Untitled, 1976

Alexander Calder, Untitled, 1976, aluminum and steel, Gift of the Collectors Committee, 1977.76.1

The untitled mobile by Alexander Calder, commissioned for the East Building, is installed in the atrium of the new building nearly a year after the artist's death.

1978

President Jimmy Carter (left), the Right Reverend John T. Walker, and National Gallery benefactor Paul Mellon at the East Building dedication ceremony, June 1, 1978. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

The East Building is dedicated by President Jimmy Carter and opens to the public on June 1. Attendance reaches one million in less than two months.

Listen to President Jimmy Carter's speech at the dedication of the East Building of the National Gallery of Art, June 1, 1978 (above).

1980s

1983

West Building Ground Floor gallery G-13, c. 1983. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

New ground floor galleries in the West Building open to the public.

1984

Mark Rothko, No. 8, 1949

Mark Rothko, No. 8, 1949, oil and mixed media on canvas, Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc., 1986.43.147. Copyright © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko.

The Mark Rothko Foundation gives the artist’s core collection and related research materials to the National Gallery, which becomes the primary repository and study center for Rothko’s works of art (right).

The West Building oculus project is completed, allowing the Rotunda to be seen from the Constitution Avenue lobby below.

1985

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon donate nearly 200 works of art including 17 wax sculptures by Edgar Degas.

The exhibition Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting opens and is seen by nearly one million visitors by the close of the exhibition (below).

The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986)

Tudor Renaissance gallery in The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986).

The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986)

Jacobean long gallery in The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986).

The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986)

Triumph of the Baroque gallery in The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986).

The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986)

Souvenirs of Italy gallery in The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986).

The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986)

Sculpture Rotunda in The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986).

The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986)

Augustan Taste gallery in The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986).

The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986)

Dutch Cabinet gallery in The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986).

The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986)

State bed from Calke Abbey in The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986).

The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986)

Sporting Life gallery dining room in The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986).

The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986)

Waterloo gallery in The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986).

Click an image above to open the slideshow, The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting (November 3, 1985–April 13, 1986).

1986

The New Painting: Impressionism 1874–1886 (January 17– April 6, 1986). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

The New Painting: Impressionism 1874-1886 commemorates the centennial of the last exhibition held by the impressionist painters.

1988

Twentieth-Century Art: Selections for the Tenth Anniversary of the East Building (December 13, 1988–December 31, 1990). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

The 10th anniversary of the opening of the East Building is celebrated with an expanded reinstallation of the National Gallery’s 20th-century collection.

1990s

1990

Giovanni Bellini, Titian, The Feast of the Gods, 1514/1529

Giovanni Bellini and Titian, The Feast of the Gods, 1514/1529, oil on canvas, Widener Collection, 1942.9.1

The masterpiece The Feast of the Gods by Giovanni Bellini and Titian is returned to public view after extensive conservation.

1991

The National Gallery of Art celebrates its 50th anniversary with an exhibition of nearly 300 works of art, given or pledged to the National Gallery in honor of the occasion.

Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration opens in commemoration of the quincentenary of Columbus’s voyage to the Americas (below).

Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992)

Distinct Worlds room in Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992)

Portugal room in Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992)

Islam room in Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992)

Measuring and Mapping room in Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992)

Korea room in Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992)

Aztec room in Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992)

Aztec room in Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992)

Inca room in Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Click an image above to open the slideshow, Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration (October 12, 1991–January 12, 1992).

1992

Herbert and Dorothy Vogel in the Print Study Room at the National Gallery of Art, 1992. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives. Photograph by Lorene Emerson.

Dorothy and Herbert Vogel donate their collection of minimalist and conceptual American art to the National Gallery.

1993

Albrecht Dürer, The Virgin Annunciate, 1495/1499

Albrecht Dürer, The Virgin Annunciate, 1495/1499, pen and brown ink, Woodner Collection, 1993.51.1.

The National Gallery accepts nine old master drawings from the Woodner Family Collection, one of several gifts given by the family over the years.

1995

Crowds waiting outside the exhibition Johannes Vermeer (November 12, 1995–February 11, 1996). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

In its 20th anniversary year, the Collectors Committee acquires Cy Twombly’s Untitled (Bolsena) for the National Gallery’s 20th-century collection.

The Micro Gallery, an interactive multimedia computer system, opens in the newly redesigned art information room in the West Building.

Three new cabinet galleries housing small Dutch and Flemish paintings on the West Building Main Floor are completed.

The exhibition Johannes Vermeer attracts extraordinary crowds and receives overwhelming public response (right).

1997

National Gallery Sculpture Garden ground-breaking ceremony, June 12, 1997. Left to right: Laurie D. Olin, landscape architect, Olin Partnership; Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art; Robert H. Smith, president, Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art; Calvin Cafritz, president and chairman, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; and Robert Douma, vice-president, operations, Chas. H. Tompkins Company. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives. Photograph by Lorene Emerson.

The National Gallery debuts its website on the World Wide Web, which includes a database with information about works of art in the collection and related educational, exhibition, and scholarly resources.

Ground breaking for the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, a gift of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, takes place on June 12 (left).

1998

Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait, 1889

Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait, 1889, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney, 1998.74.5

Betsy Cushing Whitney, widow of John Hay Whitney, bequeaths eight important paintings by major artists to the National Gallery, including Self-Portrait by Vincent van Gogh (right).

Van Gogh’s Van Goghs: Masterpieces from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, an exhibition of 70 paintings by the artist on loan from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, attracts capacity crowds.

1999

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden dedication, May 19, 1999. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

The museum mourns the death of Paul Mellon, son of its founder, Andrew Mellon, and a preeminent leader and patron of the National Gallery since serving as its first president in 1938.

The multiyear project to replace the original West Building skylights with new specially designed glass panels and modern hardware is completed.

The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden is dedicated on May 19. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton accepts the gift of the completed garden on behalf of the nation (left).

A redesigned ice rink in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden opens to the public in December.

2000s

2000

Designed to evoke the small private chambers of the Renaissance, a suite of three new Italian Cabinet galleries opens on the West Building Main Floor.

2001

Left to right: Earl A. Powell, director, National Gallery of Art; Calvin Cafritz, president and chairman of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Frank Stella, artist; and Jeffrey Weiss, Gallery curator, in front of Prinz Friedrich von Homburg, Ein Schauspiel, 3X, 2001. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Frank Stella's monumental sculpture Prinz Friedrich von Homburg, Ein Schauspiel, 3X, a gift of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, is installed on the East Building lawn.

2002

West Building Sculpture Galleries, 2002. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives. Photograph by Rob Shelley.

[GA IMAGE 98 and caption] West Building Sculpture Galleries, 2002. Photograph by Rob Shelley. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

[GA IMAGE 98 and caption] West Building Sculpture Galleries, 2002. Photograph by Rob Shelley. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

[GA IMAGE 98 and caption] West Building Sculpture Galleries, 2002. Photograph by Rob Shelley. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

The redesigned Sculpture Galleries open on the West Building Ground Floor, presenting more than 900 works of art in 22 rooms.

2003

The East Building: Celebrating 25 Years (June 1, 2003–July 6, 2004). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives. Photograph by Rob Shelley.

The National Gallery commemorates the 25th anniversary of the East Building opening with special programs, tours, and an archival installation in the East Building Reception Room.

2004

National Gallery of Art Orchestra performing the 2,500th concert in the East Building, June 2004. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives. Photograph by Rob Shelley.

The National Gallery presents the 2,500th program in its series of free Sunday concerts, which began in December 1942.

2005

Andy Goldsworthy, Roof, 2004-2005

Andy Goldsworthy, Roof, 2004–2005, Buckingham Virginia slate, Patrons' Permanent Fund, 2005.86.1. © Andy Goldsworthy 2005

British artist Andy Goldsworthy completes Roof, a site-specific sculpture of nine stacked slate domes, on the East Building Ground Level.

2006

Frans Snyders, Still Life with Grapes and Game, c. 1630

Frans Snyders, Still Life with Grapes and Game, c. 1630, oil on panel, Gift of The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund in Honor of the Twentieth Anniversary of the Circle of the National Gallery of Art, 2006.22.1

Frans Snyders's Still Life with Grapes and Game is acquired with funds provided by the Lee and Juliet Folger Fund in honor of the 20th anniversary of The Circle of the National Gallery of Art, a national membership group to support acquisitions and programs.

2007

Paul Mellon viewing Little Dancer Aged Fourteen by Edgar Degas in the West Building Ground Floor gallery, 1983. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives. Photograph by Dennis Brack/Black Star.

The centenary of the birth of the museum's greatest benefactor, Paul Mellon, is celebrated with exhibitions on Eugene Boudin and J.M.W. Turner, a new film about Paul Mellon's life, a historical installation, and other special programs.

2008

Artist Leo Villareal programming his Multiverse installation in the Concourse walkway, October 2008. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives. Photograph by Rob Shelley.

A national gift program is launched, The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States. Under the program, 2,500 works selected by the Vogels from their collection of contemporary art are distributed to art institutions in each of the 50 states.

Sculptor Leo Villareal’s computer-programmed digital light project Multiverse is installed in the Concourse walkway (right).

2009

In the Tower: Philip Guston (January 15, 2009–January 3, 2010). National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives. Photograph by Rob Shelley.

In the Tower: Philip Guston opens, the first in a series of changing exhibitions of contemporary art in the East Building Tower gallery.

2010s

2012

Rogier van der Weyden, Portrait of a Lady, c. 1460

Rogier van der Weyden, Portrait of a Lady, c. 1460, oil on panel, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.44

NGA Images debuts as a free online open access resource with over 21,000 high resolution digital images of works of art in the permanent collection. While the NGA Images website has now been retired, Open Access image downloads are now available directly from the object pages located on this website. Learn more about Open Access.

2013

Marc Chagall, Orphée, 1969

Marc Chagall, Orphée, 1969, stone and glass mosaic, The John U. and Evelyn S. Nef Collection, 2011.60.104.1–10

A refreshed website is launched, with new features, improved graphics, and an enhanced interface providing expanded access to museum and collection information and educational and scholarly resources.

The exquisite glass and stone mosaic Orphée, designed by Marc Chagall and bequeathed to the National Gallery by arts patron Evelyn Stefansson Nef, is installed in the Sculpture Garden (left).

2014

Frederic Edwin Church, Niagara, 1857

Frederic Edwin Church, Niagara, 1857, oil on canvas, Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase, Gallery Fund), 2014.79.10

The National Gallery of Art signs a historic agreement with the Corcoran Gallery of Art for stewardship of the Corcoran art collection.

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East Building plaza and tetrahedrons, 2014. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives. Photograph by Rob Shelley.

The reinstallation of 17,026 panels of exterior marble with new anchor supports is completed on the East Building.

2015

Two special exhibitions American Masterworks from the Corcoran, 1815–1940 and Focus on the Corcoran: Works on Paper, 1860–1990, feature works of art from the Corcoran collection.

2016

The Andrew W. Mellon Memorial Fountain, 2016. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives. Photograph by Rob Shelley.

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the National Gallery, the newly restored Andrew W. Mellon Memorial Fountain is rededicated on March 17, one year after custody of the 1952 fountain and its surrounding park was transferred to the Gallery from the National Park Service (left).

The East Building galleries reopen after three years of renovation of existing galleries and construction of new Tower galleries and an outdoor sculpture roof terrace (below).

East Building Galleries, 2016

East Building Tower gallery 615A with Mark Rothko works of art, 2016. Photograph by Rob Shelley. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

East Building Galleries, 2016

East Building Tower gallery 615B with Barnett Newman’s Stations of the Cross, 2016. Photograph by Rob Shelley. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

East Building Galleries, 2016

East Building Roof Terrace, 2016. Photograph by Rob Shelley. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

East Building Galleries, 2016

East Building Tower gallery 606 with Alexander Calder works of art, 2016. Photograph by Rob Shelley. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

East Building Galleries, 2016

East Building Upper Level gallery 407B, 2016. Photograph by Rob Shelley. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

East Building Galleries, 2016

East Building Upper Level gallery 407C, 2016. Photograph by Rob Shelley. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

East Building Galleries, 2016

East Building Upper Level gallery 415B, 2016. Photograph by Rob Shelley. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

East Building Galleries, 2016

East Building Mezzanine gallery 217B, 2016. Photograph by Rob Shelley. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

East Building Galleries, 2016

East Building Ground Level gallery 106C, 2016. Photograph by Rob Shelley. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives.

Click an image above to open the slideshow, East Building Galleries, 2016.

2018

The National Gallery’s first online free education course for teachers to learn about incorporating works of art into their school curricula opens for enrollment.

2019

Conservator Robert Price treating Painting and Sculpture by Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert in the West Building East Sculpture Hall as visitors observe, 2019. National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives. Photograph by Rebecca Clews.

The National Gallery launches a new accessibility program, The Art of Looking, a series of four salon-style conversations to help participants analyze, experience, and practice skills in slow looking, active listening, fostering empathy, and perspective taking.

The National Gallery becomes the first American art museum to invite teams of data scientists and art historians across the nation to analyze, contextualize, and visualize its permanent collection data to promote wider public access to its collection, culminating in a two-day public datathon event.

Conservation treatment of six 18th-century French marble sculptures in the West Building East Sculpture Hall is carried out in situ during public hours for the first time, allowing visitors to observe and learn about the National Gallery's renowned conservation, research and scientific programs.

2020s

2020

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, I See Red: Target, 1992

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, I See Red: Target, 1992, mixed media on canvas, Purchased with funds from Emily and Mitchell Rales, 2020.6.1

I See Red: Target by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, an enrolled Salish member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation in Montana, becomes the first painting by a Native American artist to enter the collection of the National Gallery of Art. The painting’s acquisition was made possible by Emily and Mitchell Rales.

In response to the global pandemic and in accord with federal and local health safety measures, the National Gallery temporarily closes its doors to the public and moves programs online. Many activities and offerings—from internships and fellowships to exhibitions, film screenings, concerts, lectures, and tours—are reimagined in robust digital environments, and new programs are introduced to enhance the virtual visitor’s experience.

2021

Katharina Fritsch's Hahn/Cock, on view on the East Building roof terrace since 2016, is donated to the National Gallery of Art on its 80th anniversary by Glenstone Museum in honor of the resilience of the American people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Gallery of Art unveils a reimagined brand identity built on new and reimagined vision and mission statements with accompanying values. The redesigned brand introduces a new logo and color palette to promote the institution's renewed commitment to serve as the nation's art museum and to emphasize creativity, diversity and inclusion, empathy, and public engagement.