National Gallery of Art
Fine Art Museum of Washington D.C.
Musées - Washington (USA)
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14 sections and 170 items available
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2000B South Club Drive, Landover, MD 20785 - Washington D.C.
The nearest Metro stops are Judiciary Square on the Red Line, Archives on the Yellow/Green Lines, and Smithsonian on the Blue/Orange Lines. Metro bus stops are located on 4th Street and 7th Street.
The East and West Buildings are connected by an underground concourse with a moving walkway. Entrances to the West Building are on the Mall, on Constitution Avenue at 6th Street and on 4th Street. The entrance to the East Building is on 4th Street. There are 6 public entrances to the Sculpture Garden: one entrance on Constitution Avenue at 9th Street, N.W.; three entrances on 7th Street, N.W.; one directly across from the Gallery's West Building entrance; and two entrances on the National Mall between 7th and 9th Streets, N.W.
Hours:
The National Gallery of Art, located on the National Mall between Third and Seventh Streets at Constitution Avenue, NW, is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1.
Admissions :
Free
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The National Gallery of Art is an art museum owned and managed by the government of the United States. It is comprised of two buildings, the East Building and the West Building, linked by an underground passage and both located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The NGA is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, though it is governed under a separate charter.
The NGA was created by Congress in 1937, with funds for construction and a substantial art collection donated by Andrew W. Mellon. Samuel H. Kress contributed the museum's original collection of Italian art. The original museum building, now known as the West Building, opened on March 17, 1941. Its design by architect John Russell Pope is neo-classical, with a gigantic columned portico and a massive dome reminiscent of the Pantheon (as is Pope's other notable Washington creation, the Jefferson Memorial), except for the West Building's symmetrically attached, extended wings. The design of the East Building by noted architect I.M. Pei is also geometrical, but fragmented or faceted by comparison to the West Building's cool classicism; from above, it appears as if made of interlocking diamonds. The East Building opened in 1978. The NGA also opened an adjacent sculpture garden in 1999. As a federally-owned museum, entry to both buildings of the National Gallery is free of charge.
The West Building has an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures by European masters from the medieval period through the late 19th century, as well as pre-20th century works by American artists. Highlights of the collection include many paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh, and the only painting by Leonardo Da Vinci within the United States.
The East Building focuses on modern and contemporary art, with a collection including works by Picasso, Matisse, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and Alexander Calder. The East Building also contains the main offices of the NGA and a large research facility.
To the West of the West Building, across Seventh Street, is the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. The 6.1 acres of the garden are centered on a large circular fountain (ice rink in the winter) surrounded by stone seating. The exhibited sculptures in the surrounding landscaped area include pieces by Joan Miro, Louise Bourgeois, Roy Lichtenstein and Hector Guimard.
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Panoramic view
