National Gallery of Art

National Gallery of Art East Building courtesy of washington.org

Welcome to the National Gallery of Art, the D.C art museum that holds a world-class collection of historic and modern art from some of the world's most famous artists.

The National Gallery of Art was conceived and given to the people by Andrew W. Mellon, an art collector and financer from Pittsburg. When the gallery first opened it held a mere 126 paintings and 26 sculptures given from Andrew Mellon's personal collection. It has grown quite a bit since then, today featuring countless significant works of art from the Renaissance to the present-day.

Explore the gallery's collection, exhibits, and onsite Sculpture Garden with various guided tours, audio tours, and educational programs available, or perhaps with a free gallery talk led by museum educators and curators. School groups, in particular, will have options for guided encounters filled with open-ended discussions, allowing students to view, question, and discover the world of art and art history, and how they relate to our culture. Some of the highlights from the collection include the following:

French 12th Century - Challce of the Abbot Sugar of Saint-Denis - 2nd/1st Century BC
Duello di Buoninsegna - The Nativity with the Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel - 1308-1311
Netherlandish 14th Century - The Death of the Virgin - c. 1390

Be sure to save plenty of time to visit any of the 5 onsite cafes, the museum shops, and/or the Sculpture Garden and winter Ice Rink!