The National Gallery of Art is comprised of two structures connected by an underground concourse: the marble neoclassical West Building, completed in 1941 and designed by John Russell Pope (architect of the Jefferson Memorial and the National Archives); and the triangular East Building, completed in 1978 and designed by I.M. Pei, of matching Tennessee pink marble and featuring glass walls and illuminating skylights.
The West Building was established in 1937 by a joint resolution of Congress, based on the gift of financier and art collector Andrew W. Mellon. Mellon's donated works formed the important basis for the gallery's permanent collection, which has grown to house one of the finest collections of Western painting and sculpture in the world. The West Building features a broad collection of works by European masters from the medieval times through the late 19th Century, including works by Jan Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Leonardo da Vinci.
The Gallery's East Building, located on land set aside in the original Congressional resolution, accommodates the Gallery's growing collections and expanded exhibition schedule and focuses on modern and contemporary art, including works by Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Alexander Calder.
A Sculpture Garden was added in 1999 to the west of the West Building, and includes a large circular fountain used as an ice skating rink in the winter.
Attraction Information
- Hours:
- Monday through Saturday: 10am to 5pm
- Sunday: 11am to 6pm
- Admission:
- Free
- Metro Stop:
- Blueline or Orangeline to the Smithsonian Station
- Contact:
- Location: National Mall between 3rd and 7th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, Washington DC
- Phone: 202-737-4215
- Website: www.nga.gov
