National Gallery of Art

Andrew Mellon founded the National Gallery of Art in March of 1937. It was through his generous contribution of his art collection and finances to build a museum. He wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to propose this offer in 1936. Congress accepted Mellon’s’ gift along with a sizable endowment. There were 3,892,000 visitors in 2014.

Andrew Mellon selected John Russell Pope as the architect for the project. Before the project was completed, both Andrew Mellon and John Russell Pope died within 24 hours of each other. I. M. Pei was the architect who completed the museum as it was designed. The museum was built in accordance with their plans anyway.  When the museum was completed and the pieces of art were installed, The National Gallery of Art was dedicated on March 17, 1941. Andrew’s son Paul Mellon presented the museum as a gift to the nation to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Some well-known pieces in this museum are Maestro Giorgio Andreoli of Gubbio’s  Shallow bowl with Hercules overcoming Antaeus, 1520  and Vincent van Gogh’s Still Life of Oranges and Lemons with Blue Gloves, 1889. There are also educational and conservation opportunities available, as well as concerts, Jazz programs, lectures and family activities.

Besides this arts museum, there are twenty-six more arts museums listed in Washington. There's also one hundred and two attractions listed in this city in other categories. You will find the exact location of National Gallery of Art on the map above. If you need any other information on National Gallery of Art that is not listed here, please call (202) 737-4215.