National Gallery Of Art

THE GALLERY'S MISSION IS TO SERVE THE NATION BY WELCOMING ALL PEOPLE TO EXPLORE AND EXPERIENCE ART, CREATIVITY, AND OUR SHARED HUMANITY.

COLLECTIONSTHE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART'S COLLECTION IS AT THE HEART OF THE GALLERY'S MISSION, FOLLOWING FOUNDER ANDREW W. MELLON'S GIFT AND MANDATE TO ESTABLISH A NATIONAL GALLERY WITH WORKS OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY. THE COLLECTION OF PAINTINGS, SCULPTURE, AND DECORATIVE ARTS TRACES THE DEVELOPMENT OF EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENTS FROM THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT AND AMERICAN ART FROM COLONIAL TIMES TO THE PRESENT. IT COMPRISES A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF ITALIAN RENAISSANCE ART, INCLUDING THE ONLY PAINTING BY LEONARDO DA VINCI OUTSIDE EUROPE, AS WELL AS STRONG HOLDINGS OF THE FRENCH IMPRESSIONISTS, THE DUTCH AND FLEMISH MASTERS, ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S MOST DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN COLLECTIONS, AND TWENTIETH-CENTURY ART. THE COLLECTION ALSO INCLUDES PRINTS, DRAWINGS, RARE BOOKS AND PHOTOGRAPHS. MAJOR POST-WORLD WAR II SCULPTURE IS INSTALLED IN A DYNAMIC AND RICHLY LANDSCAPED SETTING IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY SCULPTURE GARDEN.THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S COLLECTION CONTINUED TO GROW IN FISCAL YEAR 2021, WITH A NUMBER OF TRANSFORMATIVE ACQUISITIONS MADE THROUGH PURCHASE AND GIFT THAT BUILD ON THE MUSEUM'S RENOWNED HOLDINGS IN SEVERAL AREAS AND DIRECTLY FULFILL OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES TO REPRESENT AND ATTRACT THE NATION. WE ACQUIRED MAJOR WORKS OF ART FOR THE PERMANENT COLLECTION BY DIVERSE ARTISTS IN A RANGE OF MEDIA AND HISTORICAL PERIODS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR. NOTABLE ACQUISITIONS INCLUDED THE NEWLY REDISCOVERED LATE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE PAINTING BY DOSSO DOSSI, "THE TROJANS BUILDING THE TEMPLE TO VENUS AT ERYX AND MAKING OFFERINGS AT ANCHISES'S GRAVE" (C. 1520), WHICH COMPLETES THE STORY DEPICTED IN THE RIGHT HALF OF DOSSI'S "AENEAS AND ACHATES ON THE LIBYAN COAST" (C. 1520) THAT ENTERED THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S COLLECTION IN 1939. REUNITING THE TWO PAINTINGS HAS YIELDED NEW UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE LARGER CYCLE OF PAINTINGS OF WHICH THE DIPTYCH IS PART. THE DIVISION OF PRINTS AND DRAWINGS ACQUIRED A TOTAL OF 236 WORKS. ACQUISITIONS INCLUDED A RARE SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY DRAWING BY MILANESE ARTIST PIER FRANCESCO MAZZUCCHELLI OR MORAZZONE (1573-1626), AND SIGNIFICANT DRAWINGS BY GIOVANNI BOLDINI (C. 1890-1900) AND DUTCH ARTIST ISACK VAN OSTADE (1645). IMPORTANT AMONG TWENTY-NINE FINE ILLUSTRATED BOOKS IS AN EXEMPLARY SET OF TWO BOUND VOLUMES WITH LETTERPRESS TEXT AND COLOR ENGRAVINGS (1774) BY GIORGIO FOSSATI. ANOTHER RARE WORK BROUGHT INTO THE COLLECTION IS THE SIXTEENTH-CENTURY BOOK OF FORTUNE-TELLING "LE SORTI INTITOLATE GIARDINO DI PENSIERI" (1540), PUBLISHED BY FRANCESCO MARCOLINI, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PRINTERS IN VENICE DURING THIS PERIOD. AMONG THE 166 PRINTS ACQUIRED, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT INCLUDED HIERONYMUS HOPFER'S VERY EARLY PORTRAIT OF MARTIN LUTHER; JAN MULLER'S "CREATION OF THE WORLD" (1589), A MASTERPIECE OF MANNERIST ENGRAVING; AND A RARE, PROOF IMPRESSION OF HENRI FANTIN-LATOUR'S "BOUQUET OF ROSES" (1879). IMPORTANT ACQUISITIONS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART INCLUDED FAITH RINGGOLD'S "THE FLAG IS BLEEDING" (1967), A SEMINAL WORK ABOUT RACE RELATIONS BY ONE OF THE MOST REVERED LIVING AMERICAN ARTISTS; JAMES LUNA'S "ARTIFACT PIECE" (1987) AND "TAKE A PICTURE WITH A REAL INDIAN" (1991/2001/2010), TWO FOUNDATIONAL INSTALLATIONS BY A LEADING NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIST AND ACTIVIST; "CITY DEEP" (2020), THE LATEST VIDEO ABOUT APARTHEID AND ITS AFTERMATH BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN MULTI-MEDIA STORYTELLER WILLIAM KENTRIDGE; AND IMPORTANT WORKS BY SUCH LEADING AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTISTS AS CHRISTOPHER MYERS, ROZEAL, JOE MINTER, ROSIE LEE TOMPKINS, DAVID DRISKELL, BETYE SAAR, AND MELVIN EDWARDS. THE DEPARTMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHS ACQUIRED MORE THAN 255 PHOTOGRAPHS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR. THESE INCLUDE MAJOR PIECES BY SUCH NINETEENTH-CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHERS AS FRANCIS FRITH AND FREDERICK LANGENHEIM. AMONG THE TWENTIETH- AND TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY ADDITIONS ARE PHOTOGRAPHS BY SUCH CELEBRATED PRACTITIONERS AS ROBERT ADAMS, GORDON BENNETT, WYNN BULLOCK, CHUCK CLOSE, THOMAS DEMAND, JOHN DIVOLA, LARRY FINK, TOM HUNTER, CLARENCE JOHN LAUGHLIN, WAYNE MILLER, RICHARD MISRACH, AND FRANK THIEL. THE COLLECTION WAS ALSO GREATLY DIVERSIFIED WITH ADDITIONS BY SUCH WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS AS LYNNE COHEN, KATI HORNA, NANCY LEE KATZ, ZOE LEONARD, TINA MODOTTI, VIK MUNIZ, RUTH ORKIN, MADOKA TAGAKI, JOANN VERBURG, AND MARIANA YAMPOLSKY; SUCH AFRICAN AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHERS AS ANTHONY BARBOZA, DAWOUD BEY, JAMES MANNAS, GORDON PARKS, BEUFORD SMITH, JAMES VAN DER ZEE AND SHAWN WALKER; AND SOUTH AFRICAN ARTIST AND VISUAL ACTIVIST ZANELE MUHOL. PRESERVING THE GALLERY'S OUTSTANDING COLLECTION FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS IS A VITAL RESPONSIBILITY AND PRIMARY CONCERN OF ITS CONSERVATORS AND SCIENTISTS. EVEN DURING THE PANDEMIC, CONSERVATORS AND SCIENTISTS SPECIALIZING IN THE CARE OF PAINTINGS, OBJECTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, WORKS ON PAPER, TEXTILES, AND FRAMES UNDERTOOK AND COLLABORATED ON TREATMENTS, EXAMINATIONS, AND RESEARCH TO PRESERVE THE COLLECTION AND IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WORKS OF ART. THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S CONSERVATORS PERFORMED FORTY-SEVEN MAJOR TREATMENTS, 228 MINOR TREATMENTS, 123 MAJOR EXAMINATIONS, 1618 MINOR EXAMINATIONS, AND 1,399 CONDITION EXAMINATIONS FOR EXHIBITIONS. MATTING AND FRAMING STAFF PREPARED 678 WORKS OF ART FOR DISPLAY AND STORAGE AND THE FRAME CONSERVATOR TREATED THIRTY FRAMES. THE PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION TEAM PLACED SIX PAINTINGS IN MICROCLIMATE PACKAGES FOR LOANS TO INSTITUTIONS WITH ENVIRONMENTS THAT DO NOT MEET NATIONAL GALLERY STANDARDS. CONSERVATION SCIENTISTS COMPLETED FOURTEEN ANALYSIS REPORTS TO SUPPORT INVESTIGATION AND TREATMENTS OF WORKS AND CO-AUTHORED FIVE RESEARCH PAPERS PUBLISHED IN THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. NOTABLE TREATMENTS AND EXAMINATIONS FOLLOW:OBJECT CONSERVATORS COMPLETED TREATMENT OF A FOURTEENTH-CENTURY SPANISH ENAMELED CIBORIUM TO ADDRESS CORROSION AT THE INTERFACE OF THE GILDED-COPPER ALLOY AND THE UNSTABLE GLASS ENAMEL. CHRISTOPHER WOOL'S TWISTED BRONZE, COPPER-PLATED STAINLESS STEEL, AND STAINLESS-STEEL WORK, "UNTITLED", THE NEWEST ACQUISITION TO THE SCULPTURE GARDEN, REQUIRED MAJOR EFFORT AND COLLABORATION ACROSS THE NATIONAL GALLERY. EXAMINATIONS OF FOURTEEN WORKS MADE FROM UNCONVENTIONAL/NON-TRADITIONAL MATERIALS FROM THE SOULS GROWN DEEP FOUNDATION WERE PERFORMED PRIOR TO MUCH NEEDED TREATMENT, IN ANTICIPATION OF A FORTHCOMING EXHIBITION. PHOTOGRAPH CONSERVATORS COMPLETED NUMEROUS EXAMINATIONS, TWENTY-TWO MAJOR TREATMENTS AND THIRTY-ONE MINOR TREATMENTS, MOST IN PREPARATION FOR THE EXHIBITIONS "JAMES VAN DER ZEE'S PHOTOGRAPHS: A PORTRAIT OF HARLEM AND NEW WOMAN BEHIND THE CAMERA". PAPER CONSERVATORS COMPLETED NUMEROUS MINOR TREATMENTS, INCLUDING THE REATTACHMENT OF LIFTING AREAS OF A DRAGONFLY WING IN JORIS HOEFNAGEL'S "IGNIS". THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S CONSERVATORS AND SCIENTISTS ARE MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO AN EFFORT TO DEVELOP TESTING STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR EXHIBITION, STORAGE AND CONSERVATION MATERIALS THAT MIGHT AFFECT WORKS OF ART TO ESTABLISH GUIDELINES FOR BEST PRACTICES AND INNOVATIVE DESIGNS. CONSERVATION DIVISION STAFF PARTICIPATED IN NUMEROUS VIRTUAL PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES, INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS COMMITTEES, PUBLISHED ARTICLES IN PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS AND IN "FACTURE", A BIENNIAL JOURNAL THAT CELEBRATES THE PERMANENT COLLECTION OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART. NAMED FOR "THE MANNER IN WHICH THINGS ARE MADE," THE FACTURE SERIES EXPLORES THEMES IN THE MATERIALITY AND HISTORY OF ART, ADDRESSING ALL ASPECTS OF THE DISCIPLINE FROM CONSERVATION TREATMENT AND HISTORY TO TECHNICAL ART HISTORY AND FUNDAMENTAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

EDUCATION, GALLERY SHOPS AND PUBLIC PROGRAMSFISCAL YEAR 2021 BEGAN WITH THE PANDEMIC STILL IN FULL SWING. CONSEQUENTLY, MOST IN-PERSON PROGRAMS CONTINUED TO BE ON HOLD. IN RESPONSE, THE EDUCATION TEAM AND OTHER NATIONAL GALLERY STAFF WORKED TIRELESSLY TO PIVOT, SHOWING UP FOR AUDIENCES IN NEW AND CREATIVE WAYS. THE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE DIVISION CONTINUED TO PROVIDE TRANSFORMATIVE DIGITAL CONTENT AND SOLUTIONS DURING THE CONTINUING GLOBAL PANDEMIC. COINCIDING WITH THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S REBRAND, WE OVERHAULED OUR EXISTING WEBSITE'S LOOK-AND-FEEL DURING THE FISCAL YEAR. TO IMPROVE THE ACCESSIBILITY OF OUR WEBSITE, A MAJOR PROJECT TRAINED DOZENS OF NATIONAL GALLERY STAFF TO DELIVER OVER 500 'ALT TEXT' DESCRIPTIONS, READABLE BY SCREEN-READING SOFTWARE, FOR OUR MOST POPULAR ARTWORKS. APPROXIMATELY HALF OF OUR 5.6 MILLION ONLINE VISITORS ENGAGED VIA MOBILE DEVICES, GIVING US AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPLEMENT ENHANCED MOBILE-RESPONSIVE DESIGNS ACROSS OUR SHOPS AND NGA.GOV SITE. ALONGSIDE THE NEWLY BRANDED WEBSITES WE LAUNCHED A SERIES OF NEW INITIATIVES, INCLUDING THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S FIRST PODCAST, "SOUND THOUGHTS ON ART". ONLINE VIDEO VIEWS TOPPED 960,368, AND WE ADDED NEARLY 8,000 YOUTUBE SUBSCRIBERS. OUR AUDIO FEEDS - OF LECTURES AND THE NEW "SOUND THOUGHTS ON ART" PODCAST - RECEIVED OVER 500,000 PLAYS.THE EDUCATION DIVISION HAS LEVERAGED EXISTING DIGITAL RESOURCES AND NOW OFFERS A ROBUST SUITE OF VIRTUAL PROGRAMS AND NEW RESOURCES TO CONNECT PEOPLE OF ALL AGES WITH ART AND EACH OTHER REMOTELY. IN FISCAL YEAR 2021, WE REACHED A TOTAL OF 57,157 PEOPLE THROUGH LIVE VIRTUAL PROGRAMS AND 105,141 PEOPLE WITH OUR PRE-RECORDED CONTENT INCLUDING LECTURES, FILM SCREENINGS, PODCAST EPISODES, MEDIATION VIDEOS, ETC. A VIRTUAL CINEMA PROGRAM WAS OFFERED WITH FILM STREAMING 24/7 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IN TOTAL, 115 TITLES WERE STREAMED WITH 36,142 VIEWS. ADDITIONALLY, FORTY-EIGHT MILLION PEOPLE ENGAGED WITH DIGITAL RESOURCES AND FILMS SHOWN ON PUBLIC TELEVISION, A THIRTY-SEVEN PERCENT INCREASE OVER FISCAL YEAR 2020.WHILE MAINTAINING SOCIAL DISTANCE AND MASKING PROTOCOLS, HYBRID ONSITE EXPERIENCES SERVED 17,836 PEOPLE. IN JULY, 15,000 FREE SKETCHBOOKS AND PENCILS WERE OFFERED TO ALL VISITORS AS PART OF THE "SKETCHING IS SEEING" PROGRAM, WHICH ENCOURAGES VISITORS TO SLOW DOWN AND CONNECT WITH ART VIA DRAWING. A SERIES OF GARDEN CONCERTS WERE DESIGNED FOR THE SCULPTURE GARDEN, AND IN SEPTEMBER, THE EDUCATION DIVISION HELD A COMMUNITY CELEBRATION IN HONOR OF ALMA THOMAS, THE FORMER ARTIST AND TEACHER FROM WASHINGTON, DC, NOW RECOGNIZED AS A MAJOR AMERICAN PAINTER OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. RECOGNIZING THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON SCHOOLS, NATIONAL GALLERY STAFF DISSEMINATED PHYSICAL MATERIALS IN HONOR OF ALMA THOMAS VIA THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA'S PUBLIC-SCHOOL INITIATIVE, THE "DCPS ARTS PROGRAM", WHICH SHIPPED ART-MAKING MATERIALS TO 10,216 DCPS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS. ADDITIONALLY, 13,425 "ART TALES" RESOURCES FOR PRESCHOOLERS WERE DISTRIBUTED TO AUDIENCES BOTH ON- AND OFF-SITE. THE ANNUAL "SUMMER TEACHER INSTITUTE" WAS OFFERED ONLINE AND SERVED DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS HISTORICALLY SERVED ON-SITE. PAID INTERNSHIPS, INCLUDING A PARTNERSHIP WITH DC'S SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM, THE MUSEUM ASSISTANTS PROGRAM, CONTINUED IN A VIRTUAL ITERATION TO SUPPORT ASPIRING MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS. IT HAS BEEN HEARTENING TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE PARTICIPATE WITH ENTHUSIASM IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S ONLINE AND HYBRID OFFERINGS, WHICH ARE PROVIDING SOME RESPITE AND SENSE OF COMMUNITY FOR AUDIENCES IN WASHINGTON, ACROSS THE NATION, AND AROUND THE WORLD.THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S LIBRARY ADDED 6,217 BOOKS AND 129 E-BOOKS TO ITS HOLDINGS, IN ADDITION TO 526 AUCTION CATALOGS AND 26,226 IMAGES. THE RARE BOOK COLLECTION ADDED EIGHTY-THREE TITLES, INCLUDING A BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED "BOOK OF HOURS" PUBLISHED BY SIMON VOSTRE (PARIS, 1498). IT IS ONLY THE THIRD KNOWN COPY, AND THE ONLY COPY OUTSIDE OF ITALY, OF GIOVANNI GUERRA'S EMBLEMS DESIGNED FOR POPE SIXTUS V AND USED EXTENSIVELY IN THE FRESCO DECORATION OF THE POPE'S BUILDING PROJECTS. THE LIBRARY ALSO ACQUIRED A GROUP OF 960 EXTENSIVELY ANNOTATED AUCTION CATALOGS PUBLISHED BETWEEN 1866 AND 1923 BY CHRISTIE'S LONDON. THE LIBRARY'S IMAGE COLLECTIONS ADDED 700 RARE IMAGES, INCLUDING FIFTY-FOUR PHOTOGRAPHS OF SCULPTURE BY ALBERT RUDOMINE, SIX PAPER NEGATIVES BY THE PIONEERING BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHER THOMAS KEITH (C.1854-56), AND FIFTY-FOUR ARTISTS' PORTRAITS BY MAGNUM PHOTOGRAPHER WAYNE F. MILLER. THE READER SERVICES DEPARTMENT ANSWERED 2,238 INQUIRIES, WELCOMED 124 NEW READERS AMONG 824 VISITORS ON SITE, AND RECORDED 144,557 UNIQUE VISITS TO THE LIBRARY'S WEB PAGES. THE DEPARTMENT LOANED 942 TITLES TO UNIVERSITIES AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN FORTY-SIX STATES AND SEVENTEEN COUNTRIES, AND OFFERED TWELVE VIRTUAL PROGRAMS ON CONDUCTING PROVENANCE RESEARCH AND USING THE LIBRARY'S DIGITAL RESOURCES. LIBRARY STAFF PRODUCED 27,304 SCANS FROM ITS SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND IMPORTED 141,772 DIGITAL IMAGES CREATED BETWEEN 2018 AND 2020 TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S DIGITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. IMAGE COLLECTIONS STAFF AUGMENTED RECORDS AND ADDED OVER 100 DIGITAL IMAGES TO WIKIMEDIA AND COMPLETED FORTY-FIVE REPRODUCTION AGREEMENTS FOR 357 IMAGES FROM ITS HOLDINGS FOR PRINT AND BROADCAST PUBLICATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE, AUSTRALIA, AND JAPAN.THE GALLERY'S CENTER FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN THE VISUAL ARTS (THE CENTER), FOUNDED IN 1979, CONTINUED ITS SUPPORT AND ENHANCEMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP IN ART AND ARCHITECTURE THROUGH FELLOWSHIPS, RESEARCH, SCHOLARLY MEETINGS, AND PUBLICATIONS. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CENTER'S FISCAL YEAR 2021 PROGRAMS INCLUDE THE SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG LECTURE ON ITALIAN ART, "TELLING THE PAST DIFFERENTLY: ITALIAN RENAISSANCE ART IN THE HANDS OF THE BEHOLDER; THE WYETH FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN ART SYMPOSIUM, "FEMINISM IN AMERICAN ART HISTORY; THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC SYMPOSIUM IN THE HISTORY OF ART, COSPONSORED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND; AND THE JAMES A. PORTER COLLOQUIUM ON AFRICAN AMERICAN ART AND ART OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA, COSPONSORED WITH HOWARD UNIVERSITY.THIS YEAR THE CENTER WELCOMED FELLOWS IN RESIDENCE AFFILIATED WITH INSTITUTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND FELLOWS JOINED THE CENTER'S PROGRAMS VIRTUALLY FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE, AND ASIA. THROUGH A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SMITHSONIAN LATINO CENTER, THE CENTER WELCOMED A REMOTE INTERN WHO WORKED WITH AFRO-ATLANTIC HISTORIES TEAM MEMBERS ON OBJECT RESEARCH AND EXHIBITION DESIGN. IN ADDITION, A MULTI-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE PAID INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HOWARD UNIVERSITY WAS ANNOUNCED BY THE CENTER. THIS FOUR-YEAR PILOT PROGRAM AIMS TO CREATE PATHWAYS TO CAREERS IN MUSEUMS AND ARTS-RELATED ORGANIZATIONS FOR STUDENTS ATTENDING HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS THAT SERVE POPULATIONS UNDERREPRESENTED IN MUSEUMS AND ACADEMIA.

SPECIAL EXHIBITIONSAN INTEGRAL ASPECT OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S PROGRAMMING IS ORGANIZING AND PRESENTING SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS OF MAJOR WORKS OF ART LENT FROM PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS AROUND THE WORLD, HIGHLIGHTING THE BREADTH OF ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ALL FORMS. THROUGH COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER NATIONS AND MUSEUMS, SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS BRING TOGETHER GREAT WORKS OF ART AND CONTRIBUTE TO SCHOLARSHIP IN THE FIELD. FIVE EXHIBITIONS WERE PRESENTED DURING THE FISCAL YEAR. EXHIBITIONS CONTINUING FROM THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING: "PAINTING FROM NATURE: EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE SKETCHES, 1770-1870" PRESENTED MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED OF THESE SKETCHES FROM FOUR MAJOR COLLECTIONS - THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON; THE FONDATION CUSTODIA, PARIS; THE FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM, CAMBRIDGE; AND A PREEMINENT PRIVATE COLLECTION. MARKING THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF RAPHAEL'S DEATH, THE NATIONAL GALLERY PRESENTED "RAPHAEL AND HIS CIRCLE", COMPRISED OF TWO DOZEN PRINTS AND DRAWINGS FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S COLLECTION, IN AN INTIMATE INSTALLATION. CELEBRATING THE 350TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE PARIS OPERA, "DEGAS AT THE OPERA" BROUGHT TOGETHER APPROXIMATELY ONE HUNDRED OF THE ARTIST'S MOST EXTRAORDINARY WORKS FROM PRIVATE AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE, AND JAPAN.TWO ADDITIONAL EXHIBITIONS OPENED DURING FISCAL YEAR 2021. "ARTISTS PROJECTS: SARAH CAIN, AVISH KHEBREHZADEH, KAY ROSEN" PRESENTED INSTALLATIONS BY THREE COMMISSIONED ARTISTS THAT TRANSFORMED TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION WALLS AND EMPTY SPACES OUTSIDE AND INSIDE THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S EAST BUILDING DURING THE TIME THE BUILDING'S SKYLIGHTS WERE BEING REPLACED. SARAH CAIN CREATED "MY FAVORITE SEASON IS THE FALL OF THE PATRIARCHY", A FORTY-FIVE-FOOT-LONG ABSTRACT PAINTING INSTALLED ON A TEMPORARY WALL PROTECTING PERMANENT COLLECTION SCULPTURES. EVOKING QUESTIONS ABOUT MIGRATIONS, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND HUMAN NATURE, AVISH KHEBREHZADEH CREATED "SEVEN SILENT SONGS", A VIDEO ANIMATION MADE FROM THOUSANDS OF DRAWINGS OF ANIMALS AND HUMANS IN NATURE. THE DRAWINGS WERE DIGITIZED, EDITED, AND SET IN MOTION IN SIX LINKED ANIMATIONS THAT LOOPED TO MAKE A SEVENTH OVERALL WORK. KAY ROSEN CREATED "SORRY" FOR THE FAADE OF THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO THE EAST BUILDING. BY COMBINING THE WORD "SORRY" WITH VARIATIONS ON "SO", THE WORK GENERATED A RANGE OF EXPRESSIONS, FROM A HALF-HEARTED TO A SINCERE APOLOGY.LYNDA BENGLIS'S GROUNDBREAKING WORK HAS INFLUENCED GENERATIONS OF ARTISTS SINCE 1966 WHEN SHE FIRST CREATED HER EXPERIMENTAL OBJECTS IN WAX, DYE, AND PIGMENT APPLIED TO CANVAS AND BOARD. "LYNDA BENGLIS" BROUGHT TOGETHER THIRTY-THREE OF BENGLIS'S SCULPTURES, PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, PRINTS AND VIDEOS IN A VARIETY OF MATERIALS (LATEX, WAX, GLASS, GLITTER, GAUZE, PLASTER, METAL, WATERCOLOR, AND COLLAGE).DURING THE FISCAL YEAR, 189 LENDERS FROM EIGHTEEN COUNTRIES AND TWENTY-FOUR STATES LOANED 386 WORKS OF ART TO FIVE EXHIBITIONS (THREE SPECIAL LOAN EXHIBITIONS AND TWO IN-HOUSE EXHIBITIONS). THE NATIONAL GALLERY ALSO WORKED ON TWENTY-THREE ADDITIONAL PROJECTS SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS AND ADMINISTERED TOURS OF TWO EXHIBITIONS.

ART ACQUISITIONS AND EDITORIAL AND PHOTOGRAPHY