The National Gallery of Art opened to the public on this date in 1941 in Washington, D.C. Andrew W. Mellon, a financier and art collector who served as secretary of the treasury under four presidents, believed the United States should have a world-class national art museum comparable to those of other nations.
He wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to pitch the idea, offering the entirety of his art collection and saying he would build and finance it with his own funds. Roosevelt endorsed Mellon's offer, and Congress accepted his gift in 1937. Mellon died that year, however, prior to the building's dedication. His son, Paul Mellon, presented the museum to Roosevelt, who accepted it on behalf of the nation.
In the years since Andrew Mellon's first gift, the National Gallery of Art says, its collection has "grown to more than 150,000 works thanks to the generosity of other individuals and foundations." Here are some additional fun facts about the gallery, courtesy of the site archive of the DCist.
