The National Gallery of Art on the National Mall

The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW. Established in 1937 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, the museum was privately founded for the American people. Andrew W. Mellon, a Pittsburgh banker and Treasury Secretary from 1921 until 1932, donated a substantial art collection and provided the funds for construction.

During World War I, Mellon began gathering a private collection of old master paintings and sculptures. By the late 1920s, he decided to direct his collecting efforts toward a new national gallery. In 1930, he formed the A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust to serve as the legal owner of the works. Between 1930 and 1931, the Trust acquired 21 paintings from the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, including masterpieces by Raphael, Titian, and Jan van Eyck.

Designed by architect John Russell Pope, the original structure was completed and accepted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 17, 1941. At its inception, it was the largest marble structure in the world. The museum was later expanded in the 1970s with the construction of the East Building, funded by Andrew Mellon's children, Paul Mellon and Ailsa Mellon Bruce, and designed by I. M. Pei. The complex also includes the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, opened in 1999.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons