National Gallery of Art

6th & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565, USA

Address:	6th & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565, USA
Phone:	+1 202-737-4215
Site:	nga.gov
Rating:	4.6
Working:	10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 11AM–6PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 7

Phillip Jo

Location: 5/5. It is easily accessible by metro and walking around the district is pleasant. Collection: 4/5. The collection here is expansive and great including 18th century furniture, sculptures, impressionist art, Americana, Greco-Roman and etc. My only hit against it is that there isnt much Eastern Asian art, but looking at contemporary trends, if they were it would probably have been stolen. They also have some iconic Monets, Degas, Cassat, and etc. The modern Art side also has a vast collection including cubism and contemporary. The sculpture garden is also gorgeous. Although they dont change throughout the year for obvious reasons (the scale of some is magnificent), there is a fountain in the center which is beautiful in the Spring and an ice ring in the Winter. Special Exhibits: 4/5. The curator at this museum does really well to create novel exhibitions throughout the year. There are usually always worth seeing, unique, and expansive. I particularly enjoyed the Dutch Masters a year ago in Atlanta and then again here as Vermeer is one of my favorites ( who can argue with his masterful use of lighting and shadow). Food: There are two places to eat. The second floor (the same one as the entrance) has a small cafe to dine in. They run from 15-30 dollars. The connector between the wings also has a small buffet style place to eat and another cafe that sells gellato. In my honest opinion, the gellato here is something you should try. It is the perfect balance of sweet and thickness. The flavors are colorful and diverse but all the ones I tried are full and distinct. Conclusion: A great gallery with a diverse selections and unique exhibits that is always worth a repeat visit either as a tourist or a long term resident.

Raul de Leon

How can you get kids interested in art if they are not welcome at all! I went to visit with my 3 kids (10, 7 and 5). We live in the area but I was waiting for the right time to go as I was hoping to get them interested in art at a young age. Unfortunately my experience was really bad. The museum is great as it hosts great works of art, however almost every person I interacted was either a snob (very common on people interested in art for some reason) or plain rude. As soon as we entered the very first room, my 7 year old got to about 2 feet from a painting pointing at something he liked. My wife quickly stopped him and started explaining that he needed to stay away from the art. Even though she stopped him in time and we clearly had the kids under control, a security guard came and started scolding my son. My son got really scared, sat on a sofa and started sobbing silently, since he wanted to cover his face he put his legs on the sofa to cover his face with his knees. The guard came to him again and told him he needed to take his shoes off the (very cheap and plastic) sofa. I told the guard he was overreacting since he was just a kid and then he started with his typical speech of "you cannot tell me how to do my work" and actually asked us to leave the room. We did not leave the museum but you can imagine the kids have no interest on ever going to that museum again, and neither do I. I have great respect for the Smithsonian as an institution and love all other museums, however I was deeply sadden with the experience. I really cannot imagine how art can be promoted to kids if they are not welcome at all.

Cortney Jonas-Burnos

We only had time for one art museum, so I chose the National Gallery over the Smithsonian. I am so glad I did! I saw Van Gogh, DaVinci, Renoir, Matisse, Cezanne, Gaugin and Raphael, as well as many others. The volunteers throughout were helpful and kind. I paid $1 for a map in the lobby and used it to navigate to the key areas of the West building while we were there. The map organized the galleries by geography/time period. In order to locate the pieces I came to see, I had to research extensively online to find out what was in the collection and correlate those to the gallery numbers. The museum would benefit from adding a couple of stars or pointers on the maps to major works - which are not highlighted in any way with signage outside the gallery or on the maps. This gallery is not very accessible to art "beginners." The collection is so extensive, I could imagine a group of high school kids getting lost and bored before they saw any major works. My advice to those leading large groups would be to find major works online using the artists I mentioned as a guide and note the gallery numbers. Plan a walking tour using an online map in advance.

Nestor Ramirez

El museo se compone de dos edificios unidos por un pasaje subterráneo. El edificio original, que actualmente se conoce como edificio oeste, se abrió el 17 de marzo de 1941. Fue considerado el mayor de su época construido en mármol. Es de diseño neoclásico, con un pórtico con columnas y una bóveda que recuerdan el Panteón de Agripa. También tiene unas alas simétricas a ambos lados de la cúpula. El proyecto es de John Rusell Pope, cuya otra gran obra en Washington también incluye una cúpula, el Monumento a Jefferson.

Marc DUPUY

Un musée superbe qui présente une collection d’œuvres européennes superbe et variée. Riche en thématiques (peinture flamande, renaissance italienne, baroque espagnol, impressionnisme français), il n’en oublie pas les USA et la présentation de l’impressionnisme de peintres américains. Les peintres européens sont à l’honneur, comme De Vinci, Monet, Rembrandt, Courbet… Ainsi que les sculpteurs comme Rodin. Un musée impressionnant et un des plus beaux qui me soit donné de voir !

Yura Kim

In the West building there is a huge selection of paintings and sculptures from every era and every continent. The museum map is very useful and many rooms contain pamphlets with additional information. Ive been here the separate times and was amazed each time. The museum is curated beautifully. I would suggest navigating the maze of rooms by number and reading the plaques along the way. Take special note as youre guided through different art periods the rooms containing them change in style and building material. Special care was taken in a lot details and if you look closely youll find these hidden treasures. There is an underground tunnel connecting the West building with the smaller East building that contains post modern art. There is a cafeteria where you can grab lunch and some gelato. Its a little pricey, but thats to be expected. The East building was under reservation when I went.

Li Zhao

I spend a whole afternoon at this museum and its definitely worth it. It has fatastic drawings and the museum is huge. They had west buildings and east building. Its better for you to rent a audio guide to understand the artists point of view in the drawings. You just enter the code under the drawing and then the audio guide will show the picture which is above the code that you just enter. The had a special code for kids and the audio will be easier and funnier. You can change the audio guide if you go from a building to another. Every building has the audio but you must return to where you rent it. Oh I forgot the most important part, the audio guide is FREE. The museum requires cafeteria but the food were really expensive.The gift shop is amazing to. They have magic cards and books and pencils and other fun staff.