National Gallery of Art

Last Sunday my mom and I went to the National Gallery of Art.  I had been there once before, with only enough time to view the first wing I came to.  I thought it was neat, but was unimpressed by the barrage of French, Dutch, and Flemmish artists I had never heard of.  Alison fell asleep.

This time, we happened to start on the lower level at a temporary exhibit, From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection, and walked straight into famous artist central.  The gallery may not have anyone's most famous piece, but they have a lot of big names and if I'd studied Art History, I may have been in heaven.  As it were, I have studied Spanish art and was excited to see several Picassos (one from his blue period, one from his cubism stage, and the others were earlier works), a room filled with El Greco, one Dali, a couple Velazquez, and a Goya or two.  In short, more Spanish art than I've seen since my last trip to Madrid going on eight years now.  Here's a sampling of some of the more interesting works they have at the gallery.

Degas - First painting you see in the Chester Dale Collection

Picasso

 

 Monet

 

 Da Vinci - The Gallery's crown jewel, this is the only Da Vinci work in the United States

The entire building itself is art, with marble columns, ancient wallpaper, gardens, and fountains.

It's a great place for babies who love to look and learn!