Release Date: October 14, 2005

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART CELEBRATES THE 2005 HOLIDAY SEASON

Washington, DC – The National Gallery of Art is celebrating the 2005 holiday season with free programs that include caroling, gallery talks, concerts, and a special lecture, as well as a Web feature, ice-skating, and festive holiday decorations. The restaurants are serving a selection of holiday favorites from around the world. Now open, the Holiday Shop offers seasonal items and art-related gifts, including the greeting card that is based on the Gallery's painting Madonna and Child (1413) by Lorenzo Monaco, which is also one of this year's U.S. Postal Service holiday stamps.

Beginning Saturday, December 3, hundreds of red and white poinsettias and an abundance of amaryllis plants will give the grand West Building Rotunda and Garden Courts a seasonal look. The following weekend, 12 Christmas trees adorned with sparkling white lights will be added.

GALLERY TALK AND LECTURE SERIES

The Christmas Story in Art, a 60-minute discussion about paintings in the permanent collection with holiday themes that tell the Christian story of the Incarnation of Jesus, will be led by Gallery lecturer J. Russell Sale, on December 2, 14, and 20, at 12 noon; on December 5, 16, 22, 28, and 29 at 1:00 p.m.; and on December 8, at 11:00 a.m., in the West Building Rotunda.

Sale also will conduct the six-part lecture series lecture series Christian Imagery in European Art, which explores major themes and symbols from the Old and New Testaments, as developed in imagery from the rise of Christianity through the 17th century. The Friday morning lectures are held in the East Building Auditorium at 10:15 a.m. Dates and topics are: October 21, Heroes and Heroines of the Old Testament; October 28, Images of the Youth and Public Ministry of Jesus; November 4, Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus; November 11, Mary, Angels, and the Saints; and on November 18, More Saints and the Last Judgment.

On November 27, at 1:00 p.m. and on December 9 and 10, at 2:00 p.m., Anna O. Marley, a graduate student lecturer, will lead a 30-minute gallery talk about paintings with winter scenes in the Gallery’s collection.

HOLIDAY CAROLING IN WEST BUILDING ROTUNDA

Caroling in the festively decorated West Building Rotunda has become a favorite family activity during the holiday season at the Gallery. Visitors are invited to sing along with guest choirs and ensembles in the West Building Rotunda at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. on December 10, 11, 17, and 18. Singers and listeners of all ages are welcome. Groups participating this year include:

December 10
The Fredericksburg Singers, Fredericksburg, VA

December 11
Annapolis Christian School Madrigal Singers, Annapolis, MD

December 17
Central Bucks High School West Chamber Choir, Doylestown, PA

December 18
Vocal and Handbell Choirs of Metropolitan Memorial United Church, Washington, DC

HOLIDAY CONCERTS

Concerts, offered on Sundays in the West Building, West Garden Court, are free to the public. Performances begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at approximately 8:00 p.m. Audiences are admitted on a first-come, first-seated basis starting at 6:00 p.m. The Garden Café remains open until 6:00 p.m. and the Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue entrance to the West Building remains open until 6:30 p.m. No entry or re-entry is allowed after 6:30 p.m.

December 18
Suspicious Cheese Lords Christmas Concert

January 8, 2006
National Gallery Orchestra Viennese New Year Concert
José Serebrier, guest conductor

WEB FEATURE

View a “streaming” slideshow and listen to audio by Gallery director Earl A. Powell III in a feature that explores The Adoration of the Magi (c. 1440/1460), a complex and colorful work from Renaissance Florence. Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi created The Adoration of the Magi, which tells the story of the three kings bringing gifts to the Christ Child 12 days after his birth. The online slideshow allows the viewer to examine details of the work while listening to an informative narrative. To learn more, visit: http://www.nga.gov/collection/adoration.shtm.

HOLIDAY SHOPS, RESTAURANTS, AND ICE RINK

The Gallery Shops offer a delightful array of distinctive art-related gifts, such as jewelry; scarves; illustrated books; wrapping paper; 2006 calendars, including the popular National Gallery of Art engagement calendar and this year’s Advent calendar, and a new ornament design inspired by the Gallery’s Renaissance collection. Holiday greeting cards include one based on this year’s U.S. Postal Service traditional holiday stamp featuring Lorenzo Monaco’s Madonna and Child (1413), from the Gallery’s collection. To browse through an assortment of Gallery exhibition catalogues and publications online, visit http://www.nga.gov/shop/.

Special refreshments—mulled cider, cocoa, and holiday sweets with an international flavor—can be purchased in the Espresso and Gelato Bar in the East Building concourse and in the Sculpture Garden Pavilion Café during the month of December. The Espresso and Gelato Bar will offer holiday flavors in the gelato and sorbetto selections, including apple cider, pumpkin, caramel apple, and peppermint candy cane. Hours are Monday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Ice Rink is open mid-November through mid-March, weather permitting. For current information, visit www.nga.gov/ginfo/skating.htm. During the skating season, the Pavilion Café is open Monday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

General Information

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov.

Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances. For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by the Gallery or its checkrooms.

For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:

Press Office
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov

Deborah Ziska
Chief of Press and Public Information
(202) 842-6353
ds-ziska@nga.gov

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