Release Date: December 7, 2001

Visit the Holiday Shop at The National Gallery of Art

Washington, DC -- This holiday season the National Gallery of Art Shops offer a large selection of traditional and contemporary cards, ornaments, calendars, books, and compact disks in its annual Holiday Shop. The shop is located on the ground floor of the West Building adjacent to the Sixth Street entrance at Constitution Avenue, NW.

Traditional and Contemporary Cards
The Holiday Shop features a wide variety of both traditional and contemporary cards, highlighting works from the Gallery's collection as well as works from other internationally renowned art institutions. Traditional card subjects showcasing the Gallery's Italian Renaissance paintings include Raphael's The Small Cowper Madonna (20 card set) and The Adoration of the Magi (12 card set) by Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi. Ted Naos' 16-Point Ornament Star, which doubles as an ornament, typifies the originality of the contemporary card collection.

Ornaments
A selection of ornaments utilizing designs and patterns found in both decorative and fine arts is available in gold, silver, and porcelain reproductions. The Owen Jones Ornament, made of 24 kt gold electroplate, was inspired by a design found in Jones' Grammar of Ornament, from the National Gallery's collection of illustrated rare books. Several porcelain ornaments, including Heart Ornament, Snowflake Ornament, and Star Ornament, are available for the first time. They are derived from arabesque patterned designs by Swiss goldsmith Peter Flötner during the 16th century.

2002 Calendars, Holiday Books, Music, and More
Also available in this year's Holiday Shop are wall, engagement, and desk calendars; family-oriented activity kits; an Advent Calendar; Christmas and Hanukkah books; and festive gift wrap. The National Gallery of Art 2002 Engagement Calendar, a favorite among Gallery visitors, includes reproductions of some of the Gallery's most celebrated works. Among the Christmas activity kits available are Ornaments Inspired by Medieval Stained Glass, which includes a book about stained-glass and a set of six ornaments to paint, and Best-Loved Christmas Carols&--The Millennia Collection, a book/audio set including sheet music for carols. Holiday books include Robert Sabuda's The Christmas Alphabet and To Life! L'Chaim!: Prayers and Blessings for the Jewish Home by Rabbi Michael Shire.

How to Purchase
Items can be purchased in the Holiday Shop in the West Building, ground floor. A limited number of items can be purchased through mail order at (800) 697-9350 or (202) 842-6002, by fax at (202) 789-3047, or via e-mail at mailorder@nga.gov.

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

If you are a member of the press and would like to be added to our press list, click here.