Release Date: June 29, 2001

National Gallery of Art Expands Audio Program "The Director's Tour: Masterpieces at the National Gallery"

"We have expanded the tour to include paintings in almost every gallery in the West Building," said Earl A. Powell, III, director, National Gallery of Art. "Now visitors can learn more about such masterpieces as Titian's Venus with a Mirror, John Singleton Copley's Watson and the Shark, Johannes Vermeer's Girl with the Red Hat, and Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait."

Acoustiguide produced the audio program in conjunction with the National Gallery of Art. The tour is provided on Acoustiguide's state-of-the-art MP3 digital players. These lightweight wands, resembling elongated cell phones, are compatible with hearing aids and have special features for the visually impaired.

The Director's Tour: Masterpieces at the National Gallery is available for rental in the West Building Rotunda for $5, or $4 for senior citizens, students, and individuals in groups of 10 or more. The program complements the family audio program, Adventures in Art, also available for rental in the West Building, Rotunda for $3; for an additional $2, adults may rent an extra headphone to follow along.

The Director's Tour: Masterpieces at the National Gallery and Adventures in Art may be rented together for $7, or $6 for senior citizens, students, and individuals in groups of 10 or more. Second-day vouchers will be offered to visitors who cannot complete their tour in one day.

To celebrate the new version of The Director's Tour: Masterpieces at the National Gallery, visitors may enjoy 2-for-1 audio tour rentals 4 July through 6 July, subject to availability.

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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