Caught in the Act: The Artist at Work
March 23–May 17, 2009
East Building Ground Level, Library
In 2008 Paul Katz, an artist and photographer for the Guggenheim Museum, donated to the National Gallery of Art Library more than 1,500 images depicting Jasper Johns, Alfred Jensen, and other friends in the Manhattan art world of the 1960s through 1980s. Capturing both introspective moments and expressive gestures, Katz took not only posed shots and portraits but also multiple frames of the artists at work. Our online slideshow offers a selection of images exhibited in Caught in the Act: The Artist at Work, Selections from the Paul Katz Archive and Related Collections, on view through May 17.
The Fifty-Eighth A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts
Picasso and Truth
March 22–May 3 at 2:00 p.m.
Timothy James Clark, George C. and Helen N. Pardee Chair and professor of modern art, University of California, Berkeley
In anticipation of high attendance, this program will be simulcast in the East Building Small Auditorium. The program will also be recorded and a screening of the recording will be shown the week after each lecture, on Wednesday, in the West Building Lecture Hall at 12:30 p.m.
Participate in a seminar-style luncheon discussion of art history readings followed by a gallery tour of relevant art. Participants may bring their own lunch or purchase it prior to class in the Cascade Café. Preregistration is required and limited to 25 participants per session. Click here to register.
Gauguin on Primitivism
Diane Arkin
May 4, 18 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00p.m.
East Building Concourse, Education Studio
Read in advance: Paul Gauguin’s writings on primitivism
Paul Gauguin's writings on the topic of primitivism are available in Herschel B. Chipp's Theories of Modern Art, A Source Book by Artists and Critics (University of California Press, 1968), pages 78–86. For those wishing to purchase this important source book, reprints are available in the Gallery Shops bookstores or from online booksellers.
Subscribe to Our New Exhibitions Newsletter
In addition to our e-mail newsletters tailored to general visitors to our Web site, educators, and families, the Gallery now offers a special newsletter devoted to exhibitions. Visitors may sign up on our Web site to receive notices shortly before the opening and closing dates of shows and installations.
Hunt for Treasures in the West Building
Five new scavenger hunts—designed for ages 5 and under, 6–8, 9–12, 13–16, and 17 and up, respectively—may now be downloaded from our Web site. The treasure hunts encourage art lovers of all ages to seek out masterpieces in the National Gallery, and then solve riddles, match details, and unscramble clues about them.
www.nga.gov/education/classroom/pdf/hunt.ages5under.pdf (ages 5 and under)
www.nga.gov/education/classroom/pdf/hunt.ages6to8.pdf (ages 6 to 8)
www.nga.gov/education/classroom/pdf/hunt.ages9to12.pdf (ages 9 to 12)
www.nga.gov/education/classroom/pdf/hunt.ages13to16.pdf (ages 13 to 16)
www.nga.gov/education/classroom/pdf/hunt.ages17up.pdf (ages 17 and up)
Heaven on Earth: Manuscript Illuminations from the National Gallery of Art
Through August 2, 2009
Rare medieval manuscript illuminations, last exhibited in 1975, will be showcased in a stunning installation, Heaven on Earth: Manuscript Illuminations from the National Gallery of Art. This exhibition offers the first in-depth look at these rare medieval manuscript illuminations from 52 single leaves and 4 bound volumes, among them a number of important recent acquisitions, which date from the 12th to the 16th century and were made in France, Germany, Austria, Bohemia, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy.
Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age
Through May 3, 2009
The recently opened exhibition Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age explores a new genre of painting that emerged in the 17th century: the cityscape. Fostered by a booming economy, the towns and cities of the Dutch Republic were a source of enormous civic pride, a pride that is visually expressed in these panoramas of the urban skyline and scenes of daily life. Our Web feature offers slideshows, grouped by city, that pair artworks with modern-day photographs of locations in Amsterdam, the Hague, Dordrecht, Middleburg, and Nijmegen. Additional online resources, including the NGAkids "Dutch Dollhouse" interactive, related online tours, and information on family weekends and lectures, can be accessed on our Web site.
In the Tower: Philip Guston
Through September 13, 2009
An exhibition, on view February 1 through September 13, 2009, of work by American artist Philip Guston (1913–1980) launches a series of shows in the East Building Tower Gallery that will focus on developments in art since 1970. A video screened in the exhibition explores Guston's life and the inspiration for his work. The artist is also discussed by Barbara Tempchin and Harry Cooper, curator of modern and contemporary art, National Gallery of Art, in a Backstory podcast.
The Gibbs-Coolidge Set of Presidential Portraits
West Building, Main Floor Gallery 65
In time for the inauguration of the forty-fourth president of the United States, the Gallery has installed Gilbert Stuart's iconic paintings of the country's first five presidents. These portraits of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe have come to define how the nation remembers and pictures these famous men. They will be on view with other fine examples of Stuart's American portraits from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
We would like to hear from you. Please tell us about your visit to the National Gallery of Art. If you would like a reply, please be sure to include your e-mail address.
Plan your visit to the National Gallery with these maps of must-see works.
(Download Acrobat Reader)
Less Than an Hour? West Building Highlights (PDF 224k)
Less Than an Hour? West Building Sculpture Highlights (PDF 136k)
East Building Highlights (PDF 360k)
Sculpture Garden (PDF 270k)
Treasure Hunts: West Building Main Floor (PDF 69–110k)
Ages: 5 and Under | 6 to 8 | 9 to 12 | 13 to 16 | 17 and Wiser
Calendar of Events
Find out what's happening this month at
the National Gallery of Art. To obtain a free bimonthly calendar of events by mail, call (202) 842-6662, or contact us by e-mail at calendar@nga.gov.The current bimonthly Calendar of Events is available in PDF format. (Download Acrobat Reader)
Film Calendar
To obtain a free quarterly film calendar by mail,
contact us by e-mail at film-department@nga.gov.
Please include your mailing address. The current bimonthly Film Calendar is available in PDF format. (Download Acrobat Reader)
Subscribe
Subscribe to the Gallery's "What's New" RSS feed to receive new updates automatically. Help