The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, D.C., is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States by loaning masterpieces from its permanent collection to 10 museums across the country. The “Across the Nation” program will bring works by renowned artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Mark Rothko to institutions in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Utah, and Washington. NGA director Kaywin Feldman said, “This program is the manifestation of the National Gallery’s vision as the nation’s art museum, and we are thrilled to bring some of the most beloved works from the nation’s collection of art directly into communities across the country.”
Four museums have already opened their displays with the NGA loans.
The Anchorage Museum in Alaska showcases paintings by O’Keeffe, Rothko, and Nancy Graves. The Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington, features Impressionist works by Henri Matisse, Auguste Renoir, and Paul Cézanne. Rembrandt’s “A Woman Holding a Pink” (1656) is currently on view at the Denver Art Museum alongside portraits and other 17th-century works.
The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art in Salt Lake City has a large-scale wall drawing by Sol LeWitt on display.
Loaned masterpieces from the NGA
Later this month, the Boise Art Museum will present works by Rothko, Berthe Morisot, and Thomas Eakins.
The Flint Institute of Arts in Michigan will exhibit pieces by Botticelli, Hans Memling, and Andy Warhol, covering nearly five centuries of art history. The Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, will display paintings by O’Keeffe, Alma Thomas, and Edgar Degas. The Nevada Museum of Art in Reno will host the NGA’s traveling exhibition “Dorothea Lange: Seeing People,” which first debuted in 2023.
The final sets of loans will be showcased in May. The Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa, will present 10 historical works from Northern Europe, dating from 1537 to 1700, by artists including Lucas Cranach the Elder, Anthony van Dyck, and Frans Hals. The New Britain Museum of Art in Connecticut will exhibit paintings by Robert Duncanson and Winslow Homer.
The NGA’s “Across the Nation” initiative aims to make art accessible to broader audiences as the museum navigates its role as a federal agency in the nation’s capital.
