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National Gallery of Art - Architecture & Sculpture
Andrew W Mellon is one of the greatest men of the 20th Century, yet nobody knows his name. Besides extensive work in the government, he gave the nation the National Gallery. Mr. Mellon donated his vast collection of European art and a small fortune to build a museum to contain it. When the issue of naming the museum came up, he refused the honor of having it named for him, instead calling it the National Gallery so that others would donate art and so that the citizens of the United States would feel a real sense of ownership. Like the Smithsonian, the NGA is always free.
This section covers the architecture of the buildings - the West Building designed by John Russell Pope (1941) and the East Building designed by I.M. Pei (1978) - and the sculpture collection and Sculpture Garden. The Sculpture Garden is one of my favorite places in Washington - I dare you to walk amongst the art and not smile at much of it. One of my favorite pieces is here - House by Roy Lichtenstein - an optical illusion that photography can't quite convey the cleverness of. 
(211 photos in total)
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