III 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 527 

Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the opening of the National Gallery 

of Art. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 12, 2016 

Mr. UDALL (for himself, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. CARDIN, Ms. WARREN, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. COCHRAN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mrs. MURRAY, Mrs. 

FEINSTEIN, Mr. HEINRICH, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. PETERS, Mrs. BOXER, 

and Ms. COLLINS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Rules and Administration 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the opening of the 

National Gallery of Art. 

Whereas March 17, 2016, marked the 75th anniversary of 

the opening of the National Gallery of Art (in this preamble referred to as the ‘‘Gallery’’); 

Whereas the Gallery is the culmination of the dream of Andrew Mellon to endow a true national gallery in Washington, DC; 

Whereas President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the 75th 

Congress recognized the importance of this monumental 


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SRES 527 ATS 

gift to the people of the United States by quickly accepting the gift of Mr. Mellon on behalf of the United States; 

Whereas the landmark buildings of the Gallery were given to 

the people of the United States as gifts by Andrew Mellon and his children, Paul Mellon and Ailsa Mellon 

Bruce; 

Whereas the agreement to place the Gallery on the National 

Mall, side-by-side with the monuments most meaningful 

to the people of the United States, symbolized the importance of art in the life of the United States; 

Whereas the extraordinary collection of Mr. Mellon of 153 

works of art served as a magnet to attract other gifts 

from across the United States and established the highest 

standard of quality for the works of art, resulting in one 

of the finest collections in the world, with more than 

144,000 works; 

Whereas the collections of the Gallery have grown entirely 

through private donations from generous individuals in 

service to all of the people of the United States; 

Whereas the Gallery epitomizes the fruitful collaboration of 

the United States Government and the people of the 

United States in creating a great institution dedicated to 

art, education, and service; 

Whereas all subsequent Presidents and Congresses have supported the Gallery by providing for the protection and 

care of the collection; 

Whereas Federal support and donations of extraordinary art 

from generous individuals in the United States have resulted in the most successful public-private partnership in 

the United States, hosting more than 250,000,000 visitors from every State and from other countries to demVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:33 Sep 29, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR527.ATS SR527

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onstrate the commitment of the United States to promoting the shared cultural heritage of all humanity; 

Whereas the permanent collection of the Gallery comprises 

masterpieces of art from Europe and the United States 

from the Renaissance period to the present day; 

Whereas some 1,200 temporary exhibitions have brought 

great art from throughout the world, from a wide range 

of cultures and time periods, to the people of the United 

States; 

Whereas the Gallery has set a standard of generosity in lending works of art to museums throughout the United 

States and in sending those works as ambassadors of 

good will to countries throughout the world; 

Whereas, for 75 years, the Gallery has served as both trustee 

of the fine arts collection of the United States and as an 

active and vigorous educational resource, serving hundreds of thousands of students who visit Washington, 

DC; 

Whereas, since its founding, the Gallery has provided art education programs without charge to students in elementary 

and secondary schools and at institutions of higher learning in every State; 

Whereas, through the support of Andrew Mellon and his son 

Paul, the Gallery serves as an international center for 

scholarship and research and is a leader in internationally published conservation and research; 

Whereas the Gallery is home to a superb center for advanced 

studies in the visual arts that brings new insights to the 

humane heritage of mankind both nationally and internationally; 


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Whereas the Gallery has created a major art research library, 

housing a collection of more than 400,000 books, periodicals, and documents on the history, theory, and criticism 

of art and architecture, and an image collection of some 

13,000,000 photographs, slides, negatives, and microform 

images of Western art and architecture; 

Whereas, since 1942, the Gallery has sponsored more than 

3,100 free Sunday concerts featuring the National Gallery Orchestra as well as musicians and ensembles from 

around the world for the enjoyment of more than 

1,000,000 visitors, creating what is considered the oldest 

continuous series of free weekly concerts in Washington, 

DC; 

Whereas, to facilitate learning, enrichment, enjoyment, and 

exploration, the Gallery has expanded its educational mission by providing free downloads of more than 45,000 

digital images of works from its collection through its innovative web service, NGAImages; and 

Whereas the Gallery provides permanence in an ever-changing world, maintaining a tangible record of human aspirations and values for the people of the United States: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of the open3 ing of the National Gallery of Art; 

4 (2) acknowledges the contribution of the Na5 tional Gallery of Art to the cultural life of the 

6 United States; 

7 (3) applauds the work of the National Gallery 

8 of Art to collect and preserve art, educate people in 


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1 the United States, and bring exciting exhibitions for 

2 all to enjoy; 

3 (4) commends the work of the staff of the Na4 tional Gallery of Art to ensure that all of the people 

5 of the United States have access to the highest qual6 ity art; and 

7 (5) continues to support the National Gallery of 

8 Art, a great national treasure. 

Æ 


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