National Gallery of Art: Washington D.C.

The National Gallery of Art was created in 1937 for the people of the United States of America by a joint resolution of Congress, accepting the gift of financier and art collector Andrew W. Mellon. The paintings and works of sculpture given by Andrew Mellon have formed a nucleus of high quality around which the collections have grown. Mr. Mellon’s hope that the newly created National Gallery would attract gifts from other collectors was soon realized in the form of major donations of art from Samuel H. Kress, Rush H. Kress, Joseph Widener, Chester Dale, Ailsa Mellon Bruce, Lessing J. Rosenwald, and Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch as well as individual gifts from hundreds of other donors.

West Building. Designed by John Russell Pope, the West Building includes European and American works. An extensive survey of Italian paintings and sculptures, including the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Western Hemisphere is presented here. Rich in Dutch masters and French impressionists, the collection offers superb surveys of American, British, Flemish, Spanish, and 15th-and 16th­century German art. Visitors are also invited to explore the Micro Gallery, a comprehensive interactive multimedia computer system.

East Building. Designed by I. M. Pei, the East Building opened to the public in 1978. Its galleries and exhibition spaces are especially suited for displaying contemporary art. Major 20th-century artists such as Alexander Calder, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko are represented in the collection. The East Building also houses the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, a research library, an extensive photographic archive, and administrative offices.

Sculpture Garden. The 6.1-acre National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden opened to the public in 1999. The dynamic and richly landscaped setting includes 17 major works, including important acquisitions of post-World War II sculptures by such internationally renowned artists as Louise Bourgeois, Mark di Suvero, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, and Tony Smith.

As part of the ongoing efforts to keep the museum exhibits and facilities current, construction and task order contracts are let directly by the NGA for a variety of types of maintenance, repairs and construction. Native Sons Ltd was one of the contractors recently awarded a 4 year Task Order Contract for maintenance, repairs and upgrades to electrical and mechanical systems throughout the facility. This contract is administered through various task orders as the need arises and funding is available. The award was based on an evaluated procurement process where contractors were graded based on their expertise, experience, quality, value and safety.