| If you wishes to tour the National Gallery of Art in chronological order, the starting point is in the West Building. There you will find the West Building Micro Gallery, an interactive, multimedia computer database of the gallery's permanent collection. It's a good idea to check out this resource in order to find particular pieces you might be interested in.The collection itself features European works from the thirteenth through early-twentieth centuries, with an emphasis on Dutch masters and French impressionists. Artists showcased in the West Building's collection include Titian, Renoir, Monet and Rubens. The gallery is open daily and conducts multi-lingual tours. A tape-recorded tour is also available for $5.The East Building of the National Gallery was designed by I.M. Pei, and is notable for several reasons. The most famous of which is the once-sharp angle of the building's exterior southwest corner, which is now rounded due to the thousands of visitors who simply touch the wall as they pass and turn directions. Inside the building is part of the Smithsonian's modern art collection. The huge Alexander Calder mobile ("untitled"), which hangs suspended from the atrium, makes for an intriguing invitation into the exhibits. Like the West Building, the East Building has an enormous permanent collection, as well as temporary exhibits. Permanent pieces include works by Picasso, Miro, Kandinsky, and Pollock. |
