[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 762 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 762

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 26, 2016

 Ms. Slaughter (for herself, Mr. Cole, Ms. Norton, Mr. Connolly, Mrs. 
 Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Heck of Washington, Ms. DeLauro, 
    Ms. Edwards, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Miss Rice of New York, Mr. 
 Hastings, Ms. Titus, Mr. Amodei, Mr. Mica, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Nadler, 
 Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Honda, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Tonko, 
Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, 
 Mr. Cardenas, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Rokita, Mr. Simpson, Ms. 
   Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mrs. Miller of Michigan, Mr. Van 
  Hollen, Mr. Frelinghuysen, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Israel, Mr. Joyce, Mr. 
  Lance, Mr. Kilmer, and Mr. Jenkins of West Virginia) submitted the 
  following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on House 
                             Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


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

Whereas, March 17, 2016, marks the 75th anniversary of the opening of the 
        National Gallery of Art;
Whereas the National Gallery of Art is the culmination of Andrew Mellon's dream 
        to endow a true national gallery in Washington, DC;
Whereas President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the 75th Congress recognized the 
        importance of this monumental gift to the people of the United States by 
        quickly accepting Mr. Mellon's gift on behalf of a grateful Nation;
Whereas the National Gallery's landmark buildings were given to the people of 
        the United States as gifts by Andrew Mellon and his children Paul Mellon 
        and Ailsa Mellon Bruce;
Whereas agreement to place the Gallery on the National Mall, side-by-side with 
        the monuments most meaningful to people in the United States, symbolized 
        the importance of art in the life of a Nation;
Whereas Mr. Mellon's extraordinary collection of 153 works of art served as a 
        magnet to attract other gifts from across the Nation and established the 
        highest standard of quality for the works of art, resulting in one of 
        the finest collections in the world, with over 144,000 works;
Whereas the Gallery's collections have grown entirely through private donations 
        from generous individuals in service to all the people of the United 
        States;
Whereas the Gallery epitomizes the fruitful collaboration of the United States 
        Government and the Nation's people 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 this Federal support and donations of extraordinary art from generous 
        United States citizens, has resulted in the most successful public-
        private partnership in the nation, hosting over 250,000,000 visitors 
        from every State in the union and from other nations to demonstrate the 
        commitment of the United States to the shared cultural heritage of all 
        humanity;
Whereas the Gallery's collection comprises masterpieces of European and United 
        States art from the Renaissance to the present day, 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 National Gallery of Art has set a standard of generosity in lending 
        works of art to museums throughout the United States, and sending them 
        as ambassadors of good will to nations throughout the world;
Whereas the Gallery has for 75 years served as both trustee of the Nation's fine 
        arts collection and an active and vigorous educational resource, serving 
        hundreds of thousands of students who visit Washington, DC;
Whereas since its founding, the National Gallery of Art has provided art 
        education programs without charge to elementary and secondary schools 
        and institutions of higher learning in every State of the Union;
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 it is home to a superb center for advanced studies in the visual arts 
        that brings new insights to mankind's humane heritage nationally and 
        internationally;
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 over 3,100 free Sunday concerts 
        featuring the National Gallery Orchestra as well as musicians and 
        ensembles from around the world for the enjoyment of over 1,000,000 
        visitors creating what is considered the oldest continuous series of 
        free weekly concerts in the Nation's Capital;
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 people in the United 
        States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of the opening of the 
        National Gallery of Art;
            (2) acknowledges its contribution to the cultural life of 
        the United States;
            (3) applauds the Gallery's work to collect and preserve 
        art, educate people in the United States, and bring exciting 
        exhibitions for all to enjoy;
            (4) commends the work of its staff to ensure that all 
        people in the United States have access to the highest quality 
        of art; and
            (5) continues to support this great national treasure.
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