[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 527 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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, and Mr. Leahy) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and 
                             Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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 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 
        demonstrate 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;
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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of the opening of the 
        National Gallery of Art;
            (2) acknowledges the contribution of the National Gallery 
        of Art to the cultural life of the United States;
            (3) applauds the work of the National Gallery of Art to 
        collect and preserve art, educate people in the United States, 
        and bring exciting exhibitions for all to enjoy;
            (4) commends the work of the staff of the National Gallery 
        of Art to ensure that all of the people of the United States 
        have access to the highest quality art; and
            (5) continues to support the National Gallery of Art, a 
        great national treasure.
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