[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 112 (Tuesday, July 12, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 527--RECOGNIZING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPENING 
                     OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

  Mr. UDALL (for himself, Ms. Mikulski, and Mr. Leahy) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and 
Administration:

                              S. Res. 527

       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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