The National Gallery of Art: Washington DC Private Walking Tour

Experience the awe-inspiring grandeur and scale of America’s prestigious National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C, a world-class museum from Renaissance masterpieces to 20th-century personalities including Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir and Picasso.

On your private tour, you will: 

• Explore the vast National Gallery of Art with its incredible collection of 4,000 European and American paintings, 31,000 drawings, and 3,000 sculptures plus an expansive library of 70,000 prints and 12,000 photographs;
• Learn about the history of the building itself – a neo-classical design (similar to the façade of the National Gallery in London) with very modern additions, consisting of the West Wing, the East Wing and the beautiful sculpture garden;
• Walk along the mesmerizing subterranean concourse, a tunnel of light that links the West and East Buildings and is called ‘the Multiverse’;
• Admire an extensive array of art dating from the medieval and High Renaissance periods, through the Impressionists and renowned artists of the 20th Century;
• See world-famous works from the Renaissance by Raphael, Titian and the only Da Vinci in the Americas the portrait of Ginevra de Benci, dubbed Washington’s Mona Lisa;
• Admire the Rembrandts Rubens and Vermeers while learning all about their lives and their groundbreaking techniques in painting;
• View the extensive collection of Impressionism including works by Mary Cassatt, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Monet’s iconic Japanese Bridge;
• See works by legendary artists of the twentieth century Kandinsky, Picasso, Pollock and Warhol.
• Discover the origin story of the collection and the Gallery’s wealthy benefactor, Andrew W Mellon – a great philanthropist and former US Ambassador to the UK;
• Wander around the beautiful sculpture garden and end your tour within the grounds of the gallery to enjoy exploring at your own leisure.

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC is one of the most important art museums in the world, with masterpieces dating from the 12th century to the present day, and welcomes over 4 million visitors per year. 

It is a hugely impressive complex, founded in 1937 by Andrew W Mellon, a wealthy philanthropist and patron of the arts. It consists of two buildings, the West and East Buildings. The neo-classical West Building was designed by John Russell Pope and is home to earlier collections including one of the most prestigious collections of Renaissance works anywhere in the world. 

Enjoy hearing about the life and legend of Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian and many others as you gaze at their beautiful masterpieces. 

The East Building houses a vast collection of twentieth-century art, with pieces by Picasso, Rothko, Pollock and many legendary contributors to modern art. It also hosts contemporary exhibitions and immersive, interactive art experiences, print and photographic collections.

It was opened in 1978 and is a much more modern edifice designed by I.M Pei the Chinese-born American architect who also designed the Louvre in Paris. The tranquil sculpture garden was opened in 1999 and is a lovely way to end your guided tour.