National Gallery of Art

What's On

Now

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Back and Forth

Four paintings across six centuries — Titian, Cezanne and Rozeal. — hung together to show how artists answer the art history they inherit.

Now showing26 Apr 2025 – 3 Jan 2027Free

American Icon: The US Flag in Art

Over 30 works — Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Gordon Parks, Childe Hassam, Dorothea Lange — on how the Stars and Stripes has served as pride, protest and raw material since the late 1800s.

Now showing6 Jun – 6 DecFree

Homelands

What does it mean to have a "homeland" when it's shaped by movement, memory, and change? East Building Mezzanine.

Now showing27 Jun – 1 Aug 2027Free

Sky Hopinka: Kicking the Clouds

Photographs, poems and film in which Ho-Chunk artist Sky Hopinka threads together family, language, place and lived Indigenous experience.

Now showing7 Aug – 6 DecFree

In the Library: Reimagining America by Design

See the Great Depression-era Index of American Design through the eyes of today's college students, in the East Building Library Atrium.

Now showing31 Aug – 31 DecFree

Remember Me: Picturing African Americans in Early Photography

Remarkable early photographs of and by Black Americans that tell powerful stories of identity, resilience, and self-representation. West Building.

Upcoming7 Nov – 14 Mar 2027Free

Tinker Tinker: Printmakers at Work

An intimate look at how artists like Pablo Picasso, Mary Cassatt, and Rembrandt experimented, revised, and problem-solved through printmaking. West Building.

Upcoming19 Dec – 13 Jun 2027Free

Women and the Index of American Design

Nearly 50 drawings examine women's roles in the Depression-era art project that sought to document American designs in applied, decorative, and folk art. East Building.

Upcoming16 Jan 2027 – 13 Jun 2027Free

Souvenirs of the Gilded Age: French Landscapes from the Corcoran Collection

Once coveted by America's wealthy, these landscape paintings were largely lost to history. West Building.

Upcoming13 Mar 2027 – 17 Jan 2028Free

Broken: The Power of the Fragment in Sculpture

How a fragment tells a whole story. West Building, Main Floor.

Upcoming13 Mar 2027 – 27 Jun 2027Free

Glenn Ligon: Subtext

One of today's most influential artists proposes new ways of seeing art and histories through language. East Building.

Upcoming3 Apr 2027 – 6 Sept 2027Free

Permanent Collections

West Building Sculpture Galleries

Ground-floor galleries of European sculpture, from a distinguished group of Italian Renaissance bronze statuettes to the Rodins made for his American patrons.

Permanent collectionFree

East Building: Modern and Contemporary Collection

I. M. Pei's wedge-shaped building holds around 500 works across five floors, a monumental Calder mobile in the atrium, the world's largest Calder gallery and a rotating Rothko room.

Permanent collectionFree

Ginevra de' Benci by Leonardo da Vinci

The only Leonardo painting in the Americas: a 16-year-old Florentine framed by juniper, bought from the Princes of Liechtenstein in 1967 and flown over in a padded suitcase.

Permanent collectionFree

The Sculpture Garden

A 6.1-acre garden around a central fountain, with monumental works by Louise Bourgeois, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg and others. Jazz on summer Fridays, an ice rink in winter.

Permanent collectionFree

Nearby

i

National Archives Museum

ArchitectureFree4 min walk

i

National Air and Space Museum

HistoryFree4 min walk

i

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

DesignFree5 min walk

i

National Museum of the American Indian

ArtFree5 min walk

Visitor Information

Is National Gallery of Art free to visit?

Yes, general admission to National Gallery of Art is free. Admission is always free; no timed passes are required for the permanent collection or special exhibitions.. Some special exhibitions may charge a separate ticket, so check the museum's website before visiting.

What are the opening hours of National Gallery of Art?

National Gallery of Art is open Open daily 10:00–17:00. Closed 25 December and 1 January. The Sculpture Garden keeps the same daily hours, but stays open until 20:00 Wednesday–Saturday during the summer season (roughly early June to early September), when Jazz in the Garden runs on Fridays.. Holiday hours can vary, so check the museum's website before you go.

Where is National Gallery of Art?

National Gallery of Art is located at Constitution Avenue NW, between 3rd and 9th Streets NW, Washington, DC 20565, United States, in the National Mall area of Washington, DC. The nearest stations are Archives–Navy Memorial–Penn Quarter (Green, Yellow lines), Judiciary Square (Red line) and Smithsonian (Blue, Orange, Silver lines).

What can I see at National Gallery of Art?

Two landmark buildings and a sculpture garden on the National Mall, holding America's only Leonardo — and always free. Current highlights include West Building Sculpture Galleries, East Building: Modern and Contemporary Collection and Glenn Ligon: Subtext.

Do I need to book National Gallery of Art in advance?

National Gallery of Art is free to enter and most days you can walk in. Admission is always free; no timed passes are required for the permanent collection or special exhibitions.. For special exhibitions, weekends, and school holidays, booking a timed slot can help you skip queues. Check the museum's website for current requirements.

When is the best time to visit National Gallery of Art?

Weekday mornings shortly after opening are typically the quietest, especially mid-week. Late afternoons can also be calmer. Weekends, school holidays, and the lunch rush are the busiest periods.