National Gallery of Art

Another personal favourite of mine was the National Gallery of Art. As an art appreciator, I can proudly say that I spent almost 8 hours here over the course of two days. With a collection of over 150,000 paintings, sculptures and and quirky prints, there really was something for everybody. 

Some of my absolute favorites' were the Rembrandt gallery, the French gallery, and the Van Gogh self portrait on display. It was my opportunity to roam around in a seemingly endless gallery of breathtaking, inspiring pieces that left me with an expression of awe. I also personally appreciated the architecture of the building itself. 

A fun fact I found out about the gallery is that it opened in the midst of the Second World War in 1941 to counter the closing of museums and galleries all over Europe due to the war, and was a change of art as a public's pleasure than elite private viewing, and was strongly supported by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during his time. 

According to dcist.com, some of the paintings were also sold for profit by the USSR's government to raise money for industrialization and economic growth. 

Attached are some pictures I took at the art gallery:

Marie Antoinette

French gallery

The museum architecture

"Going Through Hell, The Divine Dante"

Napoléon Bonaparte