National Gallery of Art

Andrew Mellon gave his collection and the money for the building to the nation, Congress accepted them on 24 March 1937, and other collectors soon followed. John Russell Pope's West Building of 1941 is a domed neoclassical block of pink Tennessee marble, at its opening the largest marble structure in the world. The collection's single most notable object is Leonardo's Ginevra de' Benci, the only painting by Leonardo on public view in the Americas. The East Building, I. M. Pei's 1978 answer to an awkward trapezoidal site, is built from two triangles and holds the modern collection; a Calder mobile hangs in its atrium. A sculpture garden with a skating rink in winter sits to the west. Entry is free, always.

What to look for

• Leonardo's Ginevra de' Benci - the only Leonardo on public view in the Americas.
• Pope's marble West Building - neoclassical, opened 1941.
• Pei's East Building of 1978 - two triangles on a trapezoid site.
• A sculpture garden - with a winter skating rink.

When to go

Year round; free always. Half a day.

Things to know

It is two large buildings connected by an underground concourse - plan which one. Some galleries close for rotation. Cherry blossom season crowds the whole Mall. Special exhibitions can require timed passes even though entry is free.

Nearby

The Smithsonian museums line the Mall; the Capitol is east.

Key facts