co nt en ts
Message from the Director A
On behalf of the National Gallery of Art, I am pleased to submit the National Gallery’s FY 2024 Performance and Accountability Report (PAR). This report presents information on the National Gallery’s financial, management and programmatic results for the previous year. I give my assurance that the performance and financial data included in this report are complete and reliable, consistent with guidance provided by the Office of Management and Budget. This report meets the requirements of OMB Circular A-136 and other management legislation and demonstrates the National Gallery’s commitment to be accountable for the results measured against the annual performance goals presented in our FY 2024 Annual Performance Plan. Our mission, to serve the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity, is central to every activity of the National Gallery, from caring for and strengthening the collection to presenting special exhibitions and organizing public programs.
Kaywin Feldman Director
Director’s Highlights
Education
Arts education is a core part of the National Gallery’s mission. In 2024, these programs played a crucial role in fostering cultural appreciation, artistic literacy, and lifelong learning. Through interactive workshops, lectures, and digital initiatives, these programs make art accessible to diverse audiences, including students, educators, and the general public. With a focus on inclusivity and innovation, the
Conservation
For the first time at the National Gallery of Art, works of art were conserved in the galleries where they are permanently exhibited, in full view of the public rather than behind the scenes in a conservation laboratory. Six marble sculptures—carved in the 17th and 18th centuries by some of the greatest sculptors working in France— underwent conservation treatment in the elegant East Sculpture Hall of the Gallery’s West Building.
National Gallery of Art conservators removed dust, dirt, and grime accumulated on the sculptures over decades of display in their current location. They also improved previous restorations that have discolored over time.
In addition to providing visitors with a rare glimpse into the world of art conservation,
Gallery integrates new technologies and contemporary perspectives to engage visitors with its world-class collection through workshops, tours, and activities for all ages. By offering free educational resources and community outreach, the museum ensures that art remains a vital and enriching part of society, inspiring future generations to connect with creativity and history.
conserving the works allowed the marble sculptures to be treated in the same natural light in which they are currently exhibited. The conservators could also continually refer to the other statues, ensuring an overall sense of visual harmony. Finally, conducting the treatments in place minimizes any risks associated with moving these large and fragile works of art.
In total, this work took approximately one year, with each sculpture requiring several months of treatment. A live video feed displayed adjacent to the sculpture provided a close-up view of the conservation work in progress.
Conservation of the sculptures is funded by a grant from the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.
Research
The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts is the National Gallery’s research institute. We foster the study of the production, use, and cultural meaning of art, artifacts, architecture, urbanism, photography, and film from all places and periods. At any given time, our community is comprised of about 50 people, including professors, fellows, research associates,
interns, and staff. We have over 1,200 alumni across the world. Through a collaborative research environment, the National Gallery provides support to individual scholars, support research initiatives, and produce publications that foster new connections and understandings in the field of visual arts.
The National Gallery serve the nation by people to enjoy and art, creativity, and humanity.
BOur Mission
Building on our 2023 accomplishments, the National Gallery continued to make significant progress during 2024 advancing our mission to serve the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity. We develop our understanding of art through collecting and exhibiting in ways that reflect our nation and its histories; preserving our collections for future generations; and delivering compelling public programs and events, engaging digital experiences, and groundbreaking scholarship. To achieve our mission, the National Gallery focused in FY 2024 on the following Strategic Priorities:
Gallery seeks to by welcoming all and and experience and our shared
Reflect and attract the nation
Focus on first-time and increasingly diverse audiences who more closely mirror the demography of the United States
Provide an audience-focused experience
Strive to understand our audiences, both onsite and online, and deliver meaningful experiences that respond to their needs
Become the nation’s primary resource for art and creativity
Use our collections, exhibitions, research, and public programs to deepen our relationship with and impact on people
Operate a sustainable and equitable museum
Ensure that our activities are environmentally, physically, financially, and organizationally sustainable and promote equity across all our activities
Fundamental work
Protect and preserve the collection and buildings for future generations and provide enabling support to all strategic priorities
Our Mission Cont.
The National Gallery’s mission is to serve the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity. The National Gallery was created by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1937. This event was the culmination of efforts by financier, Secretary of the Treasury, ambassador and art collector Andrew W. Mellon to establish an art gallery of the highest possible quality in the nation’s capital for the people of the United States.
The gift of his superlative collection of Old Master paintings and sculptures, as well as an endowment and funds to construct the original West Building, remains one of the greatest single private donations to any government institution.
The National Gallery today consists of two landmark buildings on the National Mall, the Andrew W. Mellon Memorial Fountain, and the National Gallery Sculpture Garden. The West Building, designed by John Russell Pope, opened in 1941. The East Building, designed by I.M. Pei, opened in 1978. An icon of modern architecture, the East Building was a gift from Paul Mellon
and Ailsa Mellon Bruce, the children of the founder, and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Sculpture Garden opened in 1999 with construction funding and several sculptures donated by the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. The Andrew W. Mellon Fountain designed by Sidney Waugh was dedicated in 1952 and transferred from the National Park Service to the National Gallery in 2016.
“ The National Gallery’s mission is to serve the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity.
Leadership
In 2024, our leadership team played a crucial role in shaping the museum’s vision and success. Driven by a dedication to innovation, inclusivity, and community engagement, they guided the institution through a dynamic year of exhibitions, educational programs, and growth. Through strategic planning and collaboration, they cultivated an environment where art and culture flourished, reinforcing the museum as a vibrant hub for inspiration.
Executive Officers
Kaywin Feldman, Director
Luis Baquedano, Secretary
Kate Haw, Collections, Exhibitions, and Programs Officer
Sheila McDaniel, Administrator
William W. McClure, Treasurer
Eric L. Motley, Deputy Director
Steven Nelson, Dean, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts
E. Carmen Ramos, Chief Curatorial and Conservation Officer
Executive Committee
Mitchell P. Rales, Chairman
Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen
David M. Rubenstein
Indra Nooyi
Audit Committee
Darren Walker, Chairman
Mitchell P. Rales
Governance Committee
Mitchell P. Rales, Chairman
Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen
Darren Walker
Investment Committee
David M. Rubenstein, Chairman
Afsaneh Beschloss
Kim Lew
Indra Nooyi
Paula Volent
Board of Trustees
David M. Rubenstein, Chairman
Mitchell P Rales, President
Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen
Indra Nooyi
Darren Walker
John G. Roberts Jr.
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
Janet L. Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury
Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Trustees Emeriti
Frederick W. Beinecke
Julian Ganz, Jr.
Alexander M. Laughlin
David O. Maxwell
Sharon P. Rockefeller
Andrew M. Saul
John Wilmerding
2024, THE NATIONAL GALLERY... C
In
3,827,700 visitors to the museum Welcomed
721 new acquisitions into the collection Introduced
9 new exhibitions Presented
2024 Exhibition Calendar
In 2024, The National Gallery of Art had the pleasure of presenting 9 new exhibitions to the public, displaying works of art and design that span time, culture, and media. The range of exhibitions seek to provide the public with historical context, inspiration, and an ever-broadening cultural and worldy awareness. Each exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art utilizing both objects from the gallery’s permanent collection and objects on loan from other institutions across the country.
In The Library:
Latin American Architecture in Circulation
Jan. 8—April 26, 2024
The Anxious Eye:
German Expressionism and Its Legacy
Feb. 11—May 27, 2024
Woven Histories:
Textiles and Modern Abstraction
March 17—July 28, 2024
In The Library:
Photography and the Book Arts from the 21st Editions Collection
May 6—Aug. 29, 2024
The 70’s Lens:
Reimagining Documentary
Photography
Oct. 6, 2024—April 6, 2025
Spirit and Strength:
Modern Art from Haiti
Sept. 29, 2024—March 9, 2025
Gordon Parks:
Camera Portraits from the Corcoran Collection
July 14, 2024—Jan. 12, 2025
Paris 1874:
The Impressionist Moment In 19th
Century France
Sept. 8, 2024—Jan. 19, 2025
In The Library:
Life in the Impressionist’s Paris
Sept. 4, 2024—Jan. 17, 2025
Our Collection
In 80 years of its existence, the National Gallery of Art has amassed one of the world’s most significant collections of American and European masterworks of paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, prints, drawings, and photographs. Beginning with a selection of 126 paintings and 26 sculptures given by the National Gallery’s founder Andrew W. Mellon, the collection has grown to more than 145,000 works. Our treasures come from many diverse times and places of origin and each work of
art in the permanent collection is a private donation, acquired either directly or with contributed funds. The National Gallery’s art collections focus upon European and American paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, works on paper, and photographs. The collections are maintained for public exhibition, education, and research in furtherance of public service rather than for financial gain. The National Gallery acquires its art collections through purchase or by donations-in-kind.
Prints
Photographs
Drawings
Paintings
Other
The collections are maintained for public exhibition, education, and research in furtherance of public service rather than for financial gain. The National Gallery acquires its art collections through purchase or by donations-in-kind. Only current year purchases made from specifically designated funds, not donations-in-kind, are reflected in the statement of activities. In conformity with accounting policies generally followed by art museums, the value of art has been excluded from the
COLLECTING TO REFLECT THE NATION AND ITS HISTORIES
The National Gallery introduced 721 objects into the permanent collection in 2024.
statement of financial position. Our treasures come from many diverse times and places of origin and each work of art in the permanent collection is a private donation, acquired either directly or with contributed funds. You can explore all of our acquisitions by year going back to 1939 through the National Gallery of Art’s online collection database. The National Gallery of Art does not deaccession any work from the permanent collection.
D Financials
Independent Auditor’s Report
Created by KPMG Intl.
November 14, 2024
Final Opinion:
We have audited the financial statements of the National Gallery of Art (the Gallery), which comprise the statement of financial position as of September 30, 2024 and 2023, and the related statements of activities, and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes to the financial statements. In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Gallery as of September 30, 2024 and 2023, and the changes in its net assets and its cash flows for the years then ended in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles of the United States.
Basis for Opinion: We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAS) and the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors’ Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements section. We are required to be independent of the Gallery and to meet our other ethical responsibilities, in accordance with the relevant ethical requirements relating to our audit. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.
D Financial Data
Assets
Cash & Cash Equivalents
Accounts Recievable
Pledges Recievable
Investments & Trusts
Operating Lease Assets
Property, Plant and Equipment
Total Assets
Expenses
Collections
Special Exhibitions
Education and Public Programs
Editorial and Photography
General and Administrative
Development
Total Operating Expenses
$5,719 $90,734 $96,453
$2,840 $3,181 $6,021
$11,097 - $11,097
$1,380,513 - $1,380,513
$31,764 $15,148 $46,912
$42,507 $350,828 $393,335
$1,474,440 $459,891 $1,934,331
$5,874 $59,828 $65,702 $7,573 $20,766 $28,339 $17,197 $31,325 $48,522
$1,603 $6,740 $8,343 $6,529 $38,677 $45,206 $4,164 $ 2,152 $6,316
$ 159,488 $202,428
Federal Total
$5,082 $100,376 $105,458
$7,136 $2,240 $9,376
$6,828 - $6,828
$1,147,145 - $1,147,145
$42,908 $18,315 $18,315
$46,171 $342,791 $388,962
$1,212,362 $4463,722 $1,676,084
$63,74
$7,543
$61,242
$65,702
$20,766 $28,339
$17,899 $31,325 $48,522
$1,685
$6,210 $8,343
$3,529 $38,677 $45,206
$4,144 $ 2,100 $6,316
$44,520 $ 170,028 $206,272
D Financial Data
Financial Assets
Cash/Cash Equivalents
Investments and Trusts
Pledges and Accounts Recievable
Charitable Gift Annuity Assets
Quasi-Endowments
Operating Reserve
Capital Reserve
5,719 90,734 96,453 1,380,517 - 1,380,517 12,051 - 12,051 (23,152) - (23,152) (88,765) - 88,765 (150,000 ) - 150,000 (35,000) - 35,000
6,828 - 6,828 (20,012) - (20,012) (88,765) - (88,765) (115,000) - (115,000) (30,000) - (30,000)
Note:
Quasi-endowment assets include unrestricted funds designated by the National Gallery’s Board of Trustees to function as endowment funds to support Gallery programs and operations. The operating reserve has been established to provide necessary resources in the event of the following: 1) potential extended market declines, as it is the National Gallery’s policy to not spend from underwater endowment funds, 2) shortfalls in donor support and earned revenue during periods of economic recession, and 3) risk of potential losses for damage or theft of art works on loan to the National Gallery in excess of insurance coverage. Capital reserves are required for non-federal capital additions, renovations and obligations.
e Financial Summary
Annual Visitor Count
Operating Results
fThank you.
As we conclude 2024, the National Gallery of Art reflects on a year filled with creativity, connection, and discovery. Through groundbreaking exhibitions, educational programs, and community engagement, we have continued to bring the transformative power of art to audiences near and far. This year, we witnessed the profound impact that art has in fostering
dialogue, preserving cultural heritage, and inspiring future generations. As we step into 2025, we remain dedicated to these efforts—expanding access, nurturing artistic excellence, and creating meaningful experiences for all. We extend our deepest gratitude to our visitors, supporters, and partners—your passion and dedication make our work possible
Here’s to another year celebrating art, culture, and connection.