An ideal introduction to the National Gallery of Art, this book highlights fifty paintings, sculptures, works on paper, photographs, and more from the museum’s collection.

This book showcases fifty paintings, sculptures, works on paper, photographs, and more from the National Gallery of Art. Selected from more than 150,000 works in the museum’s vast collection, these remarkable examples of European and American art span centuries of human creativity.

The National Gallery, its history, and the three parts of its 29-acre campus—the West Building (opened 1941), East Building (1978), and Sculpture Garden (1999)—are explored alongside works by Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas, van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Rothko, and Calder. Contemporary artists featured include Faith Ringgold, Carrie Mae Weems, Daniel Lind-Ramos, and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith.

While many works represent self-exploration and identity, emotion and spirituality, others are quiet memorials to the everyday that connect us in our common understanding of the world. Presenting scenes painted in the Middle Ages to mixed-media works created this century, this book is perfect for lovers of art and art history and anyone visiting the museum’s extraordinary collection.