To begin this course, we are discussing national galleries and the development of art collections as distinct from collections of natural history and anthropology. This first itinerary is designed to help you to see the difference for yourself. Please take this tour sometime in the next week, read each question carefully, take notes, and write a quick two-page summary to hand in next week. We’ll review what you found next Tuesday.

1. NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART consists of two separate buildings, linked underground. For each: Look at the building’s exterior and main public space inside. What is its architectural style? What is striking about each? How did the architect try to make it "fit" with other buildings and streets nearby? Now notice how the two fit together. When were the two buildings built, and how were they connected physically? How are their designs linked aesthetically, or are they? What kind of art is in each building? Is the architecture appropriate to the collection? There is a good wall display in corridor outside the West Building bookstore that explains the history of construction.

2. PERMANENT COLLECTION AND GALLERIES.

a. WEST BUILDING. Somebody had to decide where to put the art, and how to display it. So, please notice the arrangement and sequence of galleries. What is on the main floor, and what is stuck in the basement? What are the organizing principles for arranging the paintings in groups and sequences? What's at the core, and what's on the periphery of each wing of the building? What does this say about the curators' priorities? What messages does it give you, the viewer? What OTHER organizing principles might be possible?

b. EAST BUILDING. Please examine two or three rooms in the East Building, large and small. How is the installation similar to and different from installations in the West Building? Why--is it the building, or the art, that requires it? What works well? What doesn’t work?

3. WHAT MAKES A "NATIONAL" GALLERY? Consider what physical or functional aspects of the Gallery reflect its "national" status. Does this give it a mission different from other art museums? Which countries' art is featured? Ignored? How do all these choices reflect American national ideas about its own past and present? What is the implied attitude towards art of other places? Consult your Duncan book for ideas. Remember the dates of the two buildings.

4. NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM. For comparison, please look at the objects in the Natural History Museum next door (10th and Constitution, NW), in their “Origins of Western Cultures” exhibit on the second floor. How are these objects labelled? Explained? Contextualized (that is, given some sort of setting reminiscent of their original setting or context)? Why are the displays of objects so different here from those in the National Gallery of Art?

5. WRITE-UP. Please consider your notes on ALL these questions, and write up your ideas in a succinct paragraph or two on each topic numbered above. We’ll use these as the basis for discussion. These write-ups will be due in class on Tuesday, July 8.

GETTING THERE: The National Gallery of Art stretches between 4th and 7th Streets NW. Metro stops: Archives (Yellow Line) is closest; also Judiciary Square (Red Line) or Smithsonian (Blue & Orange Lines). Don't even THINK of driving! It's open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Mondays-Saturdays, Sundays 11 to 6. Call 202-737-4215. The Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum is next door, at 10th and Constitution. Open (like all Smithsonian museums) 10 to 5:30 daily. Telephone 202-357-2700. Metro Stops: Smithsonian or Federal Triangle are closest.