Rotunda

There is more to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. than paintings and sculpture. The building itself is a treasure. This is the main rotunda. Here is some history of the building from the National Gallery of Art website.

The National Gallery of Art was conceived and given to the people of the United States by Andrew W. Mellon (1855–1937). Mellon was a financier and art collector from Pittsburgh who came to Washington in 1921 to serve as secretary of the treasury. During his years of public service he came to believe that the United States should have a national art museum equal to those of other great nations. 

In 1936 Mellon wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt offering to donate his superb art collection for a new museum and to use his own funds to construct a building for its use. With the president’s support, Congress accepted Mellon’s gift, which included a sizable endowment, and established the National Gallery of Art in March 1937. Construction began that year at a site on the National Mall along Constitution Avenue between Fourth and Seventh Street NW, near the foot of Capitol Hill.

There is a lot more history on the website. I like to look for photos that display patterns and design. Pattern and design are also important in my landscape photos.