National Gallery of Art

When your office has a March Madness pool, but you work at an art museum.

Springtime in Paris ?? This breathtaking view was painted by Auguste Renoir in March 1872. And it represents a pivotal moment in art history. ? In the 19th century, a daring group of artists decided they were finished with the traditional rules of the art world. They took their paints outside to capture life as it truly happened. They called themselves “Artists, Painters, Sculptors, Engravers, Inc.,” but history remembers them as the “impressionists.” One of these bold innovators was Auguste Renoir. When he set out to paint the Pont Neuf, Paris’s oldest bridge, he defied the status quo. He secured the upper floor of a café overlooking the Seine, where he could witness a dynamic view of the city. To capture the ever-changing scene, Renoir asked his brother, Edmond, to head over to the bridge, chat with people, and slow them down just enough for Renoir to paint them. This inventive technique—freezing fleeting moments—defied the rigid conventions of the past and made Renoir a standout in the art world. __ ? ?? Auguste Renoir, French, 1841 - 1919, “Pont Neuf, Paris,” oil on canvas, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection ?? Animation designed by Andrey Zakirzyanov

Why the world needs art. ?? It brings people together. . . . . ?? Images By: Perscilla Bartley Ronnie Mosley Tiffany Saccente Sophie Lasher David Saraiva Barbara O Photography Francis Chung Kathleen Marie Ward

It’s our birthday! On this day in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially opened the National Gallery to a crowd of 8,000 people. Today, 84 years later, we’re grateful to our 4 million visitors every year who continue to make our museum “of the nation, for all the people.”

If you didn't have to worry about money or approval, how would you spend your days? American painter John Singer Sargent found his answer in his 50s. . . . . ?? John Singer Sargent, "Madame X (Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau)," 1883–84, oil on canvas, 82 × 43 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1916 ?? "John Singer Sargent in his studio, with Portrait of Madame X," 1885, Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Art ?? John Singer Sargent, "Gondola Moorings on the Grand Canal," 1904/1907, watercolor over graphite on thick wove paper, 16 × 17 in., Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection ?? John Singer Sargent, “Simplon Pass,” 1911, oil on canvas, 28 × 36 in., Corcoran Collection ?? John Singer Sargent, “Nonchaloir (Repose),” 1911, oil on canvas, 25 × 30 in., Gift of Curt H. Reisinger

What painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling taught me about B2B sales... In less than four years, I spearheaded an end-to-end ceiling optimization project at the Sistine Chapel, maximizing brand visibility while positioning Pope Julius II as a thought leader. 4 takeaways to unpack ?? 1. Embrace the grindset. I executed this project with my head tilted backward, standing on 60-foot-high scaffolding. As I conveyed in a written message to my colleague Giovanni Da Pistoia, "my haunches are grinding into my guts" and "my spine's all knotted from folding over itself." But today's pain-point is tomorrow's growth opportunity ?? 2. The real art is negotiation. Julius II originally pinged me with a request to paint a bespoke fresco of the twelve apostles. But I advocated to supercharge the initiative and paint gripping existential narratives depicting the salvation of humanity ?? The Pope and I took it offline and negotiated a win-win agreement, allowing me to "do as I liked" while aligning with stakeholder interests. 3. Upskill your core competencies. Before I pivoted to this role, the world knew me as a SME in sculpting. This large-scale painting project was pushing me into unfamiliar territory, and on paper, I lacked the qualifications. Ultimately, it was a learning curve, but I honed my professional toolkit and quickly proved my skills were transferable ?? 4. Take ownership of the deliverables. Since I was still upskilling in the painting sphere, I hoped to onboard assistants and delegate core responsibilities to cross-functional thought partners. However, none of the candidates matched the hustle ? So, I circled back, took the reins, and managed the objectives in-house. As I embark on this next chapter of my career journey, I look forward to achieving these milestones: ? Sculpt tombs for the Medici family ? Design a chapel for the Medici family ? Hide underneath that chapel in a secret chamber for two months to evade a death sentence from the Medici family My career trajectory demonstrates that in order to disrupt the 16th-century ecclesiastical fresco-painting industry, all you need is an agile approach and scalable innovation ecosystem. Agree? ?? #michelangelo #innovation #foodforthought

?? Boy, boy, what a buoy... ?? Edward Hopper’s "Ground Swell" (1939) looks like a peaceful day on the water, but there’s a weird tension lurking beneath the surface. The rising swell, that dark buoy...something feels off. Painted just before World War II, could this be a calm before the storm? ??? Ground Swell, 1939 ?????? Edward Hopper ?? 36 × 50 in, oil on canvas, Corcoran Collection ??National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Other painting in the video: Edward Hopper, “Self-Portrait,” 1925–30. Oil on canvas, 25 3/8 × 20 3/8 in. (64.5 × 51.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Josephine N. Hopper Bequest 70.1165. ? 2025 Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper/Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Alone in a tower filled with the world’s largest display of sculptures by Alexander?Calder.?? ? In this room filled with moving sculptures by Calder, giant mobiles are suspended in the sky. They turn and dance as you cohabit their space.?One of the most extraordinary things about these deceptively gravity-defying objects is that they are supported by a force the size of your thumbnail: a tiny hook.? ? In the mid-1930s, in addition to developing his classic mobiles, Calder began to explore the concept of creating three-dimensional paintings in motion. The movement of these sculptures results in a complex choreography of colors and forms that blur the line between circumstance and permanence. ? Plan your visit to see these dancing sculptures in person??? https://bit.ly/4g0x8S5 ?__? ? ???East Building, Tower, Gallery 606? ? 2023 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Woodblock printing in progress ?#asmr Watch artist LaToya Hobbs' process as she recreates the work of one of the most defining artists of the 20th century, Elizabeth Catlett. Through her bold prints and sculptures, Catlett created art in service to her people, shining a light on injustice and celebrating the strength of her heritage. The sculpture that inspired this print was deeply personal—it’s a portrait of Naima Mora, one of Catlett’s twin granddaughters, taken during a summer visit to her home in Cuernavaca, Mexico. You can see this woodblock print, along with the original sculpture that inspired it, at our new exhibition, “Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist,” opening tomorrow in our East Building ?? https://bit.ly/43wh3B3 #PrintLikeAGreat

Vamos a un museo de arte pero hagámoslo así. ? When I say “take me to an art museum” this is what I mean.