NATIONAL MALL -- To help celebrate its 75th anniversary, the
National Gallery of Art welcomed over 1,300 guests inside its marbled walls for an elegant reception last week.
Invitations to the black tie affair were only made available to past and present donors to the museum, thereby making the spring soiree one of the District's most exclusive of the season.
Some 800 years of Western art from the gallery's permanent collection were made available for guests to enjoy between bites and beverages, with the event spanning the full length of the building's main floor.
While the dress code was deliberately formal, the evening was relaxed with no receiving line or remarks. National Gallery of Art Director
Earl A. Powell III happily mingled throughout, as he did his best to personally greet as many invitees as possible.
And as a final token of appreciation, the nine-member Board of Trustees that governs the museum made sure that everyone left with a commemorative 75th anniversary notebook as they departed.
