It's difficult to miss this place when walking from the National Museum of Natural History to the west wing of the National Gallery of Art. It's in between the 2 buildings at the National Mall. Just look for the big round reflecting pool/fountain in the middle of the courtyard, or the ice skating rink depending on the time of season. There were many people sitting on or around the fountain when we visited in the month of June. I think they were dipping their toes in the pool. I think my favorite is the House I sculpture by Roy Lichtenstein. I know he's better known for his pop art paintings, but his House series of sculptures are actually just as impressive. I didn't even try to snap a picture of it. It would do it no justice. It's the odd illusion seen when walking around it that makes you go hmmm. The funny thing is that the house sculpture is totally one dimensional. They've also added a few sculptures since the last time I was at the garden. There's a cool looking steel tree that somehow seems to blend in with nature. It's called Graft by an artist named Roxy Paine. The smooth & shiny branches take on a different look depending on where you're standing. The grafted one looks kind of creepy. Like it's getting ready to reach out and grab your shirt. I also thought it was cool to see a cast iron Paris metro entrance area near the Pavilion Café. You know, like the ones that are all over Paris that lead you to the underground subway system? Apparently, they were all designed by a French architect named Hector Guimard who is famous for Art Nouveau. I would have taken more pictures of them had I known. They were installed at all of the underground entrances during the 1900 Paris World Fair. This particular Métropolitain Entrance is an original one that was removed. Maybe to be repaired? I'm not sure, but it was interesting to read about it. It's located in a perfect spot at the sculpture garden. It's in front of the Pavilion building which is also designed in the same style, and bringing in the beauty of nature much like these entrances. It's just one of many sculptures that will surprise you when walking through the garden on your way to the gallery.

We had an OUTSTANDING visit to the Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment exhibit on display at the National Gallery of Art. The exhibit did an excellent job of crafting the story of the competing 1874 Paris art exhibitions, making the 19th century paintings accessible to this family of art novices. We were even inspired to check out a few Impressionist paintings in the museum’s permanent exhibit on our way out. The museum’s crowd management for this popular exhibit was thoughtful and the long line to enter moved quickly for us.

We spread the visit over two days. On the first day, we visited the West Building with paintings, drawings and sculptures from 13 – 19 November. ==References== The West Building is housed in a Victorian building with very high ceilings and a beautiful lobby. Here are 24 m high marble columns with a Mercury fountain in the middle. To get to the museum café, both buildings are connected to a futuristic passage – worth seeing. If you sit by the window in the Cascade café, you think the water from the fountain above, run into the café, but are stopped at the glass window. The ice cream in the cafe is delicious. Definitely entering the East Building from the outside. It is a super-modern building by architect I.M. Pei from 1978. Art was installed under the ceiling of the high entrance hall. Interesting art objects are scattered throughout the East-Building. The East-Building showcases modern and contemporary art as well as special exhibitions. Opening hours: daily 10:00 – 17:00

This outdoor sculpture garden only takes a few minutes to walk through and it is absolutely worth it. There are some very cool installations here but my family's favorite was definitely the depth perception house. As you walk past it, the view changes and then there is a point where you can swap the perspective just by thinking about it differently. It is a fantastic large scale optical illusion and my family had fun trying to figure it out.

We visited an art museum in Washington DC for once and were amazed at the variety of art on display here. The old building and the rooms are beautifully designed with seating in the "fountain garden" between the rooms. There are 2 buildings. The modern art in the new building is also worth seeing. Large, bright rooms so that the works of art can be shown off to their best advantage. The buildings are connected by a tunnel, where there is also a cafe. We also liked the sculpture garden next to it. We can highly recommend this place. There is no other art museum that doesn't charge admission, so you can visit it briefly or several times.

I've been coming to the national gallery for decades, since I was a child. My favorite works are the Calder in the modern wing and the Dali Last supper that is in the hallway on the way to the modern wing (but upstairs a level). There are so many amazing and famous works it is hard to not get overwhelmed. Luckily there are ample places to sit if you need a break and between the two buildings there are three cafes (though the food is entirely miss-able). Grab a map and hit up your favorites or just wander your way through and get lost in the beautiful works. Either one is a good tactic. The museum can be busy, but never feels too crowded to get to see the works you want to see. Absolutely worth your time.

This is one of the best art museums in the world with an extensive collection. Our visit coincided with a special exhibition of French impressionist art, including paintings lent in from many galleries and private collections worldwide. We arrived at about noon on a Wednesday and we're relieved to find that there was no line to enter the exhibition! We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Pro tip: there is a large cafeteria on the ground floor close to the gift shop. You can buy decent quality food at reasonable prices and eat it there.

We visited the National Gallery of Art last month primarily to see the Impressionist exhibition - which was very excellent! We also attended a piano concert there. And we visitedthe other galleries in both buildings. What a great day!

Went for an outstanding exhibition on the start of Impressionism in Paris. That was the highlight of the visit. We also took in a Haitian art gallery (too small for my liking), an even smaller Gordon Parks photograph exhibition, and a 70s photography show that was fairly big and contained many of my favorite photographers. Of course, we only scratched the surface of this monster of a museum. The basement cafeteria had many choices (I just chose badly) for lunch. The only negative aspect of the afternoon was a run-in I had with a guard who wouldn't let me back into an exhibit (I had to use the bathroom) and got fairly obnoxious about it. Unnecessary. Training staff to listen to what a patron is actually saying would be a step in the right direction. Otherwise, it was a wonderful time had by all.

Several colleagues and I came here after a work meeting to wander through this glorious art museum and take in the beauty of the artwork. This art museum is so large that we could've spent the entire day here and not see everything. I really liked the Elizabeth Catlett exhibit; she was an immensely prolific artist and yet remains relatively unknown, which is deeply unfortunate. The museum is well-organized and has plenty of benches so we can sit and ponder the art. The staff here are super friendly.