NOl HAD 1986 ANNUAL REPORT National Gallery of Art . All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D C. 20565 Copyright © 1987. Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art This publication was produced by the Editors Office, National Gallery of Art, Washington Edited by Jill B. Steinberg Printed by Schneidereith & Sons, Baltimore, Maryland The type is Bodoni Book, set by Graphic Composition, Inc., Athens, Georgia Designed by Susan Lehmann, Washington Photo credits: cover, pages 1-3, 16, 148, James Pipkin; pages 7 and 22, William Shaeffer; other photographs, National Gallery of Art Photographic Laboratory ISBN 0-89468-101-X Page 1: Doorway from Treasure Houses of Britain exhibition Pages 2 and 3: The Waterloo Gallery, from Treasure Houses Page 148: The Jacobean Long Gallery from Treasure Houses CONTENTS 8 PREFACE 10 ORGANIZATION 14 DIRECTOR'S REVIEW OF THE YEAR 30 DONORS AND ACQUISITIONS 54 LENDERS 60 LOANS TO EXHIBITIONS 69 EDUCATIONAL SERVICES 69 Department of Public Programs 75 Department of Extension Programs 78 CENTER FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN THE VISUAL ARTS 87 OTHER DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS 87 Curatorial 92 Division of Records and Loans 94 Changes of Attribution 94 Library 98 Photographic Archives 99 Conservation Division 102 Editors Office 103 Exhibitions Office 104 Department of Installation and Design 110 Gallery Archives 1 11 Photographic Services 113 STAFF ACTIVITIES AND PUBLICATIONS 123 MUSIC AT THE GALLERY 125 PUBLICATIONS SERVICE 126 BUILDING MAINTENANCE, SECURITY, AND ATTENDANCE 127 OFFICE OF PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION 128 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 141 ROSTER OF EMPLOYEES AND DOCENTS SSSBBB PREFACE The National Gallery's fiscal year ending 30 September 1986 was one of historic achievements on several fronts. I am delighted to re- port that the first public funding campaign the Gallery has ever undertaken, to endow the Patrons1 Permanent Fund, was completed successfully in December 1985 with more than $55 million in gifts committed, thereby exceeding our initial campaign objective of $50 million. This fund is devoted to enhancing the Gallery's acquisitions capabilities, and the first use of income occurred in December 1985 with the purchase of Rembrandt Peale's 1801 masterpiece, Rubens Peale with a Geranium. Private sector support, the cornerstone of the Gallery's collec- tions, was also clearly evidenced during the year by important gifts of works of art, most particularly the gift of 186 objects by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon. For their continuing and inspiring generosity to this nation we extend our heartfelt thanks. We have continued our efforts to broaden the base of support for the Gallery in order better to reflect its national role. Contributors to the Patrons' Permanent Fund came from all parts of the country. In order to help sustain the momentum and involvement created by the campaign, the Board of Trustees established the Resources Planning Committee in February 1986. The Resources Planning Committee has as its focus meeting the long-range and on-going needs of the Gallery, and its members will help to identify and generate new and increased support for Gallery programs. In addition to the Gallery's five private Trustees and the Director, we are privileged to have the help of the following Committee mem- bers: Charles F. Adams of Dover, Massachusetts, Robert M. Bass of Port Worth, Theodore F. Brophy of Greenwich, Connecticut, Lois de Menil of New York City, Edward E. Elson of Atlanta, Katharine Gra- ham of Washington, Louis J. Hector of Miami, R. L. Ireland III of New York City, George F. Jewett, Jr. of San Francisco, Alexander M. Laughlin of New York City, Frederick R. Mayer of Denver, James S. Smith of New York City, John C. Whitehead of Washington, and Eleanor Wood Prince of Chicago. 8 One of the first actions taken by the Resources Planning Commit- tee was to create a new annual support group, The Circle of the Na- tional Gallery of Art. This national membership group, co-chaired by Katharine Graham and Robert H. Smith, has in only a few months made important and far-reaching contributions to the Gal- lery. A listing of Circle members appears under Donors and Acquisi- tions. The high level of activity at the Gallery that I have described was more than matched by the schedule of special exhibitions. The Trea- sure Houses of Britain, the most ambitious exhibition in the Gallery's history, was a highlight in a year which, with the continuing attrac- tion of the permanent collections, brought a record 8.7 million visi- tors through the Gallery's doors. During that same period another milestone occurred as the Extension Program audience soared to an estimated 170 million, an increase of some 44 million over fiscal year 1985. With the abundant rewards of this exciting year in mind, the Gal- lery looks forward to continuing to meet its challenging role as a vital cultural resource with an ever-increasing national and international audience. JOHN R. STEVENSON, President Henri Matisse, Pianist and Checker Players, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.25 9 ORGANIZATION Franklin D. Murphy The Chief Justice The Secretary of State, The Secretary of the of the United States, George P. Shultz Treasury, William H. Rehnquist James A. Baker III The Secretary of the John R. Stevenson Carlisle H. Humelsine Robert H. Smith Ruth Carter Stevenson Smithsonian Institution, Robert McCormick Adams BOARD OF TRUSTEES (as of September 1986) Franklin D. Murphy, Chairman The Chief Justice of the United States, William H. Rehnquist The Secretary of State, George P. Shultz The Secretary of the Treasury, James A. Baker III The Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Robert McCormick Adams John R. Stevenson Carlisle H. Humelsine Robert H. Smith Paul Mellon Ruth Carter Stevenson Paul Mellon, Honorary Trustee 10 AUDIT COMMITTEE Franklin D. Murphy, Chairman Robert H. Smith The Secretary of the Treasury, John R. Stevenson James A. Baker III Ruth Carter Stevenson FINANCE COMMITTEE John R. Stevenson, Chairman Carlisle H. Humelsine The Secretary of the Treasury, Franklin D. Murphy James A. Baker III Robert H. Smith The Secretary of the Smithsonian Ruth Carter Stevenson Institution, Robert McCormick Adams ART & EDUCATION COMMITTEE John R. Stevenson, Chairman Franklin D. Murphy The Secretary of State, Robert H. Smith George R Shultz Ruth Carter Stevenson Carlisle H. Humelsine J. Carter Brown TRUSTEES' COUNCIL Alexander M. Laughlin, Chairman Gordon Hanes Lois de Menil, Vice Chairman Pamela Harriman John C. Whitehead, Vice Chairman Louis J. Hector Arthur G. Altschul Lore Heinemann Perry R. Bass Robert L. Ireland III Donald M. Blinken George F. Jewett, Jr. Sallie Brophy Stephen M. Kellen Edward W. Carter Leonard A. Lauder Carroll J. Cavanagh Ronald S. Lauder Robert F. Erburu Sydney Lewis Thomas M. Evans Richard Manoogian John C. Fontaine Frederick R. Mayer John R. Gaines Arthur M. Sackler Jo Ann Ganz Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza Ann Getty Ian Woodner Evelyn D. Haas EXECUTIVE OFFICERS (as of September 1986) John R. Stevenson, President Carlisle H. Humelsine, Vice President J. Carter Brown, Director John Wilmerding, Deputy Director Henry A. Millon, Dean, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts Philip C. Jessup, Jr., Secretary-General Counsel Joseph G. English, Administrator Sydney J. Freedberg, Chief Curator Daniel Herrick, Treasurer Joseph J. Krakora, External Affairs Officer DIRECTOR EMERITUS John Walker 11 1 uhk Vi: DIRECTOR'S REVIEW OF THE YEAR Ansel Adams photographs exhibited The year began with the opening of Ansel Adams: Classic Images, the first full exhibition of the seventy-five photographs chosen by Adams before his death to represent best what his work was all about. This "museum set," as Adams christened it, was installed in the West Building where it offered a rewarding and informative proximity to kindred images: landscape paintings from the Gallery's collection of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. To this core, lent by Pa- cific Telesis, we added a few of Adams' large-scale monumental prints, generously lent by his family. During the course of the exhi- bition, Virginia Adams donated a museum set to the Gallery. Her generosity calls to mind the parallel gift of Georgia O'Keeffe, who gave Alfred Stieglitz's key set of photographs in 1949. Old Master drawings from Stockholm An important exhibition of 118 master drawings from the fifteenth through the nineteenth century opened on 27 October. Diirer to De- lacroix: Great Master Drawings from Stockholm comprised sheets from the Swedish Nationalmuseum, which ranks with the British Museum, the Louvre, and the Albertina as one of the world's great graphics collections. In addition to wonderful sheets by such masters as Raphael, Leonardo, Titian, Griinewald, Rubens, Rembrandt, Claude, Poussin, and Watteau, the exhibition included eighteenth- century drawings by four Swedish artists, among them Elias Martins' perceptive An Art Auction in London. The exhibition in Washington was supported by Volvo North America Corporation. Collectors Committee annual meeting At their October meeting the Collectors Committee acquired for the Gallery Sam Francis' White Line (1958—1959). A deliberately engi- neered contrast between the density of color and the emptiness of white characterizes this first Francis canvas to enter the Gallery's collection. Formerly in an important California collection, White Line is a major addition to our holdings in American art of the 1950s. This year's meeting marked the tenth anniversary of the Col- lectors Committee, ably and energetically chaired since its inception by Ruth Carter Stevenson. Its members have given seventeen works 14 Sam Francis, White Line, Gift of the Collectors Committee, 1985.56.1 of art to the Gallery, and it is difficult to imagine our twentieth-cen- tury collection without their generous donations. Treasure Houses of Britain After six years of planning, one of the largest projects ever under- taken by the National Gallery came to fruition when The Treasure Houses of Britain: 500 Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting opened on 3 November.