Washington D.C., District of Columbia

With an art historian as your guide, take a three-hour small-group tour of the West Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. In a group of no more than six people, see some of the gallery’s most prized and adored works by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Jan van Eyck and JMW Turner. Touring this famous DC attraction with an art historian/ expert guide, instead of on your own, will enrich your experience as you not only learn about the well-known masterpieces, but discover hidden gems along the way.

On this small-group art tour limited to six people, see some of the most outstanding works in the history of Western art – works cited repeatedly as the pinnacles of beauty and talent. As you follow your art historian/ expert guide through the National Gallery of Art’s West Building in Washington DC, admire everything from 17th-century Dutch and Flemish still lifes and portraits to boxing rings and gritty urban settings created by American realists of the 19th century. The Gallery’s West building is home to many famous works of art, such as the only Leonardo da Vinci piece in the Americas – Ginevra de’ Benci or Claude Monet’s The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil.

Touring the gallery with an art historian/ expert guide provides you with unique perspectives on the art, as well as an understanding about what it takes to create a national collection and how this collection has evolved over 70 years. Learn about the philanthropy of the arts in the early 20th century, and see portraits of the gallery’s earliest benefactors. These generous individuals had vision – the vision to bring to the United States a prominent collection comparable to other national collections at the Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery in London. Decide for yourself if that vision was achieved!