ANDREW W. MELLON BUILDS the NATIONAL GALLERY of ART

Attached is a news item from a 1937 issue of ART DIGEST announcing the very generous gift to the American people made by billionaire philanthropist Andrew W. Mellon (1855 — 1937): The National Gallery of Art:

“The plans, designed by John Russell Pope have already been accepted by the Fine Arts Commission and construction… will get underway as soon as congressional authorization is made… The cost of the building, which will be borne entirely by Mr. Mellon, is estimated at $9,000,000.”

(The cost was actually $10,000,000)

Click here to read additional articles from the Twenties and Thirties about art.