Last week, I was in the Swamp for the National Review Institute’s biennial Ideas Summit and, afterward, a round of museum visits. I loved meeting so many NR readers at the summit, hearing the talks, and seeing people who are, to me, celebrities. I visited the National Gallery of Art, a rare triumph in the realm of private philanthropy working together with the government. Andrew Mellon, once the secretary of the Treasury, pledged his art collection for a national art museum, built the NGA’s elegant building, and corralled some of his potentate friends to give their collections as well.
The museum has gone onward and upward since then. It’s still government-owned, but it has a lively donor base. Its exhibitions and scholarly programs tend to be very good.
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