Washington DC: Freer Gallery of Art
The Freer Gallery of Art, administered by the Smithsonian Institute, is one of two galleries of the National Museum of Asian Art, the other being the adjoining Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. The gallery was founded by Charles Lang Freer (1854–1919), a railroad-car manufacturer from Detroit who gave to the United States his collections and funds for a building to house them. The Italian-Renaissance-style gallery, constructed in granite and marble, was inspired by Freer's visits to palazzos in Italy and designed by the American architect Charles A. Platt. When the gallery opened to the public in 1923, it was the first Smithsonian museum dedicated to fine arts. The Freer was also the first Smithsonian museum created from a private collector's bequest.
The Smithsonian Institution, an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines, was established in 1846. Although concentrated in Washington DC, its collection of over 136 million items is spread through 19 museums, a zoo, and nine research centers from New York to Panama.
Washington DC: Freer Gallery of Art
The Freer Gallery of Art, administered by the Smithsonian Institute, is one of two galleries of the National Museum of Asian Art, the other being the adjoining Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. The gallery was founded by Charles Lang Freer (1854–1919), a railroad-car manufacturer from Detroit who gave to the United States his collections and funds for a building to house them. The Italian-Renaissance-style gallery, constructed in granite and marble, was inspired by Freer's visits to palazzos in Italy and designed by the American architect Charles A. Platt. When the gallery opened to the public in 1923, it was the first Smithsonian museum dedicated to fine arts. The Freer was also the first Smithsonian museum created from a private collector's bequest.
The Smithsonian Institution, an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines, was established in 1846. Although concentrated in Washington DC, its collection of over 136 million items is spread through 19 museums, a zoo, and nine research centers from New York to Panama.