National Portrait Gallery | Washington, D.C.

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution, is a museum depicting American history through the portraits of its protagonists.

The museum, founded in 1962, is housed since 2006, together with the American Art Museum, in the former building of the U.S. Patent Office, dating to 1836, completely renovated and re-entitled Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture.
Among the architectural features of the museum, the iconic “Robert and Arlene Kogod” covered courtyard, designed by the British architects Foster + Partners, is worth a special mention.

The collection of the National Portrait Gallery is composed by different forms of portraiture, paintings, graphic works, sculptures and new media, depicting U.S. Presidents, scientists, actors, activists, artists and criminals, heroes and villains, to present a comprehensive vision of American history.
The National Portrait Gallery permanent exhibition is divided into six thematic galleries: American Origins, 1600-1900; The Struggle for Justice (civil rights personalities); Jo Davidson: Biographer in Bronze; Twentieth-Century Americans; Bravo! (performing artists) and Champions (sport celebrities).

The National Portrait Gallery organizes temporary exhibitions, special events, educational and learning programs for children, families, schools and educators.
The museum includes a shop and a restaurant-café, located in the previously mentioned Kogod Courtyard, and is fully accessible to people with disabilities.

Photos: cover courtesy of Timothy Hursley and Smithsonian Institution;
1 courtesy of Smithsonian; 2 by Tim Evanson; 3 by IntangibleArts