Curatorial Records

The Department of Curatorial Records maintains files on all paintings, sculptures, and works of decorative art in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. The files include official documents, publications, exhibition and provenance information, correspondence, and other materials constituting an original, irreplaceable archival resource. A curatorial file is begun with information gathered from curators, donors, and the registrar once an object is accessioned into the collection. Materials from other Gallery offices, including the curatorial, registrarial, and loan departments, the library, the press office, and others, are regularly assimilated into the curatorial files. The department does not keep files on the Gallery's works on paper, objects on loan to the Gallery, or non-Gallery objects in temporary special exhibitions.

The Department of Curatorial Records is also responsible for the information in the collections database, called "Leonardo," for those objects for which paper files are maintained. Complete provenance, exhibition history, and bibliographic information compiled from National Gallery of Art collection catalogues and materials in the curatorial files is available on Leonardo for over one-third of the paintings in the Gallery, while partial information in these categories is available for all objects in the database. Biographies and bibliographies of collection artists, donors, previous owners, and portrait sitters are also accessible through the database. New information is added to the scholarly portions of the database on a daily basis.

Hours
The curatorial files may be consulted by qualified scholars and students by appointment only between 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. Curatorial records staff will gladly respond to research inquiries specific to the collections of the National Gallery of Art and provide additional information about documents in the curatorial files. Questions about the information on the Leonardo database or requests for searches of the database that are more complicated than those possible through the National Gallery's web site may also be directed to this office.

Further Information
For additional information, write or e-mail:

Department of Curatorial Records
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785
E-mail: curatorial-records@nga.gov (NGA collections)

Please note: The staff of this department responds only to inquiries about works of art and artists specific to the Gallery's collections. The National Gallery of Art cannot provide appraisals of monetary value for works of art.