News Release: 9 June 1999

National Gallery Board Elected David Maxwell as New Trustee

Washington, DC--Following a meeting on 20 May 1999, of the General Trustees of the National Gallery of Art, Robert H. Smith, president of the Gallery, announced that David O. Maxwell, retired chairman and chief executive officer of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), was elected as a new trustee. Maxwell, who will begin serving on 1 July 1999, succeeds Louise W. Mellon, who is retiring after serving a term of six years.

Smith expressed his "appreciation on behalf of the Board of Trustees for Louise Mellon's dedication and contributions to the Gallery over the past decade." Mellon, who became a trustee in 1993, was a member of the Gallery's Trustees' Council from 1991 to 1993 and served on its Development Committee and the Forum Subcommittee. She is a New Century Fund donor and served on the New Century Fund Campaign Committee, which raised funds primarily for the acquisition of art. In 1998 she provided funds for the Gallery to acquire a painting by British artist John Constable, Cloud Study: Stormy Sunset (1821-1822), in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon. Louise Mellon will remain active as a member of the Trustees' Council.

Commenting on Maxwell's election, Smith said, "The Gallery is very fortunate to have someone of David Maxwell's caliber who has had not only a stellar career in government and business, but has always maintained a high commitment to the community and the arts, including the Gallery."

Maxwell said it was "the opportunity to play a role rather than just be a spectator in an institution committed to excellence" that prompted him to become involved with the National Gallery. With his wife Joan, Maxwell joined The Circle of the National Gallery of Art as founding members in 1986. In 1997, they created the Joan and David Maxwell Fund for the acquisition of American art with a major contribution to the New Century Fund. In 1993 they supported the Gallery's Egon Schiele exhibition. Maxwell also serves as an advisor to the Finance Committee of the Gallery's Board of Trustees. Since 1993 he has been a member of the Gallery's Trustees' Council and is its current chairman. He was co-chair of The Circle, 1994-1999.

Maxwell, who resides in Washington, DC, is also a member of the boards of trustees of The Brookings Institution, The Enterprise Foundation, Arena Stage, and WETA-TV and radio. He is a Life Trustee of The Urban Institute and vice president and treasurer of the Jovid Foundation.

Other members of the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery of Art are William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; the Honorable Madeleine K. Albright, Secretary of State; the Honorable Robert E. Rubin, Secretary of the Treasury; I. Michael Heyman, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; Robert F. Erburu, retired chairman of the board, Times Mirror Company; Julian Ganz Jr., president of McMahan Furniture Stores (headquartered in Los Angeles); and Alexander M. Laughlin, a private investor with Deltec Asset Management Corporation, New York. Ruth Carter Stevenson, former chairman, serves as Trustee Emerita.

General Information

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov.

Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances. For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by the Gallery or its checkrooms.

For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:

Press Office
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov

Deborah Ziska
Chief of Press and Public Information
(202) 842-6353
ds-ziska@nga.gov

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