National Gallery of Art Adds 190 Works, From a 17th-Century Mexican Bowl to a Painting That Survived the LA Wildfires
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC has acquired roughly 190 works since March 2026, spanning five centuries and multiple continents — from a 17th-century Mexican decorative bowl to a painting by Christina Quarles that was one of the few finished works to survive the Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed her Altadena home and studio. The Art Newspaper
Many of the new acquisitions mark the first time an artist's work has entered the museum's collection. Among the newcomers: French Impressionist Marie Bracquemond, whose painting Marguerite (around 1874) joins the holdings, and a roster of American contemporary artists including LaToya Hobbs, Lorraine O'Grady, Christina Quarles, Jordan Ann Craig, Stacy Kranitz and Lehuauakea.
Quarles's Turn Around, Don't (2024) is now on view at the museum. The painting gained extraordinary weight when the January 2025 fires levelled her house and studio, leaving it among her only surviving finished works.
The acquisitions also strengthen the museum's colonial Latin American holdings. A rare 17th-century Mexican batea — a shallow decorative bowl, likely used to adorn an elite Spanish colonial household — is among the oldest objects acquired. A crucifix painting by 17th-century artist María Josefa Sánchez and an 18th-century work by Guatemalan painter Tomás de Merlo join it. Contemporary artists with roots in Latin America newly represented include María Elena González, Beatriz Cortez, Simón Vega, Walterio Iraheta, Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz, David Antonio Cruz and Verónica Vides.
A major Wifredo Lam painting, L'esprit veillant (The Watchful Spirit) (1944), enters the collection at a moment of renewed attention for the Cuban modernist, who lived from 1902 to 1982. The Museum of Modern Art in New York mounted what it described as the largest US retrospective of Lam's work, spanning six decades and more than 150 works, from November 2025 through April 2026. Cuba reportedly declined to lend works for that exhibition, prompting MoMA director Christophe Cherix to assemble a global survey instead. The Art Newspaper
Other additions include woodblock prints by T.C. Cannon, the museum's first Ben Shahn painting, and photographs by Lillian Bassman and Paul Himmel.
NGA director Kaywin Feldman said the acquisitions span over five centuries and reflect the museum's commitment to expanding its collection across time periods. Chief curatorial and conservation officer E. Carmen Ramos said the new works broaden the holdings particularly in modern art, contemporary painting and colonial Latin American art. The Art Newspaper
The acquisition push arrives during an active year for the institution. On 11 August 2026, the NGA announced a US$116 million gift from the Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation endowing its 'Across the Nation' lending programme, which will bring works from the museum's American art collection to ten partner museums as part of commemorations for America's 250th anniversary. NGA Press
