The National Gallery of Art just received its largest-ever donation, courtesy of Mitchell Rales, the billionaire cofounder of the Glenstone Museum in Potomac.

The Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation donated $116 million to Across the Nation, the National Gallery’s program that loans works from its collection to regional museums across the U.S, the gallery announced on Tuesday.

“I am thrilled and humbled to support a program that will deepen access to the nation’s collection for Americans throughout the country in perpetuity and to honor this remarkable moment in our country’s history — our 250th anniversary," Rales said in a statement, highlighting the gallery’s mission to share art as broadly as possible.

The Across the Nation program, which launched last April, allows partner museums around the country to select artwork from the National Gallery’s permanent collection as a free, long-term loan. Donations help to transport, install, insure, and market the new exhibits, as well as educate staff.

Advertise with us

“In its inaugural year, Across the Nation has already demonstrated the impact it can have at regional museums and in communities nationwide,” he added. “I could not be more proud of what the National Gallery stands for and what it delivers to Americans across the country.”

Some current partner institutions include the Boise Art Museum, Denver Art Museum, Flint Institute of Arts, Anchorage Museum and Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. The National Gallery aims to place art in all 50 states by 2035.

Read More

How the Rachel Carson museum is making its mark years before it opens

Glenstone, Potomac’s contemporary art haven, evolves as it turns 20

Meet the Maryland native known as ‘The Jazz Detective’

Rales has supported the National Gallery for more than 20 years, serving in multiple roles, including trustee, Collectors Committee member, and president from 2019 to 2024.

Glenstone, which Rales cofounded with Emily Wei Rales, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The free museum, hidden away on more than 200 acres of greenery in Potomac, prides itself on being a haven for art and architecture lovers, with carefully curated collections.