There are a few good reasons to go here (and it’s not an easy choice when in DC as there is SO MUCH to do and see)

They have a DaVinci. That by itself is a big deal as it is the only one in the entire Western hemisphere. Plus, it is double sided (!) this alone is worth a visit.

Did I mention it is free to visit? This is another part that is amazing when you consider what you get to experience here.

There are so many works by artists you know by name: Gaugin, O’Keefe, Vermeer, Goya, Monet, Mondrian, Cassatt, Hopper, Pollock, Raphael, Titian, Cézanne, Rodin, Degas, Matisse, Picasso, Manet, Bernini,… that it almost boggles the mind that you never considered coming here before.

There is a lot more that even a New Yorker who grew up in Manhattan and is constantly in museums can appreciate. But if you can get on one of the tours that is highly encouraged as the stories behind the art will absolutely transport you in time and space and perhaps even bring you to tears. Especially they stop at a certain painting by Rembrandt entitled Lucretia.

After all this, whenever you see someone taking in a work of art in somber silence, and they are still there by the same artwork when you come back some time later you will begin to understand what the impact of art truly is.

Without the double backstory, Rembrandt’s Lucretia is just another painting your eye looks at for a few seconds and you move on to the next masterpiece. With the tour though, it is the most heartbreaking story you have ever heard in your life and makes you appreciate the art so much more.

So worth a visit the next time you are in DC.