Jimmy Carter actually said...

The National Gallery symbolizes our belief in the freedom and the genius of the human mind which is manifested in art.

This building stands as a metaphor for what, at its best, the relationship between government and the arts can be.

The dedication of this Gallery to a living past and to a greater and more richly living future is the measure of the earnestness of our inte...

We have no official art in this country, and I pray that we never will.