05/27/1940
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu...
"They accept it for themselves because, in the past few years, they have come to understand that the inheritance is theirs and that, like other inheritors of other things of great value, they have a du..."
"The true collectors are the collectors who understand this."
"Today they are not only works of art."
"I accept for the people of the United States and on their behalf this National Gallery and the collections it contains."