The National Gallery of Art’s Teflon Budget

THE WASHINGTON POST
By Katherine Boyle

The Nativity with the Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel" (1308/1311) by Duccio di Buoninsegna

WASHINGTON, DC---In this era of shrinking federal budgets, the gallery has suffered little, thanks to support from Congress. From 2001 to 2011, federal appropriations to the National Gallery grew from $73 million to $158 million — or rose 70 percent when accounting for inflation — a growth rate nearly triple that of other federally-funded cultural institutions such as the National Archives, the Library of Congress and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. When compared with museums across the country, the gallery’s growth is staggering. On average, museum budgets have grown by less than 15 percent since 1991, according to a report by the American Alliance of Museums. “It means that there’s someone who is very good at lobbying,” said Diana Aviv, chief executive of the Independent Sector, a nonprofit coalition, and a former member of the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents’ Committee on Governance. “Generally speaking, when a budget increases that substantially, they’ve developed lay leaders or friends who are close to lawmakers.” [link]