The Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa, has opened an exhibition titled "The Golden Age: Featuring Northern European Artworks from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art," featuring 10 masterworks from 1537 to 1700 on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The show includes paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder, Anthony van Dyck, Frans Hals, and Louis Vallée, and runs through April 4, 2027. The Figge is one of ten small to mid-size museums selected for the National Gallery's "Across the Nation" initiative, which sends key works to institutions nationwide to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States.
This exhibition matters because it brings rarely loaned masterworks from a major national collection to a regional museum, expanding public access to art typically confined to large coastal cities. It also reflects a broader political shift in Washington, D.C., where federal directives have redirected cultural institutions like the National Gallery and the Smithsonian toward America250 programming, while diversity offices have been closed and NEA grants for underserved communities phased out. The Figge's show pairs the loans with its own collection, creating a thematic experience that highlights both national and local art heritage.