The National Gallery of Art has announced a bequest of sixty-two works of art from the estate of Paul Mellon, the gallery's first president.

The works by Vincent van Gogh, Winslow Homer, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Georges Seurat, and others are part of a collection of a hundred and ten paintings, sculptures, and works on paper that had been bequeathed to NGA at the time of Mellon's death in 1999. Subject to a life estate, they had remained in the care of his widow, Rachel Lambert Mellon, who released forty-eight works before her own death in March.

The couple's gifts to the gallery since 1964 include 1,168 works of art, contributions to its fund for acquisitions, and — together with Mellon's sister, Ailsa Mellon Bruce, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation — funds for the construction of the museum's East Building. "Paul Mellon was one of the greatest philanthropists of our time, and his donations of art to the National Gallery of Art are unsurpassed. Paul and Bunny Mellon left an extraordinary legacy that we plan to honor with an exhibition in 2016," said National Gallery director Earl A. Powell III.

In addition, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has announced a gift of twenty-six works from the Mellon estate, including paintings by van Gogh and Degas. "The Virginia Museum is particularly proud that the Mellon collections include works of art representing subjects that were highly meaningful to Mrs. Mellon, such as flowers, gardens, and the French countryside, as well as the British and American horses and landscapes that Mr. Mellon admired," said VMFA director Alex Nyerges.