Acquired Taste National Gallery Exhibit, Book Show Off Museumís Vast Collections by Gary Tischler Major museums reveal themselves on a daily basis, through exhibitions, the permanent collection, books and other materials. The National Gallery of Art is showing itself off, so to speak, in two different ways this month. One is through "Six Centuries of Prints and Drawings: Recent Acquisitions," a wide-ranging, diverse presentation of nearly 140 itemsóa small sampling of the works of art on paper acquired by the National Gallery over the past five years. Another way is through books, specifically a new book that defines a museum and its identity. The recently published "National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection" is a handsome, impressive volume that came out right in time for the holiday rush. Before heading into the gift shop to purchase the $60 book though, visitors should examine the "Six Centuries" display. Works on paper often exist as a kind of artistic hint, and viewers generally see them as a prelude to the "real" thing, a rough draft of a painting, for instance, or a sketch of a sculpture. Although thatís often th e function that a drawing or sketch performs, the field of works of art on paper and prints is also a treasure trove of self-contained, rich works that includes illustrations for rare books, drawings, watercolors, pastels and artistís prints. What this exhibition hints at is the vast collection of such works stored at the National Gallery, most of which the public rarely, if ever, sees because of the sensitive and fragile nature of the material itself. The National Gallery of Art houses 60,000 prints, 30,000 drawings and 2,000 rare illustrated books going back to the 12th century, covering all of the major European and American art periods, genres and schools. The collection, which can be viewed by appointment, started out modestly in 1941 with 400 prints donated by five collectors, but gathered speed when the gallery received some 2,000 works from Joseph Widener, who gave the museum a huge array of 18th-century French prints, illustrated books and drawings. Lessing Rosenwald also donated his collection of 8,000 master and modern prints and drawings to the museum, and over the next 36 years continued to donate some 14,000 more works on paper, including woodcuts and drawings by Albrecht Durer and works by Rembrandt van Rijn, HonorÈ Daumier, James McNeill Whistler and Mary Cassatt. Gifts continued to come in from various collectors, while the National Gallery itself continued to add to its collection with purchases. "Six Centuries of Prints and Drawings" is a generalistís delight and is fairly representative of acquisitions, purchases and donations over the past five years. Although thereís no real coherent theme to this collection, the individual landscape of the exhibition is rife with surprises, thrills and revelation. The display includes the deft "Christ Kneeling in Prayer," the earliest German drawing on paper to come to America, done around 1425. There is also the more fascinating "Sanctus Bernhardinus," a surviving impression of one of the earliest portrait prints, based on a death mask of St. Bernhardin of Siena. Thereís a certain grab-bag aspect to an exhibition like thisóit lets you roam the world at warp speed through a time machine. Here youíll find a Master of Cologne Bible, with woodcut illustrations, and the first travel book dating from the 1480s. Thereís the remarkably busy woodcut of 14 blocks detailing the "Procession of the Doge in the Piazza San Marco" from the 1570s, Jan van Scorelís impressions of five woodcuts telling the story of the flood from 1530, as well as five difficult but beautiful engravings on satin constituting "The Rape of the Sabine Women" by Cherubino Alberti from 1615. You can also jump to John Dixonís "A Tigress," an impression made in 1772 thatís often referred to as the most famous mezzotint ever created. French drawings are ably represented here and echo a different exhibition at the National Gallery earlier this year. Adolph Menzel, the German painter who probably was a precursor of impressionism, is represented in a lovely gouache of a church in Innsbruck, Austria. Youíve also got Pablo Picasso in an impression of his famous "The Frugal Repast," in addition to Georgia OíKeefe, Joseph Stella, Paul Klee, Louise Nevelson and Roy Lichtenstein, among other modern artists. Unlike the exhibition of prints and drawings, which only gives us a taste of the National Galleryís immense collection, the book "Master Paintings from the Collection" is something altogether different. Ranging from the earliest paintings in the gallery to the latest acquisition, it shows off the museumís richness, size, range and stature. Written by John Oliver Hand, the National Gallery curator of northern Renaissance painting, the book basically replaces the monumental work on the National Gallery by John Walker, which was first published in 1975, revised in 1984 and is now out of print. The new book encompasses acquisitions and changes in the National Gallery since 1984, focusing squarely on the paintings. It features reproductions of 400 painting masterpieces from the collection, cleanly highlighted and beautifully reproduced. The coffee table-size book, endlessly rich in information and reproductions, is a kind of "best of" volume. It shows us the National Galleryís star quality and is meant to be taken home so that you can bathe yourself in the light of the museumís justifiable charisma. Itís not like being there, but itís the next best thing. "Six Centuries of Prints and Drawings: Recent Acquisitions" runs through May 30 at the National Gallery of Art, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue, NW. For more information, please call (202) 737-4215 or visit www.nga.gov. Gary Tischler is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.