The museum said Saturday that the government shutdown would close the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
A brief statement from the museum said: “From tomorrow, October 5 tomorrow, the National Gallery will be temporarily closed and all plans will be cancelled until further notice.”
Due to the closure, this is the first major museum in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian Agency operates a range of museums in Washington, D.C. and beyond, and it uses its own funds to stay open until at least Monday.
It is not clear when the closure will end. Starting in December 2018, the last closure was the longest in U.S. history, lasting 35 days, leaving many Smithsonian workers unpaid.
If the closure lasts longer, it may affect the programming of the National Gallery. On October 18, the museum will open to what is considered the largest survey of Australian Aboriginal Arts ever held outside the continent. The 200-line show features borrowed works from the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.
Although the museum has noticed various events cancelled on its website, the Aboriginal Art Exhibition of Australia appears to be open on scheduled dates.
Although Trump has repeatedly attacked the Smithsonians, he usually avoids commenting at the National Gallery, which is funded through a mix of private and federal funds. Still, the museum is directly influenced by Trump’s policies: it met with the diversity program while he was still leading Doge when he met with Elon Musk earlier this year when he still led Doge.
