DOGE Visits National Gallery of Art to Discuss Museum's Legal Status

[Coventina]

Last edited Tue Apr 22, 2025, 04:12 PM - Edit history (1)

Representatives from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency met with leadership at the National Gallery of Art on Thursday, according to an email from the director to staff of the fine arts museum.

National Gallery Director Kaywin Feldman and Secretary and General Counsel Luis Baquedano discussed the museum’s legal status with DOGE representatives, per the email seen by Bloomberg CityLab.

The meeting is the latest step by the unofficial cost-cutting arm of the Trump administration to reach beyond traditional federal agencies within the executive branch.

The National Gallery is a public-private partnership that receives funding from Congress for its day-to-day operations but draws the bulk of its support for acquisitions and growth from a private trust. The museum is not part of any branch of government and is overseen by a board of trustees, although that board has historically included government officials, among them current trustee Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-18/washington-dc-national-gallery-of-art-gets-a-visit-from-doge

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The following works of art will now be the property of Elon Musk (this is satirical):

Leonardo da Vinci's Ginerva de' Benci

Rembrant's Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit

Claude Monet's Woman with a Parasol

Jan van Eyck's The Annunciation

Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne

I hate these motherfuckers so much!!

[Irish_Dem]

1. Trump/Musk/Kushner know to the penny how much they can make on this artwork.

They probably already have buyers for the items.
The billionaires who helped install Trump get first crack at the bidding war.

[MadameButterfly]

8. Please explain how Musk owns these paintings

He can't just walk into the National Gallery and take them. Are you saying he auctioning them off for the government and then using the money for his special interests? i can't find anything in the linked article or online about this.

[Irish_Dem]

10. During Covid, Jared Kushner said that all govt property belongs to him and Trump.

Jared sold critical American lifesaving medical equipment, respirators, covid tests,
sterile protective clothing, etc to overseas, foreign buyers.
These items had been the property of the US taxpayer.

You can google this topic to verify Jared's statements and behavior.

We also know that Trump stole classified documents, which belonged to the American people.
You can google to see all of Trump's long standing criminal behavior.

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.
Kushner, Trump, Musk are ruthless psychopaths who have committed many crimes
and stolen a great deal from the American people.

It is very likely they will continue to follow this pattern.
It is foolish to think otherwise.

[MadameButterfly]

11. I'm aware of their history and I'm not saying it couldn't happen

but lets be clear: it hasn't happened yet. More accurate to say these paintings are at risk than that they are already owned by Elon.

The US Govt. funds operations of the National Gallery. The Building itself was donated by Mellon with conditions. A private trust aquires the paintings. I don't see the courts giving Musk access to the paintings. Yes Trump/Musk might ignore court orders, but buyers might not welcome the risk.

[Deuxcents]

2. This is plundering and under what legal definition is it for DOGE to continue this?

[Tanuki]

3. We're gonna need a team of Monuments Men

(and Women)

[bif]

4. Where did you get the following information from?

The following works of art will now be the property of Elon Musk:

Leonardo da Vinci's Ginerva de' Benci

Rembrant's Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit

Claude Monet's Woman with a Parasol

Jan van Eyck's The Annunciation

Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne


Just curious.

[Coventina]

5. Apologies, I was being sarcastic. I wasn't intending to present that as truth.

However, I do not put it past these guys to steal them, given any opportunity.

[bif]

6. It's pretty misleading

Perhaps you should revise it?

[Coventina]

7. I will, thanks. eom

[Meowmee]

9. Awful, I hope they tell doge to go F themselves.