Three items associated with the exhibition of the Mona Lisa at the National Gallery of Art in 1963, from the collection of Congressman Ralph Harding: an official National Gallery of Art invitation to "a private exhibition of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci lent by the Government of the French Republic" on January 8, [1963]; a printed National Gallery of Art card requesting prompt attendance "as the addresses by The President of the United States and The French Minister of Cultural Affairs will begin at ten o'clock"; and an official 16-page program for the exhibition, discussing the importance of da Vinci's masterwork and her "indefinable smile." In overall fine condition.
The Mona Lisa was displayed in America at the behest of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, largely thanks to her friendship with the celebrated writer Andre Malraux, who was serving as French Minister of Cultural Affairs. The exhibition opened privately on January 8, 1963, and received a star-studded turnout: among the distinguished guests were every member of President Kennedy’s cabinet, all sitting senators and congressmen (Harding included), all nine Supreme Court justices, myriad administration officials, and the heads of many prominent educational and cultural institutions. In their speeches, President Kennedy and Andre Malraux stressed the historic bonds between the United States and France, which stretched back to their respective democratic revolutions. In the month that followed, more than half a million Americans were able to visit the masterpiece at the National Gallery of Art.
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