Mellon Family Comes to Aid of Vermeer Exhibit

WASHINGTON — Once again the Mellon family has come to the aid of the National Gallery of Art, the museum founded by Andrew Mellon.

The Richard King Mellon Foundation of Pittsburgh, Pa., one of the nation’s wealthiest private foundations, has guaranteed that the once-in-a-lifetime Johannes Vermeer exhibition at the National Gallery will remain open through the end of its scheduled run on Feb. 11--regardless of when the federal government reopens.

The foundation has promised to pay the costs--now estimated at between $42,000 and $49,000 a week--of keeping 33 extra guards on duty so that the Vermeer exhibition will not again be closed.

The gallery has used up its own private funds to stay open and planned to close the exhibit today.