For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
June 14, 2006

Mrs. Bush's Remarks during a Tour of the Bellini, Giorgione, Titian and the Renaissance of Venetian Painting Exhibit with Mrs. Leila Castellaneta, Wife of the Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta
National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C.

Photos

11:44 A.M. EDT

MRS. BUSH: Well, we're very happy to have this preview, really, of this fabulous show that's just opening at the National Gallery. I hope a lot of you will come out to see it. It's a show that's been in the works for a long time, according to the curator, David Brown. And it shows the 16th century Venetian paintings, with the very, very famous masters -- the older Bellini, and then his young students. Titian ended up being, of course, one of the major painters of the world -- both of them, really. So this is a great opportunity for people in the Washington area to come to the National Gallery and have the chance to see these paintings that they might not ever have another chance to see, and certainly, they wouldn't have a chance to see them all in one installation.

And I'm so happy to be here today with the wife of the Italian Ambassador to the United States, Mrs. Castellaneta. Thank you very much for joining me on this tour.

MRS. CASTELLANETA: Thank you, Mrs. Bush, for being here today with us. And what a treat this has been.

MRS. BUSH: It has been.

MRS. CASTELLANETA: I know how busy you are. And you find time to be here today with us. And I don't know -- the exhibition talks for itself, so I shouldn't say anything. And even I think no one of us has something to add to it. But it's really marvelous to be here with all these beautiful works -- thank you.

MRS. BUSH: Thank you so much.

MRS. CASTELLANETA: Thank you.

MRS. BUSH: So I want to encourage people to be sure to come to this show while it's here. It opens, I guess, tomorrow -- Saturday*. Saturday is the first day of the opening, and it runs through September 17th. So it will be here all summer. So I want to encourage people to come see these magnificent works, Venetian High Renaissance works. They're so beautiful.

MRS. CASTELLANETA: The only thing that I can add is to say thank you to Mrs. Bracco and the Bracco group who made this happen.

MRS. BUSH: That's right, the sponsors -- Mrs. Bracco is here with us, and sponsored this exhibit.

Thanks, everybody.

MRS. CASTELLANETA: Thank you very much.

END 11:46 A.M. EDT

*The exhibit opens Sunday, June 18th.