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’s board comprises some of cultural philanthropy’s largest donors. Its nine members include Carlyle Group co-founder David M. Rubenstein (also the host of Bloomberg’s The David Rubenstein Show), Silicon Valley Social Ventures founder Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker (also a board member of Bloomberg Inc.), Danaher Corporation co-founder Mitchell P. Rales and former PepsiCo Chief Executive Officer Indra Nooyi.
So far the National Gallery has avoided the scrutiny of the White House as it seeks to wrest greater control over Washington’s cultural apparatus.
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