March 2008, Backstory - Maygene Daniels, chief of Gallery Archives. From its inception, the design of the West Building of the National Gallery of Art was inspired by Italian tradition in art and architecture. The Gallery's collection of Italian paintings is considered to be among the finest in the world, and John Russell Pope's neoclassical design is reminiscent of ancient Rome's Pantheon. In this podcast, host Barbara Tempchin and Gallery chief archivist Maygene Daniels talk about the enduring link between Italian traditions and the National Gallery of Art.