National Gallery London

UK Museums: National Gallery, London

National Gallery

The National Gallery, along with the nearby British Museum, is one of London's richest repositories of classical art.

Located on the north side of Trafalgar Square in the center of London, the National Gallery holds over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to the early 20th century.

National Gallery, London. — The iconic neoclassical National Gallery and the fountains of Trafalgar Square, London

History

The National Gallery was founded in 1824 when the British government of the day purchased the 38 painting collection of the businessman John Julius Angerstein (1732-1823) on his death. Later private donations added to the size of the collection and gifts account for two thirds of the paintings on display or in storage.

The building on Trafalgar Square was designed by William Wilkins and constructed between 1832 and 1838. Only the façade is original from this time as the National Gallery underwent a series of demolitions, renovations and extensions over time including the Neoclassical Barry Rooms by Edward Middleton Barry and central staircase and entrance hall designed by James Taylor in the late 19th century.

The Postmodernist extension, the Sainsbury Wing, by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown was added in 1991. It houses the Renaissance Collection of the National Gallery.

National Gallery Collection

Collections at the National Gallery cover the period between the mid-13th century to the early 20th century with all the major traditions of Western European painting represented from religious art of the 13th-15th centuries to Renaissance Italy to the French Impressionists.

The paintings of the 13th to 15th century include works by Bellini, Botticelli, Dürer, Mantegna, Memling, Lippi, Uccello and van Eyck. The 16th century is represented by paintings by such great painters as Bruegel, Holbein, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian. Caravaggio, Poussin, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck and Velázquez and Vermeer are some of the artists representing the 17th century. Works from the 18th to early 20th century are by such artists as Canaletto, Cézanne, Constable, Degas, Goya, Monet, Turner and Van Gogh.

The National Gallery has a number of very famous paintings among its collection including the Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck painted in 1434, The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein, Rokeby Venus by Diego Velázquez completed in 1651, The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci, J. M. W. Turner's Fighting Temeraire and Sunflowers by the maverick Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh.

Access - Getting to the National Gallery

National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London
WC2N 5DN
Tel: 020 7747 2885
www: nationalgallery.org.uk

Hours: daily 10 am-6 pm; Friday 10 am-9 pm; closed 1 January and 24-26 December

The nearest stations to the National Gallery are Charing Cross on National Rail and the Northern and Bakerloo lines and Leicester Square on both the Northern and Piccadilly lines. Many London buses pass near the National Gallery including numbers #3, #6, #9, #11, #15, #23, #24, #87, #91, #139, #176.

Adjacent to the National Gallery is the National Portrait Gallery housing a collection of paintings, prints, drawings and photographs of famous (almost exclusively British) people including monarchs, politicians, explorers, soldiers and artists. The National Portrait Gallery now has the most extensive collection of portraits in the world.

In addition the National Gallery also offers various educational programs, lectures, workshops, and events for visitors of all ages. It also hosts temporary exhibitions, showcasing art from various periods and styles.

There is also a dedicated space for children, called the "Gallery for Children," which offers interactive exhibits and activities designed to engage younger visitors with art.

The museum has shops where visitors can purchase art-related merchandise, books, and gifts. There are also dining facilities, including cafes and restaurants, where visitors can enjoy meals and refreshments.