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London's National Gallery, founded in 1824, houses a rich collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900 in its home on Trafalgar Square. more...

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The collection belongs to the British public and entry to the main collection is free, although there are charges for entry to special exhibitions.

The National Gallery's beginnings were modest; unlike comparable galleries such as the Louvre in Paris or the Museo del Prado in Madrid, it was not formed by nationalising an existing royal or princely art collection. It came into being when the British government bought 36 paintings from the banker John Julius Angerstein in 1824. After that initial purchase the Gallery has been shaped mainly by its early directors, notably Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, and by private donations, which comprise two thirds of the collection. The resulting collection is small compared with the national galleries of continental Europe, but has a high concentration of important works across a broad art-historical scope, from the Early Renaissance to Post-impressionism, with relatively few weak areas.

The present building, on the northern side of Trafalgar Square, is the third to house the Gallery, and like its predecessors it has often been deemed inadequate. The façade by William Wilkins is the only part of his original building of 1832–8 that remains essentially unchanged, as the structure as a whole has been altered and expanded in a piecemeal manner throughout its history. Notable additions have been made by E. M. Barry and Robert Venturi. The National Gallery is currently without a director, but the art historian Nicholas Penny will assume the post in Spring 2008.

History

The call for a National Gallery

Great Britain, compared with most European nation states, was a late starter in establishing a national art collection open to the public. This was not for lack of opportunities to do so, as the British government had been in a position to buy a private collection of international stature in the late 18th century, but had not acted on it. The collection in question was that of Sir Robert Walpole, which his descendants were considering putting up for sale in 1777. The radical MP John Wilkes, speaking to the House of Commons, called for "a noble gallery... to be built in the spacious garden of the British Museum for the reception of that invaluable treasure". The government paid no heed to Wilkes's appeal and 20 years later the collection was bought in its entirety by Catherine the Great; it is now to be found in the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.

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