London Art Tours - for the visitor to London who wishes to view and experience the incomparable art and architecture of the city, its galleries and exhibitions.

[London Art Tours - National Gallery, Tower Bridge, London Eye, Tate Modern]


The National Gallery

Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN
tel: 020-7747 2885
www.nationalgallery.org.uk
tube: Charing Cross/Leicester Square

daily 10:00-18:00 (Fri until 21:00)

admission: free, (charges for special exhibitions)

 [The National Gallery]
The National Gallery houses the English nation's collection of Western European painting from 1200 to 1900. It is known to be one of the most comprehensive and balanced collections of its kind anywhere in the world; virtually every major school and painter is represented.

Occupying the entire north side of Trafalgar Square is the familiar façade of William Wilkins' 1838 building. Ascending the steps you will enter the world of 19th Century philanthropy which formed the basis of this collection and ensured that it would be displayed to the public free of charge.

The original building has been extended on many occasions. A new entrance and visitor facilities were opened in 2004 as part of the East Wing project.

Most prominent of the additions is the Sainsbury Wing designed by US-architect Robert Venturi and opened in 1991. Its cool church-like interiors offer a sympathetic environment in which to display early Italian Renaissance art, the oldest works in the collection.

The trend away from the "white cube" exhibition space has led to the refurbishment of many of the rooms which now offer a sumptuous background to the paintings.

The National Gallery provides you with an unparalleled opportunity to trace the development of European painting through the centuries and includes many famous works. The period covered by the collection ends in 1900 - at which point Tate Modern continues the story.

It is would be invidious to reduce the holdings of the National Gallery to a handful of masterpieces, so we make no apology for the length of the following list of highlights.

  • van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434
  • Piero della Francesca, The Baptism of Christ, c. 1450s
  • Botticelli, Venus & Mars, c. 1480-90
  • Michelangelo, The Entombment, c. 1500
  • Leonardo da Vinci, The Virgin & Child with St. Anne & John the Baptist, c.1507-8
  • Raphael, St. Catherine of Alexandria, c. 1507-8
  • Titian, Bacchus & Ariadne, 1522-3
  • Holbein, The Ambassadors, 1533
  • El Greco, Christ driving the Traders from the Temple, c. 1600
  • Caravaggio, The Supper at Emmaus, 1601
  • Rubens, Samson & Delilah, c. 1609
  • Poussin, The Adoration of the Golden Calf, c. 1634
  • Rembrandt, Self Portrait at the Age of 34, 1640
  • Velazquez, The Rokeby Venus, c. 1650
  • Vermeer, A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal, c. 1670
  • Constable, The Hay Wain, 1821
  • Turner, The Fighting Temeraire, 1838-9
  • Ingres, Madame Moitessier, 1856
  • Seurat, Bathers at Asnieres, 1884
  • Van Gogh, Sunflowers, 1888
  • Cezanne, Bathers, c. 1900

A London Art Tours guide will direct your visit to encompass the unmissable masterpieces of this extraordinary collection.

[The National Gallery] [The National Gallery] [The National Gallery]