National Gallery

On the north side of Trafalgar square lies one of the most important museums in the world. The National Gallery houses a collection of the greatest Western European painters including Van Eyck, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Turner, Rembrandt, Degas, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, Rubens, Velázquez, Van Dyck, Titian and Bellini.

No other collection possesses such consistent quality, nor better tells the story of Western European painting. Almost all of the 2,300 paintings in the National Gallery’s collection are on permanent display.

The Gallery started its life in 1824 when the British Government purchased 38 pictures belonging to the banker John Julius Angerstein. As there was no suitable space available to display the collection, the pictures were put on display in Angerstein’s former home in Pall Mall. It was only in 1838 that the collection moved to its current site in Trafalgar Square.

The present building, the third to house the National Gallery, was designed by William Wilkins from 1832–38. Only the facade onto Trafalgar Square remains essentially unchanged from this time, as the building has been expanded piecemeal throughout its history. The museum is open to the public 361 days a year, free of charge. More