Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
National surpasses its counterparts. And the gallery's 2,300-plus paintings would still
take some considerable time to view in their entirety—certainly a good deal longer
than the gallery's original collection, which consisted of just 38 works. It was founded
in 1824 by the British government, and gradually built up via a combination of private
bequests and purchases.
Today the collection provides a comprehensive overview of the development of
Western art from the mid-1200s to 1900, with most major artists and movements of
the period represented.
The layout is straightforwardly chronological. Passing through the sturdy neoclas-
sical facade on Trafalgar Square, you turn left to find the gallery's oldest works,
housed, by way of contrast, in its newest section, the 1990s-built Sainsbury Wing.
It covers the period from 1250 to 1500, including paintings by such Renaissance and
pre-Renaissance greats as Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, Leonardo da
Vinci, and Van Eyck (including his famed Arnolfini Portrait ).
The chronology then moves onto the West Wing, covering 1500 to 1600 and filled
with European Old Masters, such as Titian, Raphael, El Greco, and Hans Holbein.
Next in line is the North Wing (1600-1700), where highlights include a Rembrandt
self-portrait and works by Caravaggio and Velázquez, with things culminating in the
East Wing (1700-1900), with a celebrated selection of Impressionist and Post-
Impressionist paintings, including various water-lilies by Monet, Van Gogh's Sunflow-
ers , and Renoir's Les Parapluies (The Umbrellas)—some of the gallery's most popular
(not to say most valuable) paintings.
If you can't decide where to begin, try joining a free 1-hour taster tour of the col-
lection given every day at 11:30am and 2:30pm. Children's trails are available for £1
from the front desk (or can be downloaded for free in advance from the website).
Trafalgar Sq., WC2. &   020/7747-2885. www.nationalgallery.org.uk. Free admission; fee charged for
temporary exhibitions. Sat-Thurs 10am-6pm; Fri 10am-9pm. Tube: Charing Cross or Leicester Sq.
National Portrait Gallery GALLERY Most galleries acquire their col-
lections according to some notion of quality, with the aim of displaying the finest
works of a particular artist, movement, or period. Not so the “NPG,” where the col-
lection is based not so much on ability as identity. Pictures have been chosen on the
basis of who the subject is, not how well they've been captured by the artist. As a
result, the works vary hugely in quality, and have been rendered in a great mish-mash
of styles and mediums, including oil paintings, photographs, and collages. The result
is rather jolly and exuberant, like a giant scrapbook of the nation.
You'll pass Tudor kings and queens (including a study of Henry VIII by Holbein),
great writers and thinkers (look out for Shakespeare sporting a natty gold earring, a
portly looking Samuel Johnson by Sir Joshua Reynolds, and the Brontë sisters as
captured by their brother, Bramwell), as well as the musicians, movie stars, politi-
cians, and sporting royalty of today. However, if you need a little help working out
who's who, free “Portrait of the Day” talks are given every Saturday at midday. This
is a great place to hang out on Thursdays and Fridays, when the gallery (as well as
its cafe, bar, and restaurant) stays open till 9pm, laying on art workshops and con-
certs—typically classical, jazz, or blues. Insider tip: The NPG's Portrait Restau-
rant has one of London's great “secret” views, out over Trafalgar Square toward the
Houses of Parliament.
St. Martin's Place, WC2. &   020/7306-0055. www.npg.org.uk. Free admission; fee charged for tempo-
rary exhibitions. Sat-Wed 10am-6pm; Thurs-Fri 10am-9pm. Tube: Charing Cross or Leicester Sq.
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