The National Gallery
The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square is Britain’s main art museum housing a huge collection of works including masterpieces from many of the great artists and covering the main western European schools.
The Gallery was founded in 1824 when the house of commons decided to acquire the collection of banker John Julius Angerstein. Consisting of 38 pictures, these were the starting point for the now famous National Gallery. It was created as a gallery for the benefit of all people and not for an elite circle. Today the gallery houses over 2,300 paintings from the 13th to the 20th Century, boasting works from greats such as Botticelli, Da Vinci, Rapheal, Michelangelo, Rubens, Rembrandt, Turner, Monet, Cezanne and Van Gogh.
The gallery specialises in works from the Dutch and Italian Renaissance, 17th Century, Spanish painting and the Impressionists of the 19th Century which include famous paintings like, Van Gogh’s Chair, Rokeby Venus by Velazquez alongside British greats such as The Hay-Wain by Gainsborough and Turner’s Rail, Steam and Speed.
And the best news is that admission to this, the greatest collection of European paintings in the world, is free. The National Gallery is owned by the public and its collection is there to be viewed by all.
Tube Station: Charing Cross.
