The National Gallery are to undergo a major renovation, thanks to a grant award from the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation. The National Gallery is the joint winner* of the Wohl Arts Competition, a highly competitive award from the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation for a major capital landmark project in the arts in the UK. The […]
The National Gallery found itself the centre of a large PR pickle this week as the dirty word ‘privatisation’ was bandied back and forth over its decision to outsource gallery invigilation to security firm CIS, to the mass dismay of unions. Indeed, anyone who visited ‘Rembrandt: the late works’ will have noticed for the first […]
The Four Times of Day c1850 by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot has been purchased for the nation with the help of a grant from the Art Fund. The four panels have a long association with the UK. Representing Morning, Noon, Evening and Night, they were acquired by artist Frederic, Lord Leighton in 1865 and were among the […]
11 November 2014
Alison Black, www.artseer.wordpress.com Rembrandt did not invent the selfie: according to the OED, the image must be a photograph. But if the self portrait is an early version of this twenty-first century trend, Rembrandt may well be one of its forefathers. Although artists have been painting themselves for hundreds of years, not many did so as […]
The National Gallery in London is introducing Membership, for the first time in its 190 year history. Due to huge popular demand, from this week (w/c 22 September 2014) people can become part of the National Gallery story, from as little as £50 per year. Members will benefit from free, unlimited entry to all exhibitions; […]
The National Gallery, London presents an important new exhibition, Rembrandt: The Late Works – the first ever in-depth exploration of Rembrandt’s final years of painting. Far from diminishing as he aged, his creativity gathered new energy in the closing years of his life. It is the art of these late years – soulful, honest and […]
23 June 2014
artseer.wordpress.com Alison Black The Sainsbury Wing is looking different. The walls are almost black and there are backlit photographs of vibrant explosions and placards with neon lettering. Is this the right place? Have I accidently come to the Science Museum? For an art show, there are a lot of mineral samples in cabinets and apothecary’s […]
The Director of the National Gallery, London, Dr Nicolas Penny has announced his intention to retire from his role in 2015. His decision came as he reached his 65th birthday, last December. The exact date of his retirement will be 17 August 2015. The appointment of his successor Gabriele Finaldi was made by Prime Minister […]
26 March 2014
Very Veronese March 21, 2014 by Artseer (Alison Black) artseer.wordpress.com The National Gallery’s latest Renaissance instalment, Veronese: Magnificence in Renaissance Venice, turns the gallery’s walls into a colourful theatre of Venetian style and drama. Veronese loved clothes. So much is evident from the canvases hanging in the upper rooms of the National Gallery, where Venetian […]
London’s National Gallery has purchased one of the most important American paintings – the 1912 work ‘Men of the Docks’ by George Bellows (1882–1925). This is the first painting by the acclaimed American artist to enter a UK public collection. The painting was on exhibit at the Royal Academy in 2013 when they mounted a […]
The National Gallery’s next major exhibition explores the role of architecture within painting, and focusses on Italian Renaissance painting of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. Building the Picture: Architecture in Italian Renaissance Painting aims to increase visitors’ appreciation and understanding of some of the most beautiful and architectonic paintings by Italian masters such as […]
9 October 2013
Facing The Modern – The Portrait in Vienna 1900: Is a new exhibition at The National Gallery, London (9 October 2013 – 12 January 2014) Art Journalist Sara Faith takes a look at the dark undercurrent running through this significant exhibition. The period surrounding Vienna in 1900 conjures up an image of immense creativity in […]
A man has been arrested after supergluing a photograph to an important painting by John Constable, in London’s National Gallery. The protester,claiming to be a supporter of Fathers4Justice, adhered the photograph of a child to the 1821 masterpiece, ‘The Hay Wain’, at the museum in Trafalgar Square. He is now in custody, a Scotland Yard […]
Titian’s Diana and Callisto, acquired for the nation in 2012, will be the subject of an exciting new National Gallery venture. Visitors to arts festivals this summer can step inside a mobile cinema truck, sit under a star-studded canopy and watch a short film that approaches Titian’s work from a 21st-century perspective. They can learn […]
The National Gallery has announced a captivating new exhibition exploring the concept of music as one the most popular motifs in Dutch painting, and as a daily pastime of the elite in the northern Netherlands during the 17th century. The exhibition mounted this Summer aims to enhance viewers’ appreciation of some of the most beautiful […]
Three iconic works from the National Gallery Collection – Manet’s The Execution of Maximilian, Canaletto’s A Regatta on the Grand Canal and Rembrandt’s Self Portrait at the Age of 63– will be touring galleries and museums around the country between 2014 and 2016. The Masterpiece Tour is part of the National Gallery’s aim to promote […]
The Lucian Freud estate has bequeathed works by Degas and Corot to the nation, under the government’s acceptance in lieu of tax scheme. Freud died in 2011, setting out in his will that the works of art should be displayed for all to enjoy. The Corot portrait was purchased in 2001 from the collection of […]
The National Gallery presents the work of Michael Landy, this summer. The Sunley Room will be brought to life with an exhibition of vibrant kinetic sculptures created by artist. Inspired by works in the Gallery’s collection, Michael Landy: Saints Alive is the culmination of Landy’s position as the Gallery’s current Rootstein Hopkins Associate Artist in […]
Seduced by Art: Photography Past and Present is a new groundbreaking exhibition exploring the relationship between historical painting, early photography of the mid-19th century, and some of the most cutting edge work by photographers today. The exhibition is curated by Hope Kingsley, Curator for Education and Collections at the Wilson Centre for Photography, and Christopher […]
The National Gallery in London has announced the end of its long-standing sponsorship arrangement with weapons manufacturer Finmeccanica, following a campaign by ‘Campaign Against Arms Trade to ‘Disarm the Gallery.’ The arrangement has been terminated one year early and just weeks before the next protest event was planned. Italian weapon manufacturer Finmeccanica has been one […]
A protest against The National Gallery’s acceptance of donations from the arms company Finmeccanica has sparked a day of action on the International Day of Peace, Friday 21 September. Giant bubbles will fill Trafalgar Square with the message “Bubbles Not Bombs”. The family friendly event will call on the National Gallery to end its support […]
A highly personal exhibition by Richard Hamilton, one of Britain’s most influential artists is scheduled for October at London’s National Gallery. It traces an intriguing path leading to his unseen final work, Balzac (a) + (b) + (c). At the time of his death, Hamilton (1922–2011) was planning this show of recent works. It was […]
Samian Sibyl with a Putto by Guercino (1591 – 1666) – La Ferté by Richard Parkes Bonington (1802 – 1828)Two important works of art have been surrendered to the nation in lieu of taxes. Samian Sibyl with a Putto by Guercino (1591 – 1666), has never before seen by the public and La Ferté by […]
A rarely exhibited portrait of Bibi la Purée, a famous reprobate in turn-of-the century Paris, was painted by the 20-year-old Picasso when he returned to Paris in 1901 to prepare his first exhibition in the city at Galerie Vollard.Bibi la Purée was a picturesque figure in the bohemian circles of Montmartre and the Latin Quarter. […]
The National Portrait Gallery is delighted to announce the Call for Entries for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012, a major international photographic award. Entry forms are now available and the closing date for entries is 9 July 2012. To enter, visit www.npg.org.uk/photoprize and complete the online application form. The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012 is open to […]
On 10 May 1824 the National Gallery opened its doors to the public for the first time. The modest collection housed at 100 Pall Mall became the basis for the vast repository of masterpieces now seen in Trafalgar Square. In the early 19th century the idea of forming a National Gallery circulated for quite a […]
Thanks to the new research, a portrait of the Italian poet Girolamo Fracastoro in the National Gallery collection has just been attributed to Renaissance master, Titian The painting was given to the National Gallery in the 1920s by the German-born chemist Ludwig Mond, the founder of Imperial Chemical Industries. The work was then been believed […]
Details of The Art Newspaper’s Museum Attendance have today been released on the web The survey reveals the top ten most attended museums of 2011, as well as detailing a massive growth in museum attendance overall, with the top ten shows of 2011 needing almost 7,000 visitors a day to make the cut, compared the […]
No Oil Painting protest highlights Arctic drilling plans Eight environmental protesters from Greenpeace climbed onto the roof of the National Gallery in London yesterday to highlight Shell Oil’s plan to start drilling in the Arctic circle. The coastlines are home to indigenous people and its waters nurture polar bears, beluga whales and walruses. Shell is […]
PM visits National Gallery Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition, with tour conducted by Sam Cam, amid staff disgruntlement over government cuts While the rest of the UK cannot hope to get a ticket to see the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition at the National Gallery, come Hell or high water, such restrictions do not apply to our […]
Promise of industrial action as National Gallery looks to cut security by half The runaway success of the National Gallery’s Da Vinci exhibition seems to be under threat from the promise of industrial action by gallery assistants over proposed security cuts. Last month over 200 members of gallery staff, including curators, presented gallery director Nicholas […]
9 November 2011
Leonardo exhibition at the National Gallery grants deeply intimate insight into the practice of the quintessential celebrity artist Visitors to the National Gallery hoping to find the Leonardo of Dan Brown novels and printed tea towels will leave this exhibition disappointed. With only 9 of Leonardo’s oil paintings on display, ‘The Painter at the Court […]