On 10 May 2024 the National Gallery turned 200 years old and began their Bicentenary celebrations – NG200, a year-long festival of art, creativity and imagination, marking two centuries of bringing people and paintings together. The idea of a Gallery for the nation developed from just 38 paintings in a Pall Mall house, to about 2,400 works of art in the most iconic building in Trafalgar Square.
The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Bellini, Cézanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to enhance the collection, care for the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors.
As part of their 200th-anniversary celebrations, everyone’s invited to their NG200 lineup of activities and events including 200 Paintings for 200 Years, Summer in the Square, and 200 Creators.
Editor’s Picks: What’s On at NG200
My National Gallery London screening
Exhibition on Screen presents My National Gallery, London in celebration of the National Gallery’s Bicentenary. The documentary film highlights the gallery’s role in uniting people and art, giving voice to those impacted by its exhibitions. The film features insights from visitors, celebrities, staff, and art experts, offering diverse perspectives on this iconic institution’s 200-year legacy. In cinemas from 4th June, check your local cinema for details or go to: https://events.seventh-art.com/find-a-screening
Art Road Trip – May 2024 to May 2025
The National Gallery’s Art Road Trip is traveling to 18 locations across the UK and collaborating with 24 local arts organizations to develop community-led arts projects. By hosting around two hundred public events, the mobile art studio aims to engage people with limited access to creative opportunities and the arts, working with thousands of individuals to bring art and ideas inspired by the National Gallery Collection right to their communities.
200 Creators
The National Gallery is set to partner with 200 social media creators from various regions of the UK to honor the Gallery’s 200-year legacy as a bastion of creativity.
200 Paintings for 200 Years
The National Gallery provides access to the complete history of a painting in one central location, making the wealth of the institution’s research digitally accessible to all, regardless of location or time.
200 Paintings for 200 Years
The National Gallery provides access to the complete history of a painting in one central location, making the wealth of the institution’s research digitally accessible to all, regardless of location or time.
Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers
Be astounded by the extraordinary paintings of Van Gogh showcased in the National Gallery’s once-in-a-century exhibition. This remarkable presentation coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Gallery’s acquisition of ‘Van Gogh’s Chair’ and ‘Sunflowers’.
Summer on the Square
A free art festival in Trafalgar Square created by and for children, with the aim of unleashing the creativity of the nation and bringing art to the streets of Westminster.
View the full lineup of NG200 activities and events here.
In commemorating two centuries of artistic excellence, the National Gallery’s Bicentenary celebrations serve as a poignant reminder of the enduring legacy of art and its profound ability to unite and inspire.
Admission free.
📍Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
🚇 Nearest stations: Charing Cross (Bakerloo and Northern lines). Embankment (Bakerloo, Circle, District and Northern lines) and Leicester Square (Northern and Piccadilly lines) within 10 10-minute walk.
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