Art · London, England
The National Gallery
Western European painting from the 13th to the early 20th century on Trafalgar Square.
The National Gallery holds the nation's collection of Western European painting, running from the late Middle Ages to around 1900. It began in 1824 when Parliament bought 38 pictures from the banker John Julius Angerstein, and it grew largely through gifts, so today it covers most of the major chapters of European art in a single visit.
Its long neoclassical front by William Wilkins has closed the north side of Trafalgar Square since 1838, with later wings and the Sainsbury Wing added over time. General admission is free, while a changing programme of paid and free exhibitions runs alongside the permanent collection.
Highlights
- Van Gogh's Sunflowers
- Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait
- Turner's The Fighting Temeraire
- Free entry to the main collection
