The National Gallery of London

The National Gallery

The National Gallery in London is very famous for its magnificent collection of art. There are over 2300 paintings. They are dated from the 13^th century to 1900. The gallery was founded in 1824 and it is on Trafalgar Square. The main building was designed by William Wilkins. The style is neo-classical. The National Gallery belongs to the people of the United Kingdom. Entry to the main collection is free but special exhibitions may be chargeable.

The main collection of the National Gallery was based on Sir Robert Walpole’s own collection but the British Government has expanded the gallery ever since. It has always been important to the British Government to collect high quality art. The British Empire has thus shown its power and wealth to other nations. Money and art pieces have also been donated to the museum.

The National Gallery has many masterpieces from old masters. Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Turner, Canaletto, Raphael, Botticelli, Van Gogh and many other famous painters have left their marks on the gallery.

The gallery is so large that you can’t see all the paintings. It would take ages to explore the whole collection. So it’s important to make your own route to visit the highlights of the museum. The timing of a visit is important too. To avoid queuing at the doors of the museum you should wake up early and go there immediately when it opens in the morning.

One masterpiece which I like very much is one version of Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers. He has made eleven versions of this painting and one of them is in the National Gallery. The Sunflowers was painted in 1888 in France. Especially I like the many different shades of yellow. I have seen the painting but you should see it for yourself. Please, visit the National Gallery in London!

The man who never sold any paintings in his life time signed his paintings with only the first name.