The gallery was opened on April 9, 1839, but the date of its foundation is considered to be May 1824 – then was bought a collection of paintings by Angerstein, numbering 38 works. The gallery’s collection was enriched both by the government and by outside donors, such as George Beaumont.

Initially the gallery was located on Pall Mall Street, but the steady increase in the number of paintings demanded more space, and in 1831 construction began on a building designed by Wilkins. In 1838 the new gallery on the north side of Trafalgar Square was opened to the public.

Features

The National Gallery has a truly enormous number of masterpieces of art, it is impossible to see them all in one visit. So when you’re going to the exhibition, we advise you to identify the paintings (periods, works of specific painters) that you’d like to see first, and make a rough itinerary.

In addition to the collection of masterpieces of painting, the National Gallery is notable for several nice features. For example, in the Espresso Bar or The National Café you can relax and drink coffee, and in the souvenir shops and art stores you can buy souvenirs, books and copies of paintings exhibited in the gallery.
If you like, you can listen to audio lectures or view multimedia presentations about paintings and their authors in the Sainsbury’s Wing or in the already mentioned Espresso Bar.

Developing and adding to collections

The National Gallery’s collection of works is constantly expanding, both through contributions by individuals and charitable foundations. Several works by Dürer, Bermejo, Sera and Altdorfer have recently been added to the collection.

The gallery has many world-famous paintings on display, including Velázquez’ Venus with Mirror, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Titian’s The Holy Family and Rubens’ Landscape with the Castle of the Wall.

If you compare the collection of the National Gallery with the collections of other major galleries, such as the Louvre or the Prado, it does not seem very rich. But the fact that masterpieces of all European schools of painting since mid-13th century till early 20th century are collected in London gallery’s favor. Another reason to be proud is the extensive collection of works by Titian, from the earliest to the latest.

Naturally, the National Gallery has many works by the court painters of English kings – Antonis van Dyck and Hans Holbein. Van Dyck had a considerable influence on the development of painting in the country and, to a greater extent, on English portraiture.

The gallery has an extensive collection of works by Venetian artists such as Mantegna and Bellini. Italian masters are represented by paintings by Filippino Lippi and Antonio Pisanello. For the number of paintings by Spanish masters, the gallery certainly loses out to the Prado Gallery. But it is here that the largest collection of paintings by Velazquez outside of Spain is located.

Fans of Rembrandt will also have something to see – the gallery owns a rather large collection of his works, reflecting the entire life of the great painter. For example, on the canvas “Portrait of Saskia” we see the first wife of the artist, and on a modest work “Woman” – already his second wife Hendrickje Stoffels. Also in the collection is a suicide work by Rembrandt.

The great Rubens is no less widely represented – there are 24 canvases by this Dutch master in the collection. Most of the works in the gallery belong to the late period of Rubens’s work, when he had already achieved fame and began to allow himself to paint for his own pleasure.

In addition to those mentioned, the gallery has many works by German, French, and Flemish masters. The National Gallery successfully continues the work of its founders, giving us the opportunity to see masterpieces of world art live. And its convenient location in the heart of London makes it even more attractive to tourists.

The post National Gallery in London appeared first on The Curator Gallery.

In addition, the museum is very easy to find – it is located in the Palazzo Pilotta, a stone’s throw from the Cathedral Square. The National Gallery has three permanent exhibitions. The first is devoted to the Italian painters of the 15-18 centuries, here you can see the works of Fra Beato Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci, Sebastiano del Piombo, Giulio Romano, Tintoretto, Tiepolo, Canaletto and Carracci. The second exhibition presents the winners of academic competitions of the late 18th century, and in the halls of the third exhibition you will see the canvases of the legendary natives of the city – the artists Correggio and Parmigianino.

The unfinished portrait of a girl by Leonardo da Vinci, Correggio’s frescoes removed from the ruined buildings of Parma, and the works of Parmigianino are of particular value in the Parma Gallery. Correggio’s collection of canvases includes “The Entombment,” “Madonna with St. Jerome” and “Madonna with a Basket,” while famous frescoes include “Coronation of Our Lady,” “Madonna della Scala” and “Annunciation.”

From the history of the National Gallery

The Pilotta Palace itself was built by Duke Ranuccio Farnese back in the early 17th century, but it wasn’t until a century later that the birth of the modern national gallery began in it. It all began with a painting by Correggio, Our Lady of San Girolamo, which in 1734 Charles Bourbon failed to take from Parma to Naples along with the rest of the Dukes of Farnese’s collection. Soon the city established an Academy of Arts and, in parallel, a new collection began to take shape, enriched by gifts and acquisitions.
Philippe Bourbon intended that the taste of the old masters should have a positive influence on the education of young painters studying at the Academy.

In 1816, after the end of the Napoleonic wars, many works of art captured by the French were returned to their homeland, also enriching the collection of the palace. From the rich collection, the Duchess Marie-Louise of Austria commissioned a salon to be set up in the palace with a permanent exhibition designed to highlight the merits of the paintings. The Gallery of Parma was born at that time, and in 1882 it separated from the Academy and became fully independent.

The post National Gallery of Parma appeared first on The Curator Gallery.

National Gallery of Slovenia was founded in 1918 and currently has the largest collection of paintings in the country. The gallery includes old paintings, written by Slovenian and European artists over the past 400 years – ranging from paintings of the sixteenth century to the works of his contemporaries.

The gallery is divided into several large halls, each dedicated to a different style of painting – neoclassicism, realism, impressionism and others. In addition to paintings, the gallery offers a small collection of sculptures and statues from the Renaissance.

Today the National Gallery of Slovenia is the largest cultural attraction in Ljubljana. This art museum attracts tens of thousands of tourists each year, making it a true Mecca for all fans of European art.

The post National Gallery of Slovenia appeared first on The Curator Gallery.

There are two buildings at the gallery’s disposal. One of them was clearly created by architects of the past centuries: white brick, niches, taken at first sight for windows, columns at the entrance, a sloping roof. The second picture house is also light, but the resemblance to its older brother ends there. This building looks much more modern – it looks like a huge brick cube, and only at the entrance there is a glass showcase with several floors.

Looking at these buildings, it’s hard to believe it all started with a collection of 125 paintings, but it is with this number of exhibits and opened its wooden doors gallery in 1864. Two years later, however, the institution received a grant, which was spent on the purchase of works of art. The sum was probably substantial, because already in 1891 the collection was already impressive and threatened to stop being housed in the building allocated to it. An outbuilding had to be built.

Patrons also sought to help the gallery in every way possible. Thus, in the early 20th century, about 250 watercolors by various local artists were donated to the institution. The only stipulation of the donors was that the paintings could be exhibited only in January. And this requirement was far from a silly whim, because the sun’s rays are destructive to watercolors. So even now, so many years later, with so much modern technology, these paintings are only exhibited in the first month of the year. Keep this in mind when planning a visit to the gallery.

The famous Bernard Shaw also contributed to the museum, bequeathing 14 works from his collection to the institution. The playwright knew a lot about painting, and among his gifts are paintings by Pablo Picasso and Jack Yates.

Now anyone can easily get into the gallery, as admission is free for locals and visitors to Dublin.

Beautiful works by masters of previous centuries leave no one indifferent. There are biblical scenes and paintings based on ancient myths. Myths and legends, pictures depicting the everyday life of people of different estates. And how nice landscapes, marine motifs, still lifes. Faces, places, objects look from the paintings of Caravaggio, Reni, Monet, Velazquez and many others, so don’t deny yourself the pleasure of enjoying the masterpieces of bygone eras.

The post National Gallery of Ireland appeared first on The Curator Gallery.