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Welcome to the National Gallery Bicentenary! 200 years on from when the Gallery was founded for the nation, we continue to bring great paintings and people together. Join us for an exciting year of activities, special displays, online events and exhibitions - everyone everywhere is welcome.
- Exhibitions
Immerse yourself in 200 years of extraordinary National...
- Must-Sees
Explore our most popular masterpieces. Rachel Ruysch’s...
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Welcome to the National Gallery Bicentenary! 200 years on...
- Virtual tours
Wherever you are in the world, take a tour of the National...
- Floorplans
Explore the collection room by room. We are making some...
- Access
The National Gallery aims to make access to the paintings...
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www.ochre.london 0207 747 2525 ... To celebrate the National...
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Available to share at the National Gallery, where you are...
- Exhibitions
Get all the latest news from the Gallery's Bicentenary year, updates on exhibitions, plus occasional offers and information on how to support us. Explore more than 2,600 paintings; some of the best in the world.
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- Sandro Botticelli, Venus and Mars
- Jan Van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait
- Paolo Uccello, Battle of San Romano
- Piero Della Francesca, The Baptism of Christ
- Leonardo Da Vinci, Virgin of The Rocks
- Michelangelo, Entombment, 1500-01
- Giorgione, The Sunset
- Raphael, Pope Julius II
- Titian,Bacchus and Ariadne
- Bronzino, An Allegory with Venus and Cupid
Botticelli was the greatest painter of the early Renaissance period in Florence. His art represents the pinnacle of the golden age of Florence’s Medici dynasty. Botticelli’s work was groundbreaking — pure visual poetry and elegance. He was the first artist to break from tradition and depict large scale, non-religious mythological themes. READ: Guid...
Contrary to popular belief, the Renaissance didn’t just happen in Florence. It was happening simultaneously in Northern Europe. This National Gallery masterpiece may be the world’s first oil, rather than tempera, painting. The Arnolfini Portraitis a stunning full length double portrait with astonishing realism. Presumably, it’s a portrait of a weal...
A student of the Italian sculptor Ghiberti (of Gates of Paradise fame), Uccello was a product of the International Gothic style. But he became an innovative artist of the early Renaissance. Uccello became obsessed with the study of perspective. According to Giorgio Vasari, he neglected his family, becoming “solitary, eccentric, melancholy, and impo...
Piero is a genius and foundational artist of the Quattrocento or early Renaissance. In his time, he was revered as a monarch. Piero’s was a passionate student of math and geometry, possibly anticipating Leonardo da Vinci. His works are highly realistic, linear, and calculated. They’re characterized by an infused calm and geometric sobriety. His coo...
Virgin of the Rocks is the most famous painting at the National Gallery. There are two versions of this Leonardo painting, both commissioned during his time in Milan. Both paintings began to define the style of the High Renaissance. The earlier one is in the Louvre. Leonardo’s painting depicts the legend of St. John the Baptist meeting the holy fam...
Michelangelohas been famous for over 500 years. He was a giant of the Renaissance, showing virtuosity in every medium — sculpture, painting, poetry, and architecture. Dubbed the “divine artist,” Michelangelo was the first sculptor to be hailed as a genius in his lifetime, as early as his 20s. Michelangelo created some of the world’s most beautiful ...
Giorgionewas an enigmatic Venetian Renaissance painter. He is universally known as one of the most influential of Western artists. READ: Nutshell History of Venice Giorgione had a short 15 year career, dying prematurely at just 37. He was likely the pupil of Giovani Bellini. Giorgione is known for his superhuman painting skills. Giorgione is consid...
Raphael was one of the “holy trinity” of Renaissance painters, along with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Nicknamed the “Prince of Painters,” Raphael’s compositions were serene and harmonious. He mastered the signature techniques of the High Renaissance — sfumato, perspective, anatomical correctness, and authentic emotionality and expression. T...
Titian is widely considered the most important and successful painter of the 16th century Venetian school. Titian was the master of oil, a prolific producer of colorful paintings. Bacchus and Ariadnewas commissioned by Alfonso d’Este. The story of Bacchus and Ariadne hadn’t really been portrayed before. The story goes that Ariadne helped Theseus va...
Bronzino was a Mannerist painter. He worked in the Medici court and was the prize pupil of Pontormo. Bronzino became famous as a portraitist of the Medici duke and duchess. READ: History of the Medici This racy painting has long fascinated art historians. It’s likely the most frankly erotic painting in the collection. It almost appears like a gloss...
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. [note 1] The current director of the National Gallery is Gabriele Finaldi .
For its lavish interiors, the objets d’art in the background, and the swaggering self-confidence of the sitter, this portrait has become an icon of the late 19th century’s Aesthetic movement. Painted by Jacques Joseph (James) Tissot, a French émigré who settled in London in 1871, it depicts the a...
Top 20 paintings. Your top 20 paintings during lockdown. From a choice of more than 2,300 works, here are the paintings you visited online the most. The most popular painting page, with the highest number of views, is van Eyck’s jewel-like Arnolfini Portrait, followed by Holbein’s Ambassadors and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.
The National Gallery, London is home to one of the greatest collections of paintings in the world. These pictures belong to the public and they are free for all to see. See some of our highlight paintings. Governance. Learn about our Director and Board of Trustees, and see our policies, financial statements, and plans for the future.
