The National Gallery of London is an art museum well known not only to residents and visitors to the British capital, but also to the world. It is important not to be confused with the National Portrait Gallery. It is in the top most visited institutions, in popularity second only to the Louvre and the British Museum. According to statistics, about 6,416,724 people visit the gallery per year.

The second reason to be proud is its venerable age. The founding date of the museum is considered to be 1824. It was during this time period that the British House of Commons acquired the first exhibits. They were 38 paintings by the deceased Julius Angerstein. The collection cost 57,000 pounds. The exhibit had long been on display in Angerstein’s home in Pall Mall. The size of the building was compared to other national galleries and ridiculed in the press.

In 1831 Parliament agreed to erect a new house for the art museum. Construction took seven years, and in 1838 another structure appeared in Trafalgar Square. The advantageous location of the gallery in central London made art more accessible to all classes of society: the rich were comfortable to reach in their carriages from the west, and the poor – on foot from the East End.

The collection grew, there was not enough space. The problem was solved by expanding the building. In 1991 the building acquired a Sainsbury’s Wing, a prime example of postmodernist architecture in Britain. As a result of numerous reconstructions, only the façade – the one facing Trafalgar Square – remained from the original building.

Paintings and masterpieces of the National Gallery of London
It’s worth starting from the entrance, next to the portico, where the marble mosaic “Awakening of the Muses” is located. The pattern was laid out in 1933 by a native of Russia, Boris Anrep. In the vestibule, pay attention to some more compositions, made by our compatriot.

Next to the western entrance are two allegorical female figures, once personifying victory. They are surrounded by smaller figures. The statues hold painting brushes and other tools. They are accompanied by other sculptures.

Exhibits
The gallery has five floors, which include underground floors. Most of the exhibits are concentrated on the second floor. The masterpieces of the National Gallery of London are arranged into rooms in chronological order.

Rooms 51-66 are occupied by paintings from the 13th to 16th centuries, rooms 2-14 – by masterpieces of the 16th-17th centuries, exhibition space No. 15-32 is devoted to paintings of the 17th-18th centuries, rooms 33-46 – to works of the 18th-20th centuries.

Some of the most famous paintings on display at the National Gallery of London include Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Rubens’ Landscape with Castle, Velázquez’ Venus with Mirror, Leonardo da Vinci’s Madonna in the Rocks and Caravaggio’s Dinner at Emmaus.
Pay attention to Titian’s works as well. There are 20 masterpieces by the Italian painter. Recent acquisitions include “Diana and Actaeon” and “Diana and Callisto”. The Venetian’s works were bought jointly with the National Gallery of Scotland for £ 95 million.
The list of talented Italians is continued by Bellini, Mantegna, Antonio Pisanello, Filippino Lippi and Sandro Botticelli. The museum holds 12 paintings by Raphael, including “Madonna and Rose”.
Rembrandt connoisseurs won’t be disappointed either. The collection of the Dutch master has 26 works. There are also several self-portraits of the painter made at the age of 34 and 63.
We should separately mention the court artists of the English monarchs – Hans Holbein and Antonis van Dyck. The latter’s collection consists of 24 works. The South Dutchman is known as the creator of a new type of decorative portrait.
You can also admire the paintings of German, French, Dutch and Flemish artists. Thus, in the top 30 best paintings of the institution, include works by Jan Vermeer, Paul Cézanne, Mabuse, Georges Seurat, Claude Monet, François-Hubert Drouet and others.
In addition to permanent exhibitions, the National Gallery of London organizes temporary exhibitions and holds thematic workshops and seminars, as well as performances by musicians.