National Gallery (London)
The National Gallery is one of the world's finest collections of art, and is situated in London.
It takes up the whole of the North side of Trafalgar Square.
The collection of Sir George Beaumont, who was born at Dunmow in Essex and lived at Coleorton in Leicestershire, was used as the basis for the Gallery's paintings.
The original home for the collection was in Pall Mall, where it opened in 1824. Subsequently, the present site was chosen, where previously the King's Mews had stood.
The building was designed by William Wilkins and opened in 1838, using the portico from the recently demolished Carlton House, which had been George IV's palace. There have been several extensions since, including the Sainsbury Wing, opened in 1991.
Since 1946, the Gallery's conservation department has been doing vital work in the care and restoration of paintings.
Today, the National Gallery contains in excess of 2,200 pictures.
The collecion is displayed chronologically, beginning with works by Leonrdo da Vinci. There are paintings by all the major artists since hen, including Botticelli; Brueghel;Caravaggio; Constable; Degas; Durer; El Greco; Gainsborough; Gauguin;Goya; Hogarth; Holbein;Klimt; Michelangelo; Monet; Poussin; Raphael; Rembrandt; Renoir; Rubens; Tintoretto; Titian; Turner; Uccello; van Dyck; van Gogh; Velazquez; and Vermeer.
The National Gallery is used as the starting point for some of Colin Crosby's Guided Walks. Those wishing to take part should assemble at the foot of the steps in Trafalgar Square.
National Gallery (London) is the starting point for...
Charles Dickens` London, Haunted Theatreland, Haunted Westminster, Royal London, Westminster