lONDON'S NATIONAL GALLERY CELEBRATES 200 YEARS: PEOPLE, PLACE, AND PICTURES WITH Gabriele finaldi

In this Research and Academic Program lecture, Gabriele Finaldi (Class of 1974 Short-Term Fellow), Director of the National Gallery, London, describes the museum’s history and the thinking behind it reset for its third century, in 2025 and beyond. The National Gallery, London, was founded in 1824 as “a collection of pictures for the use of the public,” as the sign on the door said. Initially just thirty-eight paintings formed the national collection, and it was housed in a town house on Pall Mall. In 1838, the institution settled in a new building on Trafalgar Square and little by little it has grown to be the celebrated and prestigious art gallery it is today holding a selection of masterpieces from Cimabue to Rembrandt and from Leonardo da Vinci to Monet. It has become one of the most visited museums in the world. The occasion of the National Gallery’s Bicentenary in 2024 provided the opportunity to refurbish the Sainsbury Wing (under the direction of the architect Annabelle Selldorf) and to re-present its entire collection. 

Presented in person in the Clark auditorium. A 5 pm reception in the Manton Research Center reading room precedes the event.

Image: The National Gallery façade lit up to mark its 200^th birthday on May 10, 2024.