The National Gallery has around 2,300 pictures, from the early Renaissance to the Impressionists (1250–1900), forming one of the greatest collections in the world. Containing work by the most important painters of the main European schools, the collection was acquired from John Julius Angerstein in 1824, and moved to the present building (also home to the National Portrait Gallery) in 1838. The Sainsbury Wing now houses the excellent Renaissance collection. From 2003–2005 rooms may close owing to building work.
Top 10 Paintings
1 Virgin and Child with St Anne and John the Baptist
2 The Arnolfini Portrait
3 The Ambassadors
4 The Wilton Diptych
5 Rokeby Venus
6 Mystic Nativity
7 Supper at Emmaus
8 Young Woman Standing at a Virginal
9 A Woman Bathing in a Stream
10 Bathers at La Grenouillière
There is a café and a good restaurant. The Sainsbury Wing has an excellent art bookshop. Guided tours and audio guides are available. Explore the collection on screen with Art Start, which is situated in the Sainsbury Wing. Open 10am–6pm daily (10am–9pm Wed). Sainsbury Wing exhibitions open until 9pm on Wed, and it’s free. Free guided tours at 11:30am and 2:30pm daily (also 6:30pm Wed). The gallery is divided into four areas. The Sainsbury Wing contains the Early Renaissance collection, with paintings from 1250 to 1500. The West Wing displays works from 1500 to 1600, the North Wing 1600–1700, and the East Wing 1700–1900. Although the main entrance is on Trafalgar Square, the Sainsbury Wing makes a more sensible starting point.