NATIONAL GALLERY, History

Hi, I'm Alyson, your personal guide. Together with MyWoWo, I'd like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world.

Today I'll accompany you through the National Gallery.

You should know that the National Gallery is one of the world's greatest artistic treasures!

Get ready to dive into a gargantuan collection of paintings ranging from the end of the thirteenth century up to the nineteenth century, with a selection of art from every Western European school. You should bear in mind that the works in the National Gallery don't come from an aristocratic collection or the spoils of war, but have all been bought by the English State; thanks to donations, bequests, and acquisitions, the collection has grown rapidly over the years.

The gallery was founded in 1824 with the repayment of a war debt from Austria, which allowed the British government to purchase the collection of a wealthy financier. The gallery was opened at his home at 100 Pall Mall, but a few years later it was moved to Trafalgar Square in the building you now stand in with a dome and facade shaped like a Greek temple. The façade and its thin Ionic columns are the only original part of the building that has remained after the multiple renovations carried out to make room for an ever larger collection....