The National Gallery in London announces its biggest transformation since its founding two centuries ago. The initiative has already raised donations of 375 million pounds, including the two largest cash donations ever made public to a museum or gallery internationally.
As part of this ambitious project, the museum has launched an international architectural competition to build a new wing to accommodate the expanded collection. This donation will also support the expansion of the historical collection and initiate a new collaboration with the Tate and other museums, both in the UK and around the world.
Project Tomorrow, as the initiative has been named, aims to further strengthen the role of the National Gallery and the UK in the global cultural landscape. “This momentous investment is fantastic news for the National Gallery and for the arts in general,” commented Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. “It stimulates the economy, opens doors to educational experiences for young people and will make great art accessible to future generations. As set out in our Covenant for Civil Society, this government values the role of philanthropists and institutions like the National Gallery in creating a better and more equitable future for all.”
The architectural competition (which kicked off on Wednesday, September 10) is the third phase of a comprehensive master plan commissioned by the museum in 2018. The National Gallery’s large collection of paintings and the desire to develop it further for an increasingly large and diverse audience requires a space that can not only preserve and display the works, but also enhance the visitor experience.
The new wing will be built on the site of St Vincent House, the last remaining part of the National Gallery’s current campus, acquired nearly 30 years ago with the aim of expanding the museum’s space; it currently houses a hotel and office complex. The Tomorrow Project will also breathe new life into the area between Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square. The new wing will incorporate the most advanced building techniques and sustainability criteria.
“With the Bicentennial celebrations now over,” said National Gallery Director Gabriele Finaldi, “the National Gallery is looking to the future. We want to be the place where the UK public and visitors from around the world can view the world’s finest collection of paintings, from the Middle Ages to the present day, in a superb architectural setting. We are extremely excited about these developments and are immensely grateful to our donors for their unprecedented support as the National Gallery enters its third century. We look forward to increasingly close collaboration with the Tate on this important new initiative.”
After celebrating its bicentennial, the National Gallery aims to expand and enrich its collection, because the history of painting is a continuous flow that reflects artists’ relationship with myths, religion, historical and contemporary events, landscapes, and with the artistic tradition itself. Therefore, the museum wants to continue to renew itself and expand the narrative it offers.
With this in mind, it aims to expand collections, exhibitions and displays, while also seizing the opportunity to collaborate more closely with the Tate. The trustees of the two institutions recently entered into a historic collaboration aimed at jointly developing the UK’s national collection, strengthening its role as an international reference.
“The Tate congratulates the National Gallery on the announcement of this groundbreaking donation. As the U.K.’s national collection of British art since 1500 and international art since 1900,” said Tate Director Maria Balshaw, “the Tate looks forward to working closely with colleagues at the National Gallery on loans, curatorial and conservation expertise to support the development of their new displays. The trustees of both institutions recently held a joint meeting, and together, they have established a working group with representatives of the trustees and curators of both institutions to define ways of working together to promote the national collection as a whole.”
To date, donations have reached an unprecedented £375 million:
150 million from Crankstart, the philanthropic foundation of Sir Michael Moritz KBE and his wife Harriet Heyman;
150 million from the Julia Rausing Trust;
75 million from the National Gallery Trust, National Gallery Board Chairman John Booth and other anonymous donors.
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| London, a new wing will be built at the National Gallery to expand the collection. Already donated 375 million |
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