The story of European art, masterpiece by masterpiece. We collect and care for the nation’s paintings and we share them with the world.
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Our range of books offers a closer look at our collection and shows. With contributions from curators and art historians from around the world, each title is packed with beautiful illustrations. Visit our shop to discover something new today.
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Like mother, like daughter 💙
Jacques-Louis David painted the Comtesse Vilain XIIII and her five-year-old daughter, Marie-Louise in 1816. They are depicted with almost identical hairstyles and wear similar dresses, yet their poses appear contrasting. The seated Comtesse is static and contemplative, her gaze focused on a distant point beyond the viewer, while Marie-Louise’s pose hints at movement. Standing, she leans back into her mother’s lap while tilting her head slightly in the opposite direction. Unlike her mother’s, her gaze directly meets our own.
The Comtesse supports her young daughter by draping the orange cloak over the chair and around her right arm. The orange cloth complements the deep Prussian blue of the dress and brings warmth to the picture. David includes a variety of materials and fabrics, such as lace, linen, and velvet.
Images of motherhood and maternal affection had been popular in French art since the 1780s. However, unlike such precedents, David’s picture does not depict a full embrace or kiss. It is a scene of subtle affection rather than overt emotion: https://bit.ly/3EJsLeG
The painter of light ✨
In contrast to many of Turner’s paintings, often full of activity, grand architectural settings, dramatic weather, and dazzling effects of colour and light, ‘The Evening Star’ looks almost empty. The only figure is a barely visible young boy with a sh*****ng net over his shoulder, who wades in from the shoreline to be greeted by a small leaping dog. The ghostly trace of a boat to the right of centre, which has been painted over, suggests that Turner decided to emphasise the vastness of the sky and sea rather than human industry. It has been reduced to its most fundamental elements: day and night, land and sea, earth, and sky: https://bit.ly/3jA3ecV
Our free exhibition 'Nalini Malani: My Reality is Different' is now open!
Buy the catalogue now to learn more about our first National Gallery Contemporary Fellowship with Art Fund: http://bit.ly/3KGD86P
Can you guess the ? 🤔
This right hand emerging from a stone frame belongs to a celebrated Spanish artist from our collection. The frame itself is decorated with scrolls and foliage, an effect commonly seen in engraved portraits.
Find out the answer on our website: https://bit.ly/322vBG2
One famous pair, one entrepreneurial woman.
Early Netherlandish master, Jan van Eyck painted the now iconic 'Arnolfini Portrait' in 1434. When van Eyck died in 1441, his wife Margaret van Eyck was left a widow with several children. Despite numerous obstacles, Margaret showed great entrepreneurial spirit by successfully applying to the Duke of Burgundy to receive half of her husband's annual pension. With this funding she was able to take on the management of her late husband’s workshop for over a decade, helping to ensure van Eyck’s legacy for centuries to come.
A portrait of Margaret by her husband, painted when she was 33, survives, and is now in the Groeninge Museum, Bruges.
Read about the restoration of the portrait, which took place at the National Gallery, on our website: https://bit.ly/3mhUoVw
Guess the title... (wrong answers only!)
This famed portrait by Caravaggio, depicting a young boy recoiling in pain, is thought to have an allegorical meaning, referring to the pain that can derive from love.
Learn more about the painting on our website: https://bit.ly/2zcwH5e
How do you tell the difference between a heroine and a femme fatale? And why could the woman in this painting be either Judith or Salome?
The two candidates for the subject of this painting share many attributes but their drastic actions have very different motives.
Join Maria, our Vivmar Curatorial Fellow, as she unpacks this ambiguity to discover what it tells us about the way artists experiment with iconography. Watch the full film here: https://bit.ly/3ZITkbL
Digital activity at the National Gallery is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator
The unfinished masterpiece ✨
Renaissance master Michelangelo was born in 1475. Known as ‘The Manchester Madonna’ since 1857 when it was exhibited in the great Manchester Art Exhibition, this composition is probably the earliest of Michelangelo's surviving paintings.
Here the Virgin Mary sits on a rock with the Christ Child and a young John the Baptist next to her. Her right breast is bare suggesting that she has just been feeding her child who reaches up to grasp the book she is holding. The book may be the Old Testament open at Isiah 53 which prophesies Christ’s future crucifixion. The Virgin seems to try to hold it away from him, as though she doesn’t want him to discover his destiny. Saint John the Baptist in his camel skin coat appears to be steadying his cousin, Christ, who is balanced precariously with one foot on a fold of his mother’s cloak. John looks out of the painting maybe to suggest his role in preparing the way for Christ’s teaching.
Angels stand on either side of them. Those on the left are rendered by lines drawn in to mark out the folds of their clothes and by the areas of greenish underpainting traditionally used to balance the pink flesh tones that would be painted over them. Unfinished, 'The Manchester Madonna' provides clues to the artistic process behind of one of art history's greatest painters: https://bit.ly/3oGIhwO
Can you guess the ? 🤔
Visit Room 14 and you'll find a temporary display of some of the Gallery’s most treasured 14th- and 15th-century Italian paintings. This particular detail of a goddess looking to her lover comes from a Florentine painter and draughtsman.
Find out the answer on our website: https://bit.ly/37iPCdu
With Mother's Day just around the corner, show your appreciation with a gift from our Mother's Day guide 💐
Filled with gifts inspired by our collection, order by 13 March to receive the delivery in time for Mother’s Day (excluding Custom Prints).
Members save 10%.
Start shopping now: http://bit.ly/3KKHeuu
We have acquired our first painting by the German Modernist painter Max Pechstein.
This is a portrait of Charlotte Cuhrt, the daughter of Max Cuhrt, a successful solicitor and patron of the avant-garde. She’s dressed in red, with a large, dark hat on her head and a flamboyant ring on her left hand. The picture was part of a wider decorative scheme for the Cuhrts’ lavish apartment in Kurfürstendamm 152, Berlin. You can see the painting in Room 43: https://bit.ly/41badNU
This acquisition was made possible thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Martha Doris Bailey. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3kiAklr
© Pechstein Hamburg/Tökendorf / DACS 2023 / Photo: The National Gallery, London
NOW OPEN: 'Nalini Malani: My Reality is Different'
Artist Nalini Malani, our first National Gallery contemporary fellow, presents new ways of seeing well-known works of art. Taking her inspiration from paintings in the National Gallery and Bath’s Holburne Museum, Malani has created striking new video animations.
The animations, hand-drawn using an iPad, reveal and conceal different aspects of the paintings in both collections, including works by Caravaggio and Bronzino in the Gallery’s collection and by Jan van der Venne and Johann Zoffany in Bath among many others, to rediscover them from an alternative, and critical point of view. The exhibition also has fictitious portraits of the marginalised in society that appear in between the animations; a reference to people whose work underpins the economies that connect us across the globe.
The exhibition is open until 11 June. Find out more and book your visit here: https://bit.ly/3alFloj
Nalini Malani My Reality is Different, 2022 (details); Animation chamber, 9-channel installation, sound: 25.12 mins © Nalini Malani; Photo: Luke Walker
For Women's History Month, join Gallery Educator Fiona Alderton as she looks at a surprising painting by one of our most celebrated female artists.
Watch the full film on our website: https://bit.ly/3IDawsk
Digital activity at the National Gallery is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies
Is it just us, or is this demon wearing a cactus?
Snakes for arms; scaly, avian legs; and moth-like wings, find out why this late-Gothic demon was the stuff of nightmares in its day with Daniel Sobrino Ralston, Acting Associate Curator of 1600‒1800 Paintings.
With our major exhibition 'After Impressionism: Inventing Modern Art' opening in under a month, now is the perfect time to pre-order the accompanying exhibition catalogue.
Discover the pioneers of modern art and trace how a new creative freedom made waves across Europe: http://bit.ly/3xIEaY3
The legacy of Leonardo ✨
This picture is a later version of a painting by Bernardino Luini, a famous Milanese painter of the early 16th century who was a follower of Leonardo. The soft, hazy approach to modelling and lighting seen here, known in Italian as ‘sfumato’ (literally ‘smoky’), was typical of Leonardo’s style. Forms emerge from the darkness and contours are blurred, creating a sense of ambiguity, especially in the figures’ expressions.
This saint looks down at her book and seems to smile quietly to herself. On either side of her are two angels, one holding a spiked wheel on which the saint was tortured, while the other, holds a martyr’s palm. The painting’s contemplative mood is enhanced by the rich deep colours and plain dark background.
Can you guess who this saint is? Find out the answer on our website: https://bit.ly/3XXWAzM
The ‘Queen of Paris’ 🥂
Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the birth of Renoir, the leading Impressionist painter. This portrait of the glamourous Misia Sert, née Godebska, was one of several that the artist painted over his career. The darling of artistic circles in France at the turn of the 20th century, local newspapers dubbed her the ‘Queen of Paris’.
Here Renoir depicts Misia leaning against the bolster of her chaise longue, a society hostess at home and at ease. She affectionately cradles her sleeping dog against her lap, while propping her head up against her right hand. Her gaze is hard to interpret – she seems to be looking directly at the viewer yet not quite focusing. Perhaps Renoir had captured something of her emotional uncertainty in the face of her looming divorce.
The portrait is dated 1904, when Misia was aged 32. It was the same year in which she divorced her first husband, Thadée Natanson, director of the influential literary and artistic review, the R***e blanche. Misia eventually went on to marry the Spanish painter José-Maria Sert and Coco Chanel, one of her closest friends, even joined them on their honeymoon in Venice: https://bit.ly/3K4smDq
Can you guess the ? 🤔
The painter of this brightly coloured macaw died in 1792. A leading English painter of the 18th century, this group portrait also features one of his wealthy patrons, alongside her three infant sons.
Find out the answer on our website: https://bit.ly/2ZdXUm7
How we'll be spending our Shrove Tuesday 🥞
'The Lavergne Family Breakfast' by Jean-Etienne Liotard depicts an elegantly dressed woman and a little girl dipping biscuits into a cup of milky coffee. It is early morning, and the girl wears paper curlers in her hair. Although the plain background little sense of the interior they are in, the figures’ clothing suggests that they are very comfortably off. Liotard has spared no details in his depictions of these fabrics, from the sheen of the woman’s black and pink striped silk dress to the delicate pattern of her matching sleeves and apron.
Coffee and chocolate were exclusive, luxurious beverages in the 18th century, often enjoyed at breakfast by those who could afford them. The highly polished lacquer tray in front of the two figures also implies luxury: https://bit.ly/2z3AlSN
Pope Julius II died in 1513.
Painted by Raphael, this portrait of Pope Julius II depicts the sitter in his papal uniform, his eyes cast downwards and his expression mournful. His long white beard was grown as a token of mortification while recovering from a near-fatal illness brought on by the loss of Bologna to the French. He vowed not to shave it off until French troops had been expelled from Italy, which happened in 1512. It is likely that the portrait was painted very shortly after the Pope returned from his military campaign in Emilia-Romagna on 27 June 1511.
The two golden acorns on his chair allude to his family name, della Rovere (‘rovere’ is Italian for oak). The portrait was displayed on 12 December 1513, after Julius’s death, in the Roman church of Santa Maria del Popolo. It was enormously influential and became the model for ecclesiastical portraiture over the following 200 years. Sebastiano, Titian, El Greco, Velázquez, Domenichino, Reni and Guercino are among the many artists who adopted this three-quarter length formula for portraiture: https://bit.ly/3xHJEUo
Add the finishing touches to any outfit with our arty accessories!
Our scarves, scrunchies and bumbags are all inspired by paintings from the collection and are available from our online shop: https://bit.ly/3YRrzgX
When life gives you 🍋
This is one of only a dozen surviving paintings by Juan de Zurbarán, son of the celebrated Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbarán. Although Juan is recorded as having painted religious works, none of these have survived. He is known today exclusively as a still-life painter.
Here he depicts an array of objects with extraordinary delicacy and accuracy. At the centre stands a large wicker basket piled high with fresh lemons, their waxy green leaves still attached. Sprigs of flowers such as lemon blossom, red carnations, blue delphiniums, white roses, day lilies and a tulip – are scattered throughout the composition. A goldfinch perches on the edge of a porcelain bowl filled with water, and a single day lily floats on the surface.
These objects are almost certainly intended to be symbolic. The water and lily both refer to the purity of the Virgin Mary, while the goldfinch is often associated with Christ’s Passion and sacrifice. According to legend, the bird flew down towards Christ on the road to Calvary, the site of his crucifixion, and plucked a thorn from his brow, splashing its feathers with a drop of his blood: https://bit.ly/2LbGixI
The apple of one's eye 🍎
Joachim Wtewael’s sumptuous picture, full of soft, subtle colour, shows the precursor to one of the most famous battles in mythology, the Trojan War. First told by the Greek poet Homer in his epic poem 'The Iliad', this allegorical tale has served as an inspiration to artists for centuries.
In Wtewael’s version, a wedding party of naked nymphs and satyrs is halted in the background, frozen like statues beneath the commanding arm of Eris (the personification of strife). She has been sent by Jupiter, the ruler of the Gods, to provoke a quarrel between the three goddesses, Minerva, Juno, and Venus. The three of them stand in the centre of the composition, Minerva, goddess of war, with her helmet and spear; Juno, Jupiter’s wife, her peacock in the trees above her; and Venus, goddess of love, with pearls in her hair. The Trojan Prince Paris sits between them, he has been chosen by Jupiter to judge the ‘fairest’ of the goddess. He hands a golden apple to Venus, marking her as the winner.
The subject of the Judgement of Paris, giving prominence to the n**e female figure from various angles, was popular in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. There are two in our collection by Peter Paul Rubens; however they are in a more realist style, without Wtewael’s love of detailed opulence and fantasy: https://bit.ly/40MxB4g
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How did Rosa Bonheur paint in male dominated spaces?
'Winslow Homer: Force of Nature' is now open in our Ground Floor Galleries! For the first time in the UK, we present an overview of Winslow Homer, the great American Realist painter who confronted the leading issues facing the United States, and its relationship with both Europe and the Caribbean world, in the final decades of the 19th century. Open until 8 January 2023. Book your tickets now, Members go free: https://bit.ly/3naA864 The exhibition has been sponsored by White & Case LLP
Ouch! Why is this little angel covered in bees and what does this tell us about myths and their meanings? Watch as Charlotte Wytema, our Simon Sainsbury Curatorial Fellow, reveals the lesson that underlies this intriguing painting: https://bit.ly/3zTzzUW
These grey skies have a secret 🤫☁️ #NationalGallery #OilPainting #ArtHistory
Come and see how primary schools from across the UK have responded creatively to 'The Finding of Moses' by Orazio Gentileschi in our 'Take One Picture' exhibition - but hurry, it closes on 11 September! Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3LWwNlb
With the waves of the tumultuous sea taking over and conspiring with the sweeping darkness of the clouds, an element of foreboding and danger engulfs the scene. But, at last, a small glimmer of hope is on its way... ⛅ Storyteller Fiona Alderton sets the scene of Vernet's dramatic 'A Shipwreck in Stormy Seas', September's Picture of the Month. Find out more on our website: https://bit.ly/3Kt9dNj Digital activity at the National Gallery is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator.
How did a woman artist come to the attention of the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette? #ArtHistory #NationalGallery
Today is #InternationalDogDay and to celebrate we're taking a closer look at this pampered pooch from Catharina van Hemessen's 'Portrait of a Woman'. Which dog from our collection is your favourite? 🐶 #ArtHistory #NationalGallery
What do you notice when you look at Orazio Gentilesch's 'The Finding of Moses'? Maybe some of the children who took part in this year's 'Take One Picture' exhibition can help you! As part of our annual 'Take One Picture' programme, primary schools from across the UK have responded creatively to 'The Finding of Moses' by Orazio Gentileschi. Come and take a look at their works in the Sunley Room: https://bit.ly/3LWwNlb
Caravaggio has left a secret seat for you at the table with a hidden message... 👀
How does it feel to have your artwork displayed in the National Gallery? Let's find out! As part of our annual 'Take One Picture' programme, primary schools from across the UK have responded creatively to 'The Finding of Moses' by Orazio Gentileschi. Come and take a look at their works in the Sunley Room: https://bit.ly/3LWwNlb
Why is this little angel covered in bees? 🐝 Ouch! Join Charlotte Wytema, our Simon Sainsbury Curatorial Fellow as she tells us the story behind this sticky situation from Lucas Cranach the Elder's 'Cupid complaining to Venus'. Watch the full video on our website: https://bit.ly/3zTzzUW Digital activity at the National Gallery is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator
It's #InternationalCatDay so let's compare some of the cutest cats in our collection! Which cat is your favourite? This is a virtual gallery that has been created to highlight a range of paintings from our collection.
Nestled among some of the Gallery’s finest portraits, in Room 12, is Moroni's 'Portrait of a Lady’, or ‘La Dama in Rosso'. 💃 Join Curatorial Trainees Emma Meehan and Chloe Church as they examine Moroni's captivating piece, our August Picture Of The Month: https://bit.ly/3POyeo3 This is a virtual gallery that has been created to highlight a range of paintings from our collection. Digital activity at the National Gallery is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator
Gainsborough died #OnThisDay in 1788. A leading British portrait painter of the 18th century and a founding member of the Royal Academy, the feathery brushwork of his work and his rich use of colour contribute to the enduring popularity of his portraits. Join us as we take a closer look at this tender portrait of his two daughters chasing a butterfly 🦋 Discover more about Gainsborough's life and work on our website: https://bit.ly/3zEl9HY
Why is there someone drawing graffiti inside the church and what does this tell us about how artists use their imagination when painting everyday life? Join Justine Rinnooy Kan, our Dorset Curatorial Fellow, as she looks at some behaviour we wouldn't expect to see inside a church: https://bit.ly/3N9Dj8d
What's happening in Orazio Gentileschi's 'Finding of Moses'? 🤔 Every year, as part of our Take One Picture programme, we invite primary schools nationwide to focus on one of our paintings and respond creatively, following the children’s questions and ideas. For the 2022 exhibition, schools have responded to 'The Finding of Moses' by Orazio Gentileschi. But what do the children think is happening in the painting? Find out more about the exhibition here: https://bit.ly/3LWwNlb
How we uncovered the secrets of the Gallery’s oldest painting Learn about the surprising discoveries which were revealed during the restoration of Margarito d’Arezzo’s 'Virgin and Child Enthroned'.
At the beach with Monet 😎 Join us as we escape to the wide sandy beaches of the Normandy coast, alongside Monet's wife Camille and their five year old son Jean.
Welcome to the Keeper Council – a magical crossroads where Keepers from all over the world assemble to hone their craft, borrow special collections and share all the latest Keeper goss. In this free Roblox adventure, you’ll learn about paintings and curate your own collection all while helping out at the Keeper Council Suitable for ages 7-11, find out more and start playing, here: https://bit.ly/3bEsRbR
Writer, researcher and drag king Holly James Johnston explores the history of Saint Sebastian to find out how he's inspired the queer community for more than a century. And taking inspiration themself, Holly creates a look inspired by the saint: https://bit.ly/3c1lHi4
Artemisia Gentileschi born #OnThisDay in 1593 🥂 The most celebrated female painter of the 17th century, she worked for the highest echelons of European society, including the Grand Duke of Tuscany and Philip IV of Spain. Join us as we take a closer look at her piece, 'Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria': https://bit.ly/2Juik1b Why not have this one at home? You can turn this masterpiece into an art print in a wide range of materials, sizes and frames. Get started here: https://bit.ly/3R99GXD
For July's Picture of the Month, sixth form student and Articulation alumna Nicole Conteh explores Murillo’s tender portrayal of a young Saint John: https://bit.ly/3OGbCVT Digital activity at the National Gallery is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator
Why is there someone drawing graffiti inside the church? Listen as Justine Rinnooy Kan, our Dorset Curatorial Fellow, picks out some surprising details in Saenredam's church interior: https://bit.ly/3N9Dj8d Digital activity at the National Gallery is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator
How we uncovered the secrets of the Gallery’s oldest painting ✨ Learn about the surprising discoveries which were revealed during the restoration of Margarito d’Arezzo’s 750 year old painting, 'Virgin and Child Enthroned'. Watch the full video on our website: https://bit.ly/3xY05eF
Happy Summer Solstice ☀️ This week marks the official start to summer, and to celebrate we're taking a closer look at Hans Wertinger's picturesque summer scene, full of life and activity. Which detail is your favourite? Take a closer look on our website: https://bit.ly/3zOXeX1
🎉 It’s our 200th birthday in 2024! We’re having a year-long celebration and you’re all invited. Find out more: https://bit.ly/39JAT2p #NG200
Why does this man appear twice in the same painting and what does this tell us about miracles? How does Duccio tell the story of a miracle in paint? Join Dr Ayla Lepine, The Howard and Roberta Ahmanson Fellow in Art and Religion, as she decodes the characters in The Healing of the Man born Blind: https://bit.ly/3wFARBv
Sebastiano del Piombo died #OnThisDay in 1547. His work, 'The Raising of Lazarus', was one of the first paintings to enter our collection and is actually listed as NG1 in our inventory. Let's take a closer look: https://bit.ly/2JTjDXO
Pertwee Anderson & Gold gallery
Bateman Street
The Last Tuesday Society & The Viktor Wynd Mu
Mare Street