Located in the Trafalgar Square of the famed city of London, the famed National Gallery remains one of the city’s most renowned tourist attractions, with thousands visiting the art museum yearly to bask in the works of art from extraordinarily talented artists from all over the world. Today, it holds a thrilling collection of over 2,300 paintings, spanning from the mid-13th century to 1900. With its collections amongst some of the most historically significant in all of Europe, art enthusiasts and fans of the city of London including Tunde Folawiyo and millions of others throughout the United Kingdom and beyond may continue to find inspiration within the walls of the city’s National Gallery.
As the fifth most visited art museum on earth, London’s National Gallery holds a rich history dating back nearly two centuries. Whilst the museum has held several locations throughout its past, its present building was designed by William Wilkins between 1832 and 1838. The building was once criticized for its lack of space, which in turn led to the construction of the Tate Gallery in 1897. It was John Nash who first suggested the creation of a national art gallery. He envisioned it at the site of King’s Mews as a Parthenon-like structure would house the country’s Royal Academy, occupying an area at the square’s centre.
As an exempt charity and non-departmental public body, the collections housed in London’s National Gallery are the property of the public of the United Kingdom. As such, entry is free of charge, contributing to the institution’s massive fanfare. The museum got its start when British government acquired 38 paintings after John Julius Angerstein’s heirs handed them down in 1824. Early directors of the museum such as Sir Charles Lock Eastlake played a major role in the structure of the museum, as did private donations that accounted for nearly two-thirds of the its collection. Many works of extraordinary note are housed at National Gallery and though the collection itself is of humble size, its historical scope is quite large.
As the city of London remains one of the world’s foremost tourist destinations, its cultural happenings attract a wide variety of people from all over the globe. Art enthusiasts and individuals with a love for the city, including Tunde Folawiyo, may be continually inspired by the works of art housed at London’s National Gallery as its rich history remains forever cemented in the world of European art.