London's National Gallery Turns 200 — and Throws Open Its Doors

It began, improbably, with 38 pictures bought from the estate of a Russia-born banker. Two centuries later, the National Gallery in London guards one of the greatest collections of European painting on earth — and in May 2024 it celebrated turning 200 with a birthday party the size of a nation.

Branded NG200, the bicentenary unrolled as a year-long programme of exhibitions, commissions and community projects that reached far beyond Trafalgar Square, touring masterpieces to towns across the United Kingdom. The message was deliberately democratic: this is a gallery that has been free to enter since the day it opened, and intends to stay that way.

For an artist, the anniversary is a reminder of why these rooms matter. They are where generations have stood nose-to-canvas with Van Eyck, Turner and Velázquez, learning to see. The National Gallery's third century opens with a promise to keep that conversation between people and paintings alive.

Image: “Trafalgar Square, fountain and National Gallery - 01” — Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.