Library

About the Library

The National Gallery Library primarily provides a service for National Gallery staff, visiting academics, postgraduate research students and other scholars. It is not a public library.

Works in the Library

The subject coverage of the Library is very specialised and a considerable proportion of the collection consists of foreign language material.

The majority of the stock is concerned directly or indirectly with painters and paintings in the Western tradition from 1200 to 1900. Publications relating to other artistic media and periods are not covered in any depth. Particular emphasis is placed on the artists and schools of painting represented in the Gallery.

History of the Library

The Library was established in 1869 with the purchase of the private library of some 2,000 volumes belonging to the late Sir Charles Eastlake, the first Director of the National Gallery.

It now contains over 75,000 printed volumes relevant to the study of the history of Western European painting from the 13th to the early 20th century.

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