NG200 - Celebrating 200 years of your National Gallery
We turned 200 on 10 May 2024
On 10 May 2024 we came together to start our celebration of the National Gallery’s Bicentenary - 200 years of bringing people and paintings together.
For the whole year, we are going to celebrate our past and look forward to our future with a year-long festival of art, creativity and imagination which sets the tone for our third century.
Everyone's invited to our NG200 programme
C C Land: The Wonder of Art
You’re invited to see our ambitious redisplay for yourself as we come to the end of our 200th birthday year and reopen the whole of the National Gallery.
NG Stories: Making a National Gallery
The story of the Gallery and the people who have played a part in its 200-year history, delivered through digital experiences that created new connections with the collection.
200 Creators
We've collaborated with 200 social media creators from across the UK, celebrating 200 years of the Gallery as a beacon of creativity.
Behind the Scenes
An online film series that takes viewers behind the scenes of the National Gallery creating a continuous micro documentary highlighting key aspects of the NG200 programme.
200 Paintings for 200 Years
We open the door to the entire history of a painting, in one place, sharing the wealth of the National Gallery’s research, digitally available for everyone, everywhere, anytime.
Art Road Trip
Art Road Trip is touring the UK, bringing 200 National Gallery workshops and learning activities to different communities who otherwise would not have ready access.
Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers
Van Gogh’s most spectacular paintings in our once-in-a-century exhibition. This show came exactly 100 years after the Gallery acquired 'Van Gogh’s Chair' and 'Sunflowers'.
Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300 ‒1350
The first ever full-scale exhibition of early Sienese art outside Italy. An opportunity to see some of Europe’s earliest and most exquisite paintings. Be there for the beginning of art history…
'The Triumph of Art' by artist Jeremy Deller
A national public art commission showing how festivals are a part of art, culture and civic-life, and how art and artists can be catalysts of collaboration and joy.
Summer on the Square
A free festival of art in Trafalgar Square, made by children for children. Designed to unlock the nations creativity, and bring art to the streets of Westminster.
National Treasures
Twelve museums and galleries hosted 12 exhibitions, featuring our National Treasures. More than half the UK population were within an hour's journey of a National Gallery masterpiece.
National Gallery Imaginarium
This new experience combines soundscapes, guided interaction, poetry and animations, to help you pause and see your paintings afresh.
Building a world-class welcome
A suite of capital projects has been designed by a team led by Selldorf Architects to benefit everyone who visits the Gallery. Sensitive interventions to our building will reshape the National Gallery for its third century. A transformation of the Sainsbury Wing entrance, the public realm and visitor amenities along with a new Supporters' House and a new Research Centre, will provide a more inspiring and sustainable experience for the millions of you who visit us every year. We are transforming our Centre for Creative Learning, allowing us to be far more ambitious with our educational offer and become the nation’s art classroom.
NG200 Collaborations
As your National Gallery turns 200, keep an eye out for collaborations across the country. From limited edition coins, show gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show and an episode of Songs of Praise filmed at the Gallery, there's plenty of ways to join in our celebrations.
My National Gallery cinema release
From the creators of Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition, this film gives a voice to those who work at the Gallery, who identify the one artwork that means the most to them and why. Also included are visitors from all walks of life, as well as well-known celebrities who enjoy a visit to the Gallery. Find a screening near you.
National Gallery Timeline
In celebration of 200 years of bringing people and paintings together, the Gallery and The Guardian have commissioned a visual timeline for the artistically curious, offering a starting point for everyone interested in the history of the nation’s picture collection. Taking 20 paintings and 200 years of history, you can explore how the idea of a Gallery for the nation developed from just 38 paintings in a Pall Mall house, to about 2,400 works of art in the most iconic building in Trafalgar Square.
In-flight entertainment
For long haul British Airways travellers this summer, look out for the National Gallery, delivered direct to your seat. From May 2024 British Airways in flight entertainment will include mindful meditations on art, 10 minute talks on some of our National Treasures paintings and features about women artists in the Gallery.
The Royal Mint
Celebrating two centuries of art, the Royal Mint and the National Gallery have come together to celebrate with a collectable £2 coin. Featuring a design by the Royal Mint’s talented artist Edwina Ellis, the coin pays homage to the Gallery's mission of inspiring the next generation of artists. The coin is available in four variants - Gold Proof, Silver Proof, Silver Proof Piedfort and Brilliant Uncirculated, available through the Royal Mint.
Dr. Martens
We've teamed up with Dr. Martens to celebrate our Bicentenary, which sees Dutch artist Harmen Steenwyck and his most famous painting, Still Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life transposed to limited edition items including 1460 boot, 1461 shoe and a leather backpack.
Songs of Praise
Aled Jones visited the Gallery for a very special episode of Songs of Praise. Gabriele Finaldi picked out some highlights of the collection, and Fr Patrick Van Der Vorst talked about how works in the Gallery inform daily gospel reflections on his website Christian Art. Musical performances came from the Gallery’s Barry Rooms, carrying on a longstanding tradition of the Gallery bringing together music and art.
Boodles and Chelsea Flower Show
The Boodles Garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 celebrated our 200th anniversary. The garden evoked the spirit of many of our paintings, with planting scheme, topiary and structural elements inspired by works in the collection. From the sculptural arches depicted by Canaletto to water features reflecting the impressions of light by Monet and Seurat.
Marks & Spencer
The National Gallery’s first collaboration with Marks & Spencer, brings together two heritage brands steeped in history and curation during our Bicentenary year. The range is inspired by the floral paintings in our collection by Ambrosius Bosschaert, Jan van Huysum and Rachel Ruysch. The 34-piece home and gift range includes textiles, accessories, lighting, tableware, accent furniture, home fragrance, beauty sets and festive decorations. Available at M&S online and in select M&S stores.