A world-class welcome to the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, as Sainsbury Wing reopens after two years of closure

The National Gallery’s new main entrance will reopen to the public on Saturday 10 May 2025, as part of the Gallery’s 200th birthday celebrations.

The Sainsbury Wing closed in February 2023 to undergo sensitive interventions to its external façade, foyer and first floor, to provide a better and more welcoming first experience to the National Gallery’s millions of visitors, in a plan designed by New York-based Selldorf Architects, working with heritage architects Purcell.

At the entrance, some of the Gallery’s footprint has been given over to public realm, creating a 'square-within-a-square', and leading to a more spacious entrance to the Gallery. The original dark glass of the stairs up to the gallery spaces has been replaced with clear glazing, bringing daylight across the foyer while revealing subtle views of the 1830s National Gallery building by William Wilkins (1778‒1839). The glazing also allows people in Trafalgar Square to see directly into the Gallery for the first time.

This entrance opens into a new double-height foyer, which is larger, more open, and brightly lit. A 12-metre wide, 16K screen shows astounding details of National Gallery paintings. Visitors will find a new espresso bar, 'Bar Giorgio', by Giorgio Locatelli, on the ground floor. 'Locatelli', the restaurant by the same chef, will be on the mezzanine level, alongside a new bookshop and spaces for meetings and events. A bar will provide the to-date only publicly accessible space in London to enjoy a drink with views onto Trafalgar Square.

Facing the restaurant diners will be Paula Rego’s (1935‒2022) Crivelli’s Garden (1990‒91). Rego was the National Gallery’s first Associate Artist and was inspired to create the work by looking at Renaissance paintings by Carlo Crivelli (about 1430/5 ‒ about 1494) for the Sainsbury Wing Dining Room on its original opening in 1991. 

Also reopening is the recently renamed Pigott Theatre, on the lower ground floor. The theatre has been fully refurbished with a new colour scheme and refitted for increased comfort and accessibility, including level access to the stage.

The palette of high-quality materials used throughout the new spaces includes the same grey Florentine limestone (pietra serena) employed in the Venturi-Scott Brown designed gallery spaces, along with Chamesson limestone from northern Burgundy, slate, oak and black granite. Wherever possible existing materials have been re-used, recycled or repurposed in other building projects.

The NG200 Welcome project has been made possible thanks to support from many generous donations, from both major benefactors and members of the public. In particular, The Linbury Trust and The Headley Trust which, together with The Monument Trust, funded the original establishment of the Sainsbury Wing 35 years ago, have been instrumental in helping the Gallery to realise the evolution of the building for its changing visitor needs.

Sir Timothy Sainsbury said: 'The remodelled ground floor and mezzanine floor now provide a much larger and more welcoming entrance for the millions of visitors expected every year; a fitting introduction to the magnificent gallery spaces which remain unchanged.  The Headley Trust and The Linbury Trust welcome the redesign and are pleased to continue to support the Sainsbury Wing towards its next 35 years and beyond.'

Sir Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, said: 'From 10 May, the Sainsbury Wing will be the main entrance to the National Gallery. Thanks to the reimagining of the exterior and interior spaces by architect Annabelle Selldorf, millions of visitors will be welcomed into the newly configured and subtly refurbished spaces, double height and brightly lit, and en route to exploring the Gallery’s superb painting collection from Giotto to Monet.'

Annabelle Selldorf said: 'We are honoured to have contributed to making the Sainsbury Wing more welcoming and accessible and are looking forward to visitors enjoying a new light filled and seamless experience as they discover the magnificent collection of the National Gallery and all that it has to offer.'

Arts Minister Chris Bryant said: 'The National Gallery is one of the best-loved members of our family of national Museums. It’s a delight to see any family member get a makeover, and this is no exception. The new entrance will offer the best welcome anyone could imagine. And having seen some of the rehang, I know everybody will be amazed. I'm particularly grateful to the donors who have so generously supported this, enabling the Gallery to reimagine its space, reinterpret its collection, and open the doors wider to all communities.'

Notes to editors

The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Artemisia Gentileschi, Bellini, Cezanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to care for and enhance the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors. Admission free. 

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The Headley Trust

The Headley Trust was founded in 1973 by Sir Timothy Sainsbury and became a registered charity in 1974.  It is one of 16 Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts. The Headley Trust makes grants of around £5m -£10m a year, largely in the Arts and Heritage field. Among its priority areas are museums and galleries, particularly those operating in the regions. The trustees particularly wish to support the professional development of curators, as well as the display, study and acquisition of British ceramics and the conservation of industrial, maritime and built heritage.  
See The Headley Trust – The Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts (sfct.org.uk) for information about the full range of the Trust’s interests.

The Linbury Trust

The Linbury Trust is an independent grant-making Trust established in 1973 by Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover, and his wife Anya, Lady Sainsbury CBE. The Trust has awarded over £200m in grant funding across the world, supporting a wide variety of work supporting public engagement with arts and culture through education, professional development, and wellbeing; climate readiness and the natural environment; and programmes that improve the choices of people experiencing disadvantage and inequality.  
linburytrust.org.uk

With thanks to the below for their generous support of NG200:

Garfield Weston Foundation
The Sainsbury Family through The Headley Trust and The Linbury Trust
Blavatnik Family Foundation
Julia Rausing Trust
John Booth and Tim Ashley
Bianca and Stuart Roden
The Foyle Foundation
Mark Pigott KBE, KStJ
Kenneth C. Griffin
Christoph and Katrin Henkel
The Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation
The Capricorn Foundation in memory of Mr H J Hyams
C C Land
Clore Duffield Foundation
Sir Hugh and Lady Stevenson
Bloomberg Philanthropies
David Borthwick and Molly Lowell Borthwick
Dr Anita Klesch and Mr. A. Gary Klesch
Dame Hannah Rothschild DBE and The Rothschild Foundation
Jake and Hélène Marie Shafran
Georgia and David Winter
The National Gallery Trust
The American Friends of the National Gallery

Press enquiries

Imogen Sebba, Press Manager NG200, imogen.sebba@nationalgallery.org.uk

National Gallery Press Office on 020 7747 2865 or email press.external@nationalgallery.org.uk

Publicity images can be obtained from https://press.nationalgallery.org.uk/