New National Gallery artwork - a slate from the Welsh quarry that housed the nation’s paintings during the war

An inscribed tablet made from slate from the landscape of north Wales has been unveiled at the National Gallery to commemorate Manod quarry in Eryri (Snowdonia) which kept many of the nation’s pictures safe during the Second World War.

The inscription in Welsh and English reads: ‘Daw’r llechen hon o chwarel Manod yng Ngogledd Cymru lle cafodd paentiadau’r Oriel Genedlaethol eu diogelu yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd.’ (This slate is from Manod quarry in North Wales where the National Gallery’s paintings were protected during World War II.’)

The tablet conceived by the artist Jeremy Deller and designed and carved by letter-carver John Neilson was commissioned by Mostyn, Llandudno, supported by CELF, the national contemporary art gallery for Wales,and presented to the National Gallery on the occasion of The Triumph of Art a nationwide performance by artist Jeremy Deller.

'Manod Slate Tablet', on permanent display from Tuesday 2 December in the Portico Vestibule of the National Gallery – close to Boris Anrep’s floor mosaic of Sir Winston Churchill depicted in war time – is a legacy of 'The Triumph of Art', a project that rounded off the Gallery’s Bicentenary celebrations in 2024-5. After a year-long celebration of festivals, gatherings, and art in the public realm throughout Britain and Northern Ireland 'The Triumph of Art' culminated in a day-long public celebration in Trafalgar Square, London on Saturday 26 July 2025, where the 'Manod Slate Tablet' was first revealed.

As part of 'The Triumph of Art', the Gallery partnered with Mostyn, an art gallery in Llandudno, north Wales, to bring young people together with Welsh-language theatre company Frân Wen to develop a multi-part performance titled 'Carreg Atteb: Vision or Dream?' Beginning in the landscape of the quarries in north Wales, where many of the National Gallery’s pictures were stored during the Second World War, the performances saw the young people create their own mythological characters before delivering the slate tablet to the National Gallery’s director, Sir Gabriele Finaldi, in Trafalgar Square.

In May 1940 when the outlook seemed bleak for the Allies in mainland Europe and an invasion of Britain looked imminent, a plan was needed to protect the national art collection which was already in temporary hiding places in Wales where it had been since the beginning of the war in 1939. One proposal was for the paintings to be evacuated by ship to Canada, but the possibility of U-boat attacks worried the Gallery’s director, Kenneth Clark. He went to see Prime Minister Winston Churchill who immediately vetoed the idea.

The Manod slate mine in north Wales fitted the bill perfectly. Explosives were used to enlarge the entrance to accommodate the largest paintings and several small brick ‘bungalows’ were built within the caverns to protect the paintings from variations in humidity and temperature. A special ‘elephant’ case was constructed to transport the paintings safely on trucks to Wales. By the summer of 1941, the whole collection had been reunited in its new subterranean home, where it was to remain for four years.

Valuable discoveries made during this time were to influence the way the collection was displayed and cared for when it returned to London after the war ended in 1945. It had long been known that paintings are happiest in conditions of stable humidity and temperature, but it had never been possible to monitor a whole collection in such controlled circumstances before. Air conditioning was included in the plans for the major renovations needed for the west wing of the National Gallery, which had been badly damaged during bombing raids, and the Scientific Department (which had been established shortly before the war) was joined by a newly formed Conservation Department.

Daniel F Herrmann, Ardalan Curator of Modern and Contemporary Projects at the National Gallery, says: ‘We are grateful to Jeremy Deller, John Neilson and the team at Mostyn and CELF, the national contemporary art gallery for Wales, for their partnership in commemorating a significant moment in the history of the nation’s collection.’

Sir Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, says: ‘'The Manod Slate Tablet' serves as a reminder of the crucial moment when during wartime the nation’s paintings were secreted in caves in the slate hills of north Wales to preserve them for future generations.’

Dr Kath Davies, Director of Collections & Research at Amgueddfa Cymru, says: ‘It is wonderful to see how the CELF network is making a real difference to the contemporary art scene in Wales. Through CELF we are able to support contemporary artists to make new work and encourage our audiences to engage with Welsh stories and interests. This is a fantastic project that commemorates an important historic event but also preserves traditional Welsh craft and heritage.’

Notes to editors

Manod Slate Tablet
Portico Vestibule, The National Gallery
Admission free, on permanent display from 2 December 2025

Image credit for the commissioned work:

Jeremy Deller, designed and carved by John Neilson
Manod Slate Tablet, 2025
© Jeremy Deller / John Neilson
Photo: The National Gallery, London

The commissioned work:

H258:
Jeremy Deller, designed and carved by John Neilson
'Manod Slate Tablet', 2025
Slate, H 100 × W 62.2 x D 1.9 cm
Commission supported by CELF, the national contemporary art gallery for Wales; presented by Mostyn, Llandudno, on the occasion of Jeremy Deller's 'The Triumph of Art' NG200 Bicentenary Celebrations, 2025

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

*Jeremy Deller Manod Slate Tablet - An acquisition for the National Gallery’s Contextual Collection

The National Gallery’s Contextual Collection consists of works of art and objects, acquired by the Gallery since its foundation which illuminate the history of the Gallery, its buildings, its collection and its relationship with contemporary artists.

The Contextual Collection includes portraits of former National Gallery staff, directors, trustees and benefactors; depictions of the Gallery’s buildings and their interiors at different periods; internal and external architectural sculpture and mosaics forming part of the Gallery’s fabric; and furniture and objects that have a significant connection to the Gallery. It also includes commissions, works of art by contemporary artists, including Artists in Residence or Associate Artists, as well as other artists whose work has been the subject of temporary exhibitions at the National Gallery, or who have worked directly from the collection.

Jeremy Deller

Jeremy Deller (b. 1966, London) studied History of Art at the Courtauld Institute and at Sussex University. He began making artworks in the early 1990s, often showing them outside conventional galleries. In 1993, while his parents were on holiday, he secretly used the family home for an exhibition titled Open Bedroom.

Four years later he produced the musical performance 'Acid Brass' with the Williams-Fairey Band and began making art in collaboration with other people. In 2000, with fellow artist Alan Kane, Deller began a collection of items that illustrate the passions and pastimes of people from across Britain and the social classes. Treading a fine line between art and anthropology, 'Folk Archive' is a collection of objects which touch on diverse subjects such as Morris Dancing, gurning competitions, and political demonstrations. The 'Folk Archive' became part of the British Council Collection in 2007 and has since toured to Shanghai, Paris and Milan.

In 2001 Deller staged 'The Battle of Orgreave', commissioned by Artangel and Channel 4, directed by Mike Figgis. The work involved a re-enactment which brought together around 1,000 veteran miners and members of historical societies to restage the 1984 clash between miners and police in Orgreave, Yorkshire. In 2004, Deller won the Turner Prize for Memory Bucket (2003), a documentary about Texas. He has since made several documentaries on subjects ranging from the exotic wrestler Adrian Street to the die-hard international fan base of the band Depeche Mode.

In 2009 Deller undertook a road trip across the US, from New York to Los Angeles, towing a car destroyed in a bomb attack in Baghdad and accompanied by an Iraqi citizen and a US war veteran. The project, 'It Is What It Is', was presented at Creative Time and the New Museum, New York and the car is now part of the Imperial War Museum’s collection. In the same year he staged 'Procession', in Manchester, involving participants, commissioned floats, choreographed music and performances creating an odd and celebratory spectacle. During the summer of 2012 'Sacrilege', Deller’s life-size inflatable version of Stonehenge – a co-commission between Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art and the Mayor of London – toured around the UK to great public acclaim.

In 2013 Deller represented Britain at the Venice Biennale with a multi-faceted exhibition titled, 'English Magic'. Encompassing notions of good and bad magic, socialism, war, popular culture, archaeology and tea, the exhibition gave a view of the UK that was both combative and affectionate. His First World War memorial work - 'We’re Here Because We’re Here' (2016) and the documentary 'Everybody in the Place: An Incomplete History of Britain 1984–1992' (2019), have influenced the conventional map of contemporary art. Most recently Deller has published 'Art is Magic', a book that documents key works in his career alongside the art, pop music, film, politics and history that have inspired him.

John Neilson

John Neilson, b.1959, has worked as a lettercarver in stone since training with Tom Perkins in 1991/2. Prior to that, after an initial career in teaching, he studied calligraphy at Roehampton, London. Neilson’s current work includes lettering design and carving for architectural projects, public art, memorials, plaques, sundials, signs, and more sculptural pieces. He also undertakes some book design/typography, and teaches letter carving and design workshops.

Neilson has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad but works mostly to commission. Recent commissions include a number of public art and large-scale works including the free-standing lettering above the entrance to the Queen's Gallery, Edinburgh. He has completed some 50 memorials for Memorials by Artists.

He is an elected member of Letter Exchange and editor of their journal Forum. He is on the Crafts Council's Index of Selected Makers, and is an adviser to the Crafts Study Centre in Farnham. Neilson lives near Oswestry on the Powys/Shropshire border.

Mostyn

Mostyn is a free to enter, public art gallery in Llandudno, Wales. From its beautiful Edwardian terracotta frontage to the RIBA award-winning modern architecture within, Mostyn combines art and architecture as a setting for its programme of outstanding international contemporary art, shown within its galleries and online. Their community engagement programme includes a diverse and accessible range of talks, tours and workshops, and the renowned Siop (shop) supports over 400 artists and makers from Wales and across the UK.'Carreg Ateb' is the name of a rock believed to cause an echo, an answering stone. In this context 'Carreg Ateb' refers to some kind of animate resonance, connected with an aspect of the local geology and landscape.

CELF, the national contemporary art gallery for Wales

CELF is Wales’s national contemporary art gallery, designed as a network rather than a single building. It brings together twelve partner institutions across the country, showcasing works from the national collections and commissioning new projects. CELF promotes access and participation through exhibitions, community engagement, and a digital platform, embedding contemporary art into everyday life throughout Wales. The twelve partners are: Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, Arts Council Wales, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery (Swansea), MOSTYN (Llandudno), Newport Museum & Art Gallery, Oriel Davies (Newtown), Oriel Myrddin (Carmarthen), Plas Glyn-y-Weddw (Pwllheli), Ruthin Craft Centre, and STORIEL (Bangor), The National Library of Wales. It is supported by Welsh Government.

NG200: 200 years of the National Gallery

From 10 May 2024, the 200th anniversary of the Gallery’s foundation, a year-long festival of art, creativity and imagination started across the UK, and around the world, and at our home in London. This has led us into our third century of bringing people and paintings together. Jeremy Deller’s The Triumph of Art was the culmination of this yearlong celebration, of which the Manod Slate Tablet is a lasting legacy.

More information at nationalgallery.org.uk

For more information

National Gallery Press Office email press.external@nationalgallery.org.uk 
Publicity images can be obtained from https://press.nationalgallery.org.uk/