Members' welcome tours

Have you recently become a Member? Or would you like a refresh of the collection after its historic rehang completed in May 2025?

This tour is a great way to get re-acquainted with our collection. It is divided into two tours, one focusing on the historic Wilkins Building and the other on the newly renovated Sainsbury Wing galleries.

Expect to learn about the architecture and history of the Gallery. As you travel through the collection, your guide will provide you with the tools to see new narratives in unexpected, themed rooms. You’ll learn about the making of art and individual artists.

Tim Maddison is an accredited expert guide. Maddison completed the Sotheby's Works of Art Course after university, before spending the next five years working at Sotheby's and Phillips Bond Street, surrounded by an ever-changing carousel of treasures. This embedded a love for works of art, exhibitions and galleries. Maddison then went on to work as a dealer in vintage film posters, Americana and Art Deco, before opening London's first public gallery for vintage film and music posters. In his youth his favourite painting at the National Gallery was, 'The Family of Darius before Alexander', and he never imagined that decades later he would have the privilege of sharing its delights and that of so many other favourites with visitors.

After a degree in History of Art and Design, Anne Gowan interned at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham. Following this she lectured in History of Art and Design to art and design undergraduates at Stourbridge College of Art and Stafford University and worked at West Midlands Arts, the regional base for the Arts Council. Since moving to London over 30 years ago, her career has been in media, although still maintaining her interest in arts with memberships of the main galleries in London. Anne became a Blue Badge Tourist Guide in 2023 with the ability to translate knowledge and enthusiasm into a descriptive storytelling style for an enjoyable gallery experience.