Become a Virtual Tourist Member Today!  Sign Up for Free | Sign In

National Gallery, London

Search:
email to friend | help
Home » Travel Guides » Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » London » Things To Do » National Gallery Reviews

London Travel Guide

Sponsored Links for London

London Hotels
View Hotel Photos, Reviews & More. Get Deals on London Hotels - ORBITZ

Holiday Inn London
26 Convenient London properties. Official site. Book online today.

London Flights
Fly in comfort with tasty meals, personal entertainment & more.

500 Hotels in London
Save up to 75% on your booking. Low rates and great availability!

Radisson Edwardian Hotels
Luxury Hotels throughout London. Relax in luxury from $198/night!

National Gallery, London
See all London Things To Do
Things to Do in London: National Gallery tips and photos posted by real travelers and London locals.
National Gallery
Trafalgar Square, WC2
• 117 Photos
• 97 Reviews
All London Hotels
Check-In Date:
Check-Out Date:
Guests
Hotels by OneTime.com
London National Gallery ReviewsTips 1 - 10 of 97  
Sort By:  Most Recent | Best Rated
National Gallery: North Wing - Landscapes 1600 - 1700.
  • Tip Rating:
  • By breughel on June 4, 2007
  • Email Me
  • See My London Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • M. Hobbema - The Avenue at Middelharnis - London
    M. Hobbema - The Avenue at
    Middelharnis
    by breughel, 1 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    Landscapes were one of the major themes of the 17th c. paintings especially in the Netherlands.
    Indeed the Dutch Golden century produced thousands of landscapes of all kinds:
    river views and seaside landscapes, "green" landscapes often with a cottage under some threes, winter landscapes usually with skaters on a frozen river or pond, town landscapes and these interiors of churches which were a Dutch speciality.
    These thousand of landscapes were painted not on order but to be sold to anybody who wanted to decorate his interior. Many Dutch families owed such small sized paintings for decoration. These paintings are most often of good quality but do not necessarily show much originality. Shall I say that a cottage and trees from Jacob van Ruisdael, is not very different from other cottages in a wood by the same Van Ruisdael.
    The National Gallery has a large number of these Dutch paintings which are quite agreeable to look at especially for the visitor feeling saturated with religious and mythological scenes.

    Outstanding among these landscapes is a painting from Meindert Hobbema which by its originality and some symbolism stands out in this field of art.
    "Het Laantje van Middelharnis - The Avenue at Middelharnis" (1689) is remarkable by the perspective effect given by the upward-pointing trees receding from the foreground to the village and church in the distance.
    Unfortunately, his other works have not the majesty of the above painting and are a repetition of subjects like trees around a pool and water-mils.

    Another highlight of the landscapes in this North Wing is the "River Landscape with Horseman and Peasants" (1659) by Aelbert Cuyp. This is the most beautiful landscape of this Dutch painter very appreciated by British collectors.
    In his masterly handling of the sunlight Aelbert Cuyp approaches Claude le Lorrain (ref. my tip on Le Louvre).

    No amateur of paintings and more generally arts should omit to visit the National Gallery and its remarkable collections of the North wing.

  • Phone: 0 20 7747 2885
  • Directions: Charing Cross or Leicester Square tubes
  • Website: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on National Gallery
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    National Gallery: West wing - Paintings from 1500 to 1600.
  • Tip Rating:
  • By breughel on May 27, 2007
  • Email Me
  • See My London Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Allegory with Venus and Cupid - Bronzino - London
    Allegory with Venus and
    Cupid - Bronzino
    by breughel,
    3 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    The highlights of this 16th c. department of the National Gallery are the Italians:
    Raphael, 'The Madonna of the Pinks',
    Titian, 'Bacchus and Ariadne',
    Michelangelo, 'The Entombment',
    Leonardo da Vinci, 'The Virgin of the Rocks',
    All of the begin of the 16th c. This century continues the tradition of the large religious paintings, but portraits as well official as private get more and more importance. Mythology is also a main subject of paintings.

    Among all these classical Italian paintings one work from Bronzino surprises by its "cool" eroticism "the Allegory with Venus and Cupid" (±1545). The concept of this painting is an enigma with symbols and emblems from mythology and heraldry (pic 1).

    In total contrast with the Italians is a work from Pieter Bruegel the Elder " The Adoration of the Kings" (1564).
    Surprising is the person on the extreme right wearing spectacles. It is an ironic manner of Bruegel to show the inability of the assistants to see the significance of Jesus. The soldiers reflect the Spanish occupation of the Netherlands in that period. (pic 2 & 3)

    A remarkable portrait in this department is the "Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling" (1526) from Hans Holbein the Younger.(pic 4)

  • Phone: 0 20 7747 2885
  • Directions: Charing Cross or Leicester Square tubes
  • Website: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on National Gallery
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    National Gallery: North Wing - Paintings from 1600 to 1700.
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By breughel on June 2, 2007
  • Email Me
  • See My London Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Pieter de Hooch
    Pieter de Hooch "The
    Courtyard of a House in
    Delft
    by breughel,
    2 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    This is in my opinion the best department of the National Gallery by its diversity and quality.
    The highlights here are:
    Vermeer, "A Young Woman standing at a Virginal"
    Van Dyck, "Equestrian Portrait of Charles I"
    Caravaggio, "The Supper at Emmaus"
    Claude Le Lorrain, "Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula" (see my comment on this painter in my Le Louvre tips)
    Velázquez, "The Rokeby Venus",
    Rubens, "Samson and Delilah",
    Rembrandt, "Self Portrait at the Age of 34".

    Dutch, Flemish, Italian, Spanish and French schools of the 17th c. are on display in the North Wing with excellent works.
    All types of paintings are present: the large works with religious and mythological subjects and the small sized paintings introduced by the Dutch school showing landscapes, genre paintings, private portraits.

    My preferences go to the Vermeer and a Pieter de Hooch "The Courtyard of a House in Delft".
    There is also in this North Wing a unique landscape from Rubens:
    "A View of Het Steen in the Early Morning". Surprising a landscape by Rubens showing a "double light" effect! He had bought this manor house near Mechelen and enjoyed there the pleasures of country life.

    Landscapes of all kinds were one of the major themes of the 17th c. paintings especially in the Netherlands.
    I will come back on these landscapes of the North Wing.

  • Phone: 0 20 7747 2885
  • Directions: Charing Cross or Leicester Square tubes
  • Website: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on National Gallery
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    National Gallery: A Grotesque Old Woman by Quinten Metsys.
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By breughel on May 19, 2007
  • Email Me
  • See My London Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • A Grotesque Old Woman by Quinten Metsys. - London
    A Grotesque Old Woman by
    Quinten Metsys.
    by breughel
    Send Photo to a Friend
    This is the most astonishing portrait of the National Gallery.
    It is not a portrait of a specific person; actually I find that the figure is more that of a man than a woman.

    There have been medical articles about this woman:

    "The deformities of Metsys's grotesque woman, far from being caused by barn door Paget's disease as implied by the article, could quite easily have been the result of several diseases such as acromegaly. The coarse, roughened, greasy skin catches the light in the painting. Her pigmentation, not explained by Paget's disease, fits in with the diagnosis of acromegaly; the large chest would comfortably accommodate the increased lung volume; the ugly face surely catches the soft tissue enlargements ofthe skin over the maxilla,"

    Was Quinten Metsys (Massys) aware of this, I doubt.

    This satire is not unusual for this painter mostly known by the famous "The Money Changer and His Wife" of le Louvre and the portrait of Erasmus at the Galleria Nazionale, Rome.

    The usual name of this Flemish painter is Quinten Metsys (sometimes written Matsys or Massys) painter born in Leuven (1465 - 1530) and member of the Antwerp school.

  • Phone: 0 20 7747 2885
  • Directions: Charing Cross or Leicester Square tubes
  • Website: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on National Gallery
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    National Gallery: Sainsbury wing 1260-1510.
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By breughel on November 1, 2007
  • Email Me
  • See My London Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Arnolfini portrait by Jan Van Eyck - London
    Arnolfini portrait by Jan
    Van Eyck
    by breughel,
    1 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    This wing which shows paintings from 1260-1510 is located in a separate building left of the main one. The collection is on the 2nd floor linked to the main building by a bridge.
    The Sainsbury Wing was opened in 1991. It is a gift (50 million £) from Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover and his brothers The Hon. Simon Sainsbury (*) and Sir Timothy Sainsbury.

    My preferred painting here is the Arnolfini portrait by Jan Van Eyck. This is one of the highlights of Flemish 15th c. school "Flemish Primitives" (see my tips on my Brussels museum pages).
    Flemish primitives were not the first to use oil paints but they excelled in it and Van Eyck was a master in this technique which allowed him to depict with great subtlety the effects of light on the fabrics and clothes.
    Arnolfini was an Italian merchant from the town of Lucca near Pisa. He lived in Bruges at the time that this Flemish town was an important trade centre.
    It is often taught that Arnolfoni's wife is pregnant but this is not sure; the full-skirted dress was fashionable in that time (1434) it seems.

    Another remarkable painting in the Sainsbury wing is "Venus and Mars" from Sandro Botticelli (1485).

    Among my favoured paintings of this absolutely remarkable collection mainly 15th century works are some extraordinary portraits like "The Doge Leonardo Loredan" from Giovanni Bellini and "A Woman" from Robert Campin (Flemish school).

    (*)Simon Sainsbury who died last year bequeathed 5 impressionist paintings (Monet, Degas, Gauguin, Rousseau) to the National Gallery and 13 to the Tate Gallery for an estimated value of 100 million £.

  • Phone: 0 20 7747 2885
  • Directions: Charing Cross or Leicester Square tubes
  • Website: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on National Gallery
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    National Gallery: Paintings from 1700 to 1900.
  • Tip Rating:
  • By breughel on June 5, 2007
  • Email Me
  • See My London Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • John Constable - The Hay Wain - London
    John Constable - The Hay Wain
    by breughel, 1 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    What I like with the National Gallery is that the pleasure continues after the 17th c. and goes on to the 19th c. with the Impressionists.

    It is always a pleasure to view or view again the most beautiful landscape "The Hay Wain" (1821) by John Constable. The painting found no buyer in England but had great success when exhibited in France.
    Another British painter William Turner is on display in this department with the "The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her Last Berth to be broken up, 1838". This painting of the famous vessel "Temeraire" (ref. Admiral Nelson at Trafalgar) was voted as the "greatest painting in Britain".

    It is now time to visit the "classical' impressionists with several Monet such as "the Gare St-Lazarre" and "The Water-Lily Pond", Pissaro with "The Boulevard Montmartre at Night", and not forget the "Sunflowers" of Van Gogh.

    This mostly remarkable collection of impressionists is the cherry on the cake of the National Gallery which I consider as one of the three best painting museums in Europe with the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.

  • Phone: 0 20 7747 2885
  • Directions: Charing Cross or Leicester Square tubes
  • Website: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on National Gallery
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    National Gallery: The National Gallery
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By Mariajoy on January 2, 2006
  • Email Me
  • See My London Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • The National Gallery - London
    The National Gallery
    by Mariajoy, 1 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    So, if you are in Trafalgar Square and you've taken the obligatory tourist photos of your friend sitting on a lion and a pigeon sitting on your head and you are wondering what to do next, then go to that magnificent domed building behind the Allison Lapper Statue (yes the pregnant lady with no arms) and that's the National Gallery. Here you will find (amongst others) the Impressionists... (the other stuff is ok too but the Impressionists gallery is the best imho :)) You will find Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Renoir and Seurat...(as well as Turners, Constables and the odd Picasso) and it's FREE!! Where else in the world will you find the work of the greatest artists who ever lived.. and NOT have to pay to view it? This is what makes London so great!!! And even if you think you are not interested in art... don't be such a philistine and GO ANYWAY!! Educate yourself! That's what travel is about!

    The National Gallery says "These pictures belong to the public" - but don't try taking one home ;-)

    Leave a Comment

  • Phone: 0 20 7747 2885
  • Directions: Central
  • Website: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on National Gallery
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    National Gallery: The National Gallery
  • Tip Rating:
  • By sue_stone on August 24, 2006
  • Email Me
  • See My London Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • The National Gallery - London
    The National Gallery
    by sue_stone
    Send Photo to a Friend
    London's National Gallery is home to one of the most impressive collections of European painting in the world. Its prominent position on Trafalgar Square's northern side makes it easily accessible to all, and its free entry adds to its popularity.

    The Gallery's permanent collection consists of art works dating from the 13th to 20th Centuries. The paintings are hung in a continuous time-line, and the collection includes works from all the major schools of painting, and houses masterpieces by great artists such as Van Gogh, Monet and Cézanne.

    When we visited the gallery we barely scratched the surface….there is so much to see, and to be honest I don't have a huge amount of patience for gallery viewings. Will go back again one day though to see some more.

    Leave a Comment

  • Phone: +44 (0)20 7747 2885
  • Directions: Nearest Tube: Charing Cross or Leicester Square
  • Website: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on National Gallery
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    National Gallery: Impressive Building & Art: National Gallery
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By deecat on May 12, 2005
  • Email Me
  • See My London Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • National Gallery - London
    National Gallery
    by deecat
    Send Photo to a Friend
    The National Gallery is a wonderful place with an interesting history. It started with 38 major paintings, a small start for a national collection. Many wealthy benefactors contributed money and works of art, which has resulted in a huge, impressive collection today.

    Other paintings were purchased by public subscription or by government grant. It's grown so large that a new addition was added in the early 1990s (not without controversy!) In this new wing called, The Sainsbury Wing, is where the changing exhibits are kept.

    I have to tell you that this place is quite overwhelming, seeing so many pieces of art done by the great masters of Western art such as Leonardo, Goya, Monet, VAn Gogh, Picasso, and Raphael (which is just the beginning of a endless number of greats!)

    The paintings hang chronologically, which is a nice way to organize such a vast collection. The lower floor contains lesser painting of all periods.

    Open:
    10-6 daily
    10-8 Wednesday

    Leave a Comment

  • Phone: 0 20 7747 2885
  • Directions: Charing Cross or Leicester Square tubes
  • Website: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on National Gallery
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    National Gallery: excellent art&exhibitions at the National Gallery
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By angiebabe on August 26, 2007
  • Email Me
  • See My London Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Nat Gallery&StMartins-in-the-Fields from Traf Sqr - London
    Nat
    Gallery&StMartins-in-the-Fields
    from Traf Sqr
    by angiebabe, 2 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    The National Gallery is London's foremost or leading art museum with over 2,300 paintings, most on permanent display.

    Apparently in 1824 King George IV persuaded the government to purchase 38 major paintings which became the core of a national collection of European art that now ranges from the 13th century to the 19th century Impressionists and Landscape. Particularly notable are the Dutch, Italian Renaissance and 17th century Spanish paintings (namely Velazquez's only remaining female nude!).

    Special exhibitions are also held here - often particularly prestigious with works from the greats of the artworld!! - for example at present, until 16th September, is the Dutch Portraits:The Age of Rembrandt and Frans Hals which is the first international survey of 17th century Dutch portraiture and follows the Golden Age experienced by the Dutch Republic after its independence from Spain.

    As with several excellent exbitions held here in the past I enjoyed seeing the paintings in this exhibition and learning more about European art and the linking between the art and museums Ive been to seen around Europe in the years that I have been living over in this hemisphere. With my Art Fund membership I am able to get a concession, generally about 50% discount from the usual price making it £5.

    Opening times to the Gallery are daily 10am til 6pm with Wednesdays having a late evening until 9pm. Last admissions are 45 minutes before closing time.
    There are often also free lunchtime talks, evening lectures and short courses available at the National Art Gallery.

    Leave a Comment

  • Phone: 0 20 7747 2885
  • Directions: Charing Cross or Leicester Square tubes
  • Website: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on National Gallery
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ... 10
    More London Tips
    Overview
         		General Tips
    Tips: 2,304 - Photos: 1,885
    Restaurants
    Tips: 2,718 - Photos: 1,651    		Hotels and Accommodations
    Tips: 1,634 - Photos: 835
    Things To Do
    Tips: 9,051 - Photos: 7,974    		Nightlife
    Tips: 1,341 - Photos: 832
    Off the Beaten Path
    Tips: 1,522 - Photos: 1,283    		Tourist Traps
    Tips: 497 - Photos: 274
    Warnings or Dangers
    Tips: 688 - Photos: 346    		Transportation
    Tips: 1,889 - Photos: 1,206
    Local Customs
    Tips: 694 - Photos: 479    		Packing Lists
    Tips: 286 - Photos: 114
    Shopping
    Tips: 937 - Photos: 685    		Sports Travel
    Tips: 210 - Photos: 179
    Flights
    Tips: 155 - Photos: 104

    More Sponsored Links for London

    London Hotels from $80
    Great value Ibis & Novotel hotels. Ibis from $80 Novotel from $97

    Holiday Inn Express
    in London Ontario. Stay Smart. Free Internet and breakfast bar.

    London Flights
    Cheap Flights to London Book with Expedia and Save.

    London Deals

    London 4 Star Hotel inc Breakfast & Upgrade, 30%OFF
    (0 comments, 6:08 PM Jul. 23, 2008)

    GREAT OFFERS FOR HOTELS WORLDWIDE
    (0 comments, 6:08 PM Jul. 23, 2008)

    OneWay from NZ to London
    (0 comments, 11:56 PM Jul. 14, 2008)


    » All London Deals
    » Post a London Deal

    Popular Hotels and Accommodations in London

    » More Hotels and Accommodations in London

    Popular Things To Do in London

    » More Things To Do in London
    Find:        Matching:  Advanced