Art Masterpieces of the National Gallery London [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION For millions of Londoners as well as for visitors, both from other parts of Britain and the ever-increasing numbers from the rest ofthe world, one of the best-known landmarks of the capital is the National Gallery. With its neo-Palladian facade gracing the north side of Trafalgar Square, it looks out towards Nelson's Column and Admiralty Arch and the majestic sweep of Whitehall - a scene that has changed little since the building was formally opened in 1838. It is probable that few ofthe visitors who come to view the superb amassment of pictures which is housed here, in the oldest of London's great national collections, realise that there was a great deal of opposition to the establishment of a National Museum of Art when the idea was first mooted towards the end of the 18th century. Even the eminent English landscape painter John Constable, some of whose best-known works are now housed in the gallery, was firmly against the idea and the government of the day also showed little interest This despite other galleries being already established in Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid and Beriin and disregarding the fact that the nucleus of a collection had been offered to the nation by Sir George Beaumont in 1823-on condition that a suitable building was found in which to house the paintings. It was not until the following year - 1824 - that the government finally decided to act and this was only because it was discovered that the Prince of Orange was on the point of finalising the purchase of an extensive collection owned by John Julius Angerstein, a Russian-bom financier who had recently died. Influenced by this, and a growing national feeling that the leading world power of the time should have a national gallery to rank with the rest of Europe, the House of Commons voted to allocate the sum of ^60,000 for the purchase of the Angerstein collection, together with the lease of his house at number 100, Pall Mall. The Angerstein pictures were joined there by those included in Sir George Beaumont's previous offer together with a similar bequest from the Reverend Holwell Cart By 1831 the need for a permanent purpose-built gallery in which to house the rapidly growing collection was evident In that year William Wilkins' design was accepted and work began in 1833 on the site in Trafalgar Square. This was not before time, as Angerstein's house was in imminent danger of collapse and the collection had to be moved to an even more cramped location at number 105, Pall Mall. As soon as the new gallery was opened, in 1838, problems became evident The design of the building was such that there was insufficient space for all the paintings. Extra room was provided in 1876 by the building of a new wing designed by Sir James Barry and this, together with fiirther building work carried out in 1887 and the addition of another wing to balance Barry's, completed in 1911, helped to alleviate the problems. These problems had been fiirther aggravated by the purchase of 76 pictures from the Peel collection, and the Wynn Ellis bequest of1876 which, whilst providing the gallery with a good representation of Dutch pictures, created fiirther storage problems. Whereas most of the worid's other galleries were originally founded on a royal collection the National Gallery is unique in that its pictures have been collected over the years by purchases on the open market or by bequests from private individuals. Lack of space was not the only problem with which the Keeper and his six-man committee were confronted during the early years. Not only was the choice of acquisitions - which was very much according to personal taste - criticised, but the policy of cleaning pictures also caused an outcry among a population used to seeing Old Masters covered in dirt and layers of discoloured varnish. In order to resolve these problems an enquiry was held in 1853 and the constitution of the gallery was revised. An annual purchase grant was allocated in 1855 and Sir Charies Lock Eastlake was appointed the first Directoi; with sole responsibility for choosing and acquiring new paintings. It was subsequently decided that the gallery should be as comprehensive in its coverage of the great periods of art as possible, and whilst many other galleries throughout the worid may hold a better selection relating to particular periods, none can match the National Gallery's collection of2,050 works, predominantly Old Masters, covering all periods. As a result of the decision to make the National Gallery's collection as comprehensive as possible, nearly all the Bntish pamtings were moved to the Tate Gallery at Millbank, which was opened in 1897 to house these and modem foreign works. During the 19th century it had been possible for the Gallery to acquire many fine paintings at relatively low cost but circumstances began to change and the increasing competition from other galleries, in America and Germany particulariy, has made it much more difficuk to purchase fine paintings, which now fetch record prices on the worid's art market In 1975 die opening ofthe northern extension enabled the gallery's administration to hang the collection in more spacious and restfiil surroundings, thus adding to the visitor's enjoyment In addition to housing the paintings, the gallery also carries out its own restoration work, both of pictures and firames, and with its special exhibitions and projects designed expressly for children it has done much to make art more acceptable and understandable to the general public. Left is shown a detail from 'Tlie Mystic Nativity' by Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445-1510).