Groundbreaking £375 million investment for new wing
Supporters say it’ll be the largest transformation for The National Gallery since its formation 200 years ago.
It’s launching an international architectural competition for a brand-new wing to house an expanded collection. This competition is expected to attract both long established and exciting, younger architectural firms.
The National Gallery contains some of the world’s most famous paintings, including Stubbs’ Whistlejacket, Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire and Constable’s The Hay Wain.
The project’s already attracted £375m of cash pledges, including the two largest ever publicly reported single cash donations to a museum or gallery globally.
The funding will also support the Gallery’s move to extend its historic collection and marks the beginning of an exciting new collaboration with Tate and other museums in the United Kingdom and around the world.
‘With the Bicentenary celebrations now completed, the NG looks to the future,’ says Sir Gabriele Finaldi, Director, The National Gallery.
‘We want to be the place where the UK public and visitors from across the globe can enjoy the finest painting collection in the world from medieval times to our own, in a superb architectural setting.’
‘We are hugely excited by these developments and are immensely grateful to our donors for their support – on an unprecedented scale – as the National Gallery steps into its third century.’
‘We look forward to an ever-closer collaboration with Tate on this significant new initiative.’
‘Philanthropy is crucial’
The National Gallery says the expansion is reaffirming a founding commitment to make great art accessible to all. The initiative is termed as Project Domani and it’s expected it’ll bolster the kudos of the gallery for domestic and foreign audiences.
‘I’ve been clear that we want the arts to be accessible for everyone and that philanthropy is crucial to that mission,’ says Lisa Nandy, Culture Secretary.
‘The new wing at the National Gallery will open up world class art for millions of people from home and abroad.’
‘I want to thank the generous donors who will help to transform the National Gallery, cementing its position as one of the most loved and visited institutions that will inspire people for generations.’
The architectural competition was launched earlier this month and is the third stage of an ambitious masterplan commissioned by the Gallery in 2018.
The wing will be built on the site of the last remaining part of the National Gallery’s current campus: St Vincent House. The property was acquired nearly 30 years ago with the aim of expanding gallery space. It currently houses a hotel and office complex.
It’s envisaged that Project Domani will revitalise the area between Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square.
The National Gallery says it holds the world’s finest collection of paintings in the European tradition, starting in the early 13th century.
It’s now looking to broaden and extend the range of its collection, displays and exhibitions. As such, it plans to collaborate with The Tate as joint custodians of the National Collection.
‘For the benefit of everyone’
Managers explain that both institutions will continue to tell their stories in distinct and complementary ways but add that by working together they will be able to ‘build and further develop the UK’s world-leading National Collection for the benefit of everyone.’
‘Tate congratulates the National Gallery on the announcement of this transformational gift,’ says Maria Balshaw, Director of Tate.
‘As the UK’s national collection of British art from 1500 and international art from 1900, Tate looks forward to working closely with colleagues at the National Gallery on loans, curatorial and conservational expertise to support the development of their new displays.’
‘The Trustees of both institutions recently held a joint meeting and, together, established a Working Group with Trustee and Curatorial representatives from each to determine the ways in which we can collaborate to further the national collection as a whole.’
Managers explain scale and scope of Project Domani is ‘ambitious’ and will effectively redefine the National Gallery. As such, they’re delighted that a total of £375 million has been pledged to date.
This amount includes £150 million from Crankstart, the charitable foundation of Sir Michael Moritz KBE and his wife, Harriet Heyman. There is also £150 million coming from the Julia Rausing Trust.
‘Discover the same beauty and inspiration in art’
‘My beloved wife Julia was a passionate supporter of the National Gallery and its role in making great art accessible to all,’ says Sir Hans Rausing, Founder Trustee.
‘She would have wholeheartedly embraced the vision and ambition behind this project, recognising its potential to transform the understanding and appreciation of art, and to reinforce the Gallery’s role on the world stage.’
‘This gift is given in her memory, so that others may discover the same beauty and inspiration in art that meant so much to her.’
A further £75 million is coming from the National Gallery Trust, National Gallery Chairman of Trustees John Booth, plus other donors who wish to remain anonymous.
‘We are humbled by the generosity and vision of Crankstart, the Julia Rausing Trust and all the other donors who are supporting the National Gallery at this pivotal moment in its history,’ says John Booth, National Gallery Chairman of Trustees.
‘Their investment will inspire, educate and thrill generations to come, enriching the cultural landscape of our nation.’
Breaktime News recently reported on the re-opening of a key section of The National Gallery’s following the completion of two years of work.
