The National Gallery rehang review: 'London is blessed to have it'
And besides the rehanging of the pictures, there's been an architectural reordering. The first thing that strikes you as you enter the Sainsbury Wing is the sheer space. The floor above the atrium, previously taken up by the restaurant, has been opened up with clear glazing and the effect is of light and space. When it's empty, it's cavernous, but most of the time it'll be filled with school tours and tourists; they won't feel cramped now. And, don't worry, the important things have been attended to: shops and places to eat. In the entrance there's a chi-chi coffee bar and a shop where children can buy felt arty toys and adults can get a tote bag with Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne on it. On the floor above, there's Locatelli's restaurant for classy pasta and another shop with art books and arty presents.
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The National
5 days ago
- The National
Glasgow museums' Italian collections to tour China
Objects which are expected to give an 'exquisite and culturally-rich view' of the visual arts in Italy from 1400 to 1800 could be loaned out to form an exhibition titled "Prosperous Symphony – Italian Treasures from Glasgow Museums". The plan is for the first venue, in Shenzhen, to display the items from September this year before they are shown 'in five or six other cities'. READ MORE: Winners announced for oldest book prize in the UK They would return to Glasgow in 2028 and could then be displayed in Kelvingrove Museum. The council's city administration committee will be asked to approve the plan on Thursday. 'With a new international strategy, regular trade missions, links between the city's universities, businesses and China and the targeting of a direct air route into the city, the timing to use an exhibition as cultural exchange and the backdrop for other initiatives is now,' a council report states. The report, which is set to be presented by Bailie Annette Christie, SNP, the city convener for culture, sport and international relations, adds the tour will 'leverage more visibility for the city, its businesses, visitor economy, cultural significance and academic institutions'. This could result in 'more awareness of Glasgow in a number of cities across China', it states. Glasgow Life, the council's culture and leisure arm, which Bailie Christie chairs, plans to work with partners across the city to 'take advantage' of the exhibition. The report states Glasgow Airport is targeting a direct China to Glasgow air route to complement two direct flights per week — four in summer — between Edinburgh and Beijing. Titian's Christ and the Adulteress is another famed Italian painting currently residing in Glasgow that could be headed on the road (Image: Glasgow Museums) Ideas to promote the tour include using the University of Glasgow's networks, as it has 9,000 Chinese students as well as alumni who now work in China. Connections through Glasgow's chamber of commerce, which aims to attract inward investment from businesses in Beijing and Shanghai, will also be explored. It is hoped that the exhibition will mean Glasgow contributes to the Scottish Government's drive to 'deepen economic, social and cultural ties with China'. Research by the UK tourist board, VisitBritain, has found Chinese people associate Britain highly with museums, opera and films, the council's report adds. Alongside 33 paintings, the collection includes examples of ceramics, glass, marble sculpture, textile, arms and armour. To promote Glasgow, there would be information about the city within the exhibition. An exhibition of the city's Italian art went on tour to the United States in 2013 and all but one of the paintings and objects have been in storage since. READ MORE: Met Police silent after unlawful seizure of pro-Palestine journalist's property Paintings which were shown in America included Titian's 'Christ and the Adulteress' and Sandro Botticelli's 'The Annunciation', which once hung in the Church of St Barnabas in Florence. A minimum of three tour venues are needed for the exhibition to be economically viable. Glasgow Life would be working with NOMAD Exhibitions on the tour, which has estimated around 100,000 visitors per venue. A three-way agreement with NOMAD and Sun Pavilion Culture and Technology Co, which helps develop exhibitions, would be signed, outlining the responsibilities of each partner. Glasgow Life is expected to receive a fee from each of the host museums in China. In 2023, China was Scotland's fifth largest long-haul international market by number of visits, and fourth by number of nights and expenditure.
Evening Standard
08-05-2025
- Evening Standard
The National Gallery rehang review: 'London is blessed to have it'
And besides the rehanging of the pictures, there's been an architectural reordering. The first thing that strikes you as you enter the Sainsbury Wing is the sheer space. The floor above the atrium, previously taken up by the restaurant, has been opened up with clear glazing and the effect is of light and space. When it's empty, it's cavernous, but most of the time it'll be filled with school tours and tourists; they won't feel cramped now. And, don't worry, the important things have been attended to: shops and places to eat. In the entrance there's a chi-chi coffee bar and a shop where children can buy felt arty toys and adults can get a tote bag with Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne on it. On the floor above, there's Locatelli's restaurant for classy pasta and another shop with art books and arty presents.
The Independent
07-04-2025
- The Independent
National Gallery to let one person sleep overnight in ‘first' as section reopens
The National Gallery has revealed it will let a member of the public sleep overnight for the 'first time' as the Sainsbury Wing reopens after a two-year refurbishment. Ahead of the Trafalgar Square-based museum completely re-opening in the capital to mark its 200th anniversary, a person will be chosen to be allowed to rest on a bed near the paintings on May 9. To choose the lucky person, the gallery is launching a prize draw as next month the wing sees the return of the earliest paintings in the collection. These include Piero della Francesca's Baptism of Christ, Jacopo di Cione's 14th century work The San Pier Maggiore Altarpiece and Paolo Uccello's recently restored The Battle Of San Romano. The bed will be in the area that connects the Sainsbury Wing, which has generally housed early Renaissance paintings, with the rest of the gallery. The winner will also enjoy a dinner for two at Locatelli, a restaurant set to be opened in the museum by Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli, and once their friend departs a private tour of CC Land: The Wonder of Art with a curator. CC Land: The Wonder of Art is a curated rehanging of the gallery's works, spanning the Western European tradition from the 13th to 20th centuries. It sees paintings from French Impressionist Claude Monet, Italian Renaissance painter Titian, Flemish painters Peter Paul Rubens, and Anthony van Dyck, Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn and British landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough kept in their own dedicated rooms. When the chosen person wakes up on May 10, they will have a breakfast hamper, and be able to enjoy exploring before the official re-opening of the Sainsbury Wing at 10am. Current subscribers to the gallery's newsletter will be automatically entered, and anyone else can go to The competition is open until 6pm on April 28, after which the overnight sleeper will be randomly selected. The gallery has previously been opened overnight to the public during the Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibition in January, which allowed slots to be booked from 9pm until 10am.
