National Gallery London Reproduction Oil Paintings

Where is the National Gallery in London?

The National Gallery Museum of art is in Trafalgar Square, Central London, founded in 1824.

The Collection comprises around 2,300 oil paintings dating from the mid-13th century to about 1900.

The Museum is unusual in that it was formed initially by the British Government buying a collection of 38 paintings from the family of insurance tycoon John Julius Angerstein.  After that private donations were made, which account for over 60% of the collection today.

The National Gallery was initially displayed in Angerstein’s former residence in Pall Mall.  However, the art collection expanded, and a new purpose-built building was designed and built on a site in Trafalgar Square.  It opened in 1838.

Subsequently, there were various extensions to the National Gallery. Most significantly, the addition of the Sainsbury Wing in 1991 was funded by a GBP 50 million donation from the British supermarket-owning Sainsbury family.

How did the National Gallery expand its Collection?

Sir Charles Lock Eastlake was appointed director of the National Gallery in 1855. He had a particular interest in Early Italian Renaissance old master paintings.  He acquired over 140 paintings from abroad and another 46 from within the UK.

In 1845 a significant gift from the collection of Robert Vernon was left to the National Gallery. Vernon acquired his wealth by supplying horses to the British Army.

The artist JMW Turner left the Gallery the entire contents of his studio, and further important purchases were made by the next director, Sir Frederick Burton.

Other large bequests were made in the early 20th century, notably from Dr. Ludwig Mond.  Mond left 42 Italian renaissance oil paintings, while Australian collector George Salting in 1910, Austen Layard, another important collector, also donated paintings to the Museum. 

In 1917, Sir Hugh Lane, an Anglo-Irish art dealer specializing in French Impressionist paintings, made a considerable contribution.

What are Famous Oil Paintings in the National Gallery?

The National Gallery holds a relatively small but wide-ranging collection of significant artworks.

Paintings by Vermeer include A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal, and van Gogh flower paintings include Long Grass with Butterflies and Sunflowers 1889.

One of the greatest romantic paintings of all time is Jan van Eyck’s Marriage of the Arnolfini. This painting has been in the National Gallery collection since 1842, when it was purchased for 600 guineas.

Nude paintings include Cezanne’s Les Grandes Baigneuses and Velazquez’s famous nude art, The Toilet of Venus, also known as Venus at her Mirror, and the Rokeby Venus.

Pierre August Renoir and several Monet paintings including The Thames at Westminster, represent Impressionist oil paintings on view in the permanent collection.

Now you can buy art reproductions on canvas of any painting currently held in the National Gallery of Art Museum.