Knowra National Gallery, London National Gallery, London The National Gallery is a public art museum in Trafalgar Square, London, housing a collection of paintings from the Western European tradition, including the Arnolfini Portrait.
Arnolfini Portrait : Jan van Eyck’s 1434 oil painting depicts a couple in a domestic interior. This celebrated work is among the National Gallery’s defining collection pieces.
John Julius Angerstein : A London merchant, art collector, and underwriter whose paintings formed the basis of the National Gallery’s first collection. The government purchased his collection in 1824 to establish the museum.
Art conservation and restoration : The practices of examining, stabilizing, and repairing artworks while preserving their historical evidence. Specialists use these methods to care for paintings in the collection.
Public art museum : An art museum established to provide public access to works held for collective benefit. The Gallery helped establish the idea of a publicly accessible national art collection in Britain.
Trafalgar Square : A public square in central London, created in the nineteenth century and surrounded by major landmarks. The National Gallery’s prominent address places it within this civic and ceremonial space.
House of Commons : The elected chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Its 1824 vote authorized the purchase that led to the Gallery’s founding.
Art exhibition : A public presentation of artworks arranged around a subject, artist, period, or collection. Temporary exhibitions let the Gallery interpret works beyond its permanent displays.
British Museum : A public museum in London devoted to human history, art, and culture. Its earlier public role offered a model and institutional precedent for the National Gallery.
Western painting : A tradition of painting that developed across Europe and later the Americas. The museum’s collection is organized around paintings from this broad tradition.
William Wilkins : An English architect known for the design of the National Gallery’s Trafalgar Square building. His design gave the museum its first purpose-built home in the square.
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