National Gallery

There are few cities that can realistically describe themselves as global cultural epicenters. To lay claim to a title such as that, a city needs to have demonstrated an appetite and a productivity for the finest arts – at least for a few from music, painting, drama, sculpture and dance, among others. London, with its endless capacity for these cultural standbys, has been a cultural epicenter for as long as there has been worldwide communication. People will flock to London to hear the next big thing musically, actors will go there to try their luck in film or on stage. And in the world of modern art, London is very much a cultural standby.

With the numerous galleries dotted around the city London must be seen as it is – a city for lovers of fine art. And as home to the National Gallery of the United Kingdom, it houses some of the most culturally important pieces in the world, by some of the most unforgettable painters. All of the grand masters of painting have at least one painting exhibited here, in an overall collection to rival Paris’s Louvre, New York’s Guggenheim or anywhere else. A visit to the National Gallery is absolutely indispensable for any art lover visiting London. Although its collection may be smaller in comparison with a great many other galleries, and most of the national galleries in Europe, the National Gallery can boast a huge hit rate of major works among that smaller collection. There may even be competing, sometimes larger galleries in the UK, such as the Tate Gallery, but the National is still a huge draw. Why is this? Well, the fact that it contains major works from the likes of da Vinci, Cezanne, Constable and Botticelli cannot hurt. The fact that all of these works are visible for free is yet another drawing point. These are artists who have produced some of the most important paintings since the medium was conceived, and a significant number of others with equal importance are exhibited in the National Gallery.

Da Vinci’s “Virgin of the Rocks” – one of his most well-known pieces, and referenced in the popular novel The da Vinci Code (as “Madonna of the Rocks”) is just one piece in the National Gallery that any other gallery would covet. Among others are John Constable’s “The Hay Wain” – arguably the most famous work by a British painter – and Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”. These pieces are on constant display and, given the free entry to the gallery, are items that you should not miss out on.

Although entry to the National Gallery is free, there are donation boxes within the museum and it is advisable to contribute something. Although publicly funded to an extent, the gallery will obviously benefit from further funding which a government simply cannot justify in its budget. There is no specific suggested donation, but why not just deposit however much you feel the experience was worth?