The National Gallery will reopen its doors and start to welcome back visitors on Wednesday 2 December.
A side-effect of November’s Covid lockdown was the temporary closure of the National Gallery’s universally acclaimed exhibition exploring the work of Artemisia Gentileschi (until 24 January 2021, admission charge). In order to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to experience safely the ‘show of the season’ (The Daily Telegraph) Artemisia will be open for an extra 4 hours daily – opening at 9am and closing at 9pm, Monday to Sunday.
The National Gallery will also present new works from the 2020 National Gallery Artist in Residence: Rosalind Nashashibi. With subjects ranging from Shakespeare to Ingrid Bergman, An Overflow of Passion and Sentiment presents four new paintings of varying sizes interspersed among the Gallery’s 17th-century Spanish paintings in Room 30. Nashashibi’s artistic intervention responds to the passion and emotional drama in works by Velázquez, Ribera, Murillo and Zurbarán that hang nearby. The display (until 21 February 2021, admission free) is part of a body of work that Nashashibi, a filmmaker and painter, has produced during her residency.
Meanwhile in the Sunley Room, the National Gallery opens an exhibition showcasing artworks by primary school children from across the UK in the 25th annual Take One Picture exhibition (until 31 January 2021, admission free). Each year the Gallery invites primary schools nationwide to focus on one of its paintings and respond creatively to its themes, subject matter, historical context, or composition. With the aim of promoting the visual arts across the curriculum and inspiring a lifelong love of art, this year the National Gallery picked Men of the Docks (1912) by George Bellows (1882–1925) as the source of inspiration.
A new immersive digital experience inspired by Jan Gossaert’s 16th-century masterpiece The Adoration of the Kings will open in Room 1 on 9 December (until 28 February 2021, admission free). Sensing the Unseen: Step into Gossaert’s ‘Adoration’ will show one of the Gallery’s most popular pictures as never before and is designed so that visitors can still socially distance as they enjoy the immersive experience.
As before the November lockdown, all visits to the National Gallery need to be booked online and in advance. Entrance is via the Sainsbury Wing Entrance and exit through the Getty Entrance; there are two-metre social distancing measures in place throughout the Gallery. We are also still operating the three one-way art routes to guide you through different areas of the collection – you will still see the paintings you know and love as you are taken through the Gallery, with opportunities to choose which art journey your visit will take.
You can download our online map ahead of your visit or view it on your smart phone, and visitors can access extensive information on each painting through the Gallery website. When walking through the art routes you can also get extra information by downloading the Smartify app for free and use your phone to scan the paintings.
For those people unable to see the nation’s paintings in person, the National Gallery remains open online bringing the nation’s art to the nation’s homes with a new programme of online events, films and features that you can enjoy wherever you are.
More information and book tickets at nationalgallery.org.uk
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