A tour of the National Gallery & The National Portrait Gallery

The British collection of Western European paintings includes works of virtually all famous schools from the exquisite 14th century Wilton Diptych and works by da Vinci to one of the celebrated Sunflowers by Van Gogh. It is housed at the National Gallery, founded in 1824 after the government bought 38 pictures from the banker and collector John Julius Angerstein, whose mother was reputedly a Russian empress! Whether your particular interest is a Flemish painting of the Golden Age, English landscape painting or Impressionism, you will find plenty to sate your appetite here.

This tour guides you through centuries of artistic excellence stopping by some of the “jewels in the crown” in order to learn about their origin and relevance. All too frequently, the reason we call some artworks ‘masterpieces’ is that they and their creator broke with established norms, were politically incorrect or considered too provocative by some. This tour will help you put paintings in context: historically, artistically and socially. Manet’s art was censored, Hogarth’s was humorous and satirical, a work by Velazquez was slashed by an angry visitor and Turner’s art has featured in a recent Bond movie! Hear of details that make the paintings reveal another world; enjoy a tour that is both engaging and enlightening, revealing why great art continues to fascinate. We end with some of the ‘stars’ of the National Portrait Gallery where the sitters themselves sometimes challenged the norms; not least some of the so-called ‘Rebel Women’!