Browse our latest films and delve into the stories behind the world’s greatest paintings and artists from the 13th to early 20th centuries.
Our latest stories
How did this painting save its artist’s life?
Project Curator Maria Alambritis deciphers this intriguing painting by Parmigianino
Chemistry of colour
Gold
What is gold and what makes it so appealing to artists? Specialist Scientist and Organic Analyst Nelly von Aderkas and Frame Conservator Isabella Kocum tell us about the sparkly world of gold looking at Duccio's 'The Virgin and Child with Saints Dominic and Aurea'
Caravaggio’s ‘Boy bitten by a Lizard’
Picture of the month June 2025
Through a real-life recreation of Caravaggio’s ‘Boy bitten by a Lizard’, writer and performer Holly James Johnston explores some of the different interpretations this intriguing painting has inspired
Behind the scenes in Conservation: The Virgin and Child with Saints Louis and Margaret
Talented and highly original - but who painted it?
Visit our Conservation studio and find out about this fascinating and mysterious altarpiece and what its conservation did (or did not) reveal
Gainsborough's 'The Painter's Daughters with a Cat'
Picture of the Month May 2025
Discover how Thomas Gainsborough honed his craft through this portrait of his beloved daughters
14th-century Siena: The art that shaped the future
Why did the city and its artists bring about such change in painting form and style?
Filmed on location in Siena and in the Gallery, curators, local experts and artists introduce us to the artists and their exquisite works
Why do the colours of Jan Toorop's 'High Tide' remind us so much of Van Gogh?
Curatorial Fellow Sterre Overmars finds out why this painting is so reminiscent of works by Vincent van Gogh
Savoldo's 'Mary Magdalene'
Picture of the month April 2025
Look beyond the dazzling silver shawl to discover the identity of this enigmatic woman
Restoring Paolo Ucello's 'Battle of San Romano'
Why should we not take Uccello's 'Battle of San Romano' at face value?
Join Conservator Paul Ackroyd and Curator Imogen Tedbury as they chat over the question.
The Triumph of Art: Jeremy Deller and Mary Beard in conversation
Watch artist Jeremy Deller and classicist Mary Beard discuss the act of commemoration
Unexpected views
Jesse Jones on Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo's 'Mary Magdalene'
Jesse Jones discusses Savoldo's enigmatic painting in the light of her own expanded cinema practice
Delaroche's 'The Execution of Lady Jane Grey'
Picture of the month March 2025
What links a female sculptor to this popular scene from British history?
Why did Cezanne change his mind when painting ‘Bathers’?
Seeing ‘Bathers’ without its frame, raises both insights and questions about this large scale work from the end of Cezanne’s career.
Monet's 'Bathers at La Grenouillère'
Picture of the month February 2025
What do schoolchildren think of Monet’s ‘Bathers at La Grenouillère’, and what do they want to know?
Unexpected views
Ed Fornieles on Titian's 'Bacchus and Ariadne’
The interdisciplinary artist talks about how and why Titian's painting has meaning for him today.
Fiona Douglas-Home: The first Photographic Archivist at the National Gallery
From listening to Myra Hess during the Second World War to working in the Photographic Department and marrying a colleague, she has woven the Gallery into the fabric of her life.
Behind the scenes in Conservation: Nicolas Poussin: The painter's painter
Why is this such an important painting in Nicolas Poussin's career?
Visit our Conservation studio and find out about the painting and what its conservation revealed.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder's 'The Adoration of the Kings'
Picture of the month January 2025
Delve into this sacred moment, filled with curious characters
Paintings popping up in culture
10 times the Gallery and its collection have popped up in culture
Isn't that a National Gallery painting? Find out which works have appeared in culture, from TV shows to album covers.
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Restoring rays of light and angels' wings in ‘The Nativity at Night’
Conservator Jill Dunkerton tells us about the meticulous conservation of one of our favourite nativity scenes.
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Painting with wax? Restoring Joshua Reynolds’s portrait of the Earl and Countess of Ely
Curators and conservators explain why Reynolds's marriage portrait presented such a challenging conservation project.
Unexpected views
Dexter Dalwood
Dexter Dalwood talks about his relationship to English painting and its history.
Uncovering the secrets underneath Orazio’s ‘Finding of Moses’
Track the journey that Orazio Gentileschi's epic painting ‘The Finding of Moses’ went on in the Gallery's Conservation studio.
Ring's 'Road in the Village of Baldersbrønde (Winter Day)'
Picture of the month December 2024
Step into a snowy scene with Gallery Educator Bethan Durie
Why do artists paint young women looking into mirrors?
Associate Curator Sarah Herring explores the theme of young women looking into mirrors in art.
Unexpected views
Katrina Palmer, National Gallery Artist in Residence 2024
Katrina Palmer shares her interest in the visible and invisible activities that take place in the Gallery.
Holbein's 'Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan'
Picture of the month November 2024
Researcher Hannah Rogers travels back in time to our 'Picture of the month' from November 1943, and tells the story of how the series started during the Second World War
Liss's 'Judith in the Tent of Holofernes'
Michael Ohajuru takes a closer look at this violent scene
Claude's 'Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba'
Picture of the month October 2024
Melissa Baksh shares her thoughts on depictions of the Queen of Sheba in artworks throughout history
The Director's favourite paintings
Throughout the month of September, we are celebrating our Membership scheme’s 10th Anniversary. To mark this moment we asked our Director, Gabriele Finaldi, to select 10 of his favourite paintings from an unmatched collection of over 2,400 works.
Richard Wilson's 'The Valley of the Dee, with Chester in the Distance'
Picture of the month September 2024
Curator Mary McMahon and Conservation Fellow Maria Carolina Peña-Mariño discuss the challenge of restoring Richard Wilson's painting 'The Valley of the Dee, with Chester in the Distance'
Seeing Caravaggio in a new light
Anne Stewart, Curator of Art at Ulster Museum explores Caravaggio's use of light in his paintings.
Henri Rousseau's 'Surprised!'
Picture of the month August 2024
Find out what primary school children made of this year's Take One Picture painting.
How a Canaletto painting found refuge in Wales
The National Library of Wales welcomes back Canaletto’s masterpiece 'The Stonemason’s Yard' after having taken refuge there over 80 years ago.
Artemisia Gentileschi in the mirror
Artist Jesse Jones discusses her response to Artemisia Gentileschi’s ‘Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria’.
The Triumph of Art: Ed Hall in conversation
Celebrated banner maker Ed Hall in conversation with Imogen Tedbury, our Curator of Italian Paintings before 1500
![[Re]curated: Lucian Freud - The Artist’s Eye](/media/rfypr0mm/freud-artist-s-eye-thumbnail.jpg?rmode=crop&width=800&height=800&quality=85)
[Re]curated: Lucian Freud - The Artist’s Eye
Step back in time to 1987 and experience ‘The Artist’s Eye’ – an exhibition personally curated by artist Lucian Freud – through a virtual recreation.
Unexpected views
Bob and Roberta Smith on Turner's 'Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway'
Bob and Roberta Smith talks about his, and his artist father's, love of both Turner and of the Great Western Railway.
Why did Rosa Bonheur hide herself in this painting?
Find out about the trailblazing artist behind 'The Horse Fair'
Berthe Morisot's 'Summer's Day'
Picture of the month July 2024
Take in the sunshine of Paris's Bois de Boulogne with Morisot's summer scene
Unexpected views
Rana Begum on Turner's, 'Ulysses deriding Polyphemus - Homer's Odyssey'
Rana Begum relates to ideas and themes in Turner's mythical scene
Canaletto's 'London: Interior of the Rotunda at Ranelagh'
Picture of the month June 2024
Find out how Canaletto has inspired contemporary jewellery and garden designers.
Unexpected views
Alexis Teplin on Paul Cezanne’s 'Hillside in Provence'
Alexis Teplin talks about her work and Paul Cezanne’s 'Hillside in Provence'
What makes 'The Wilton Diptych' so unique?
Curator Emma Capron and Conservator Britta New, discuss the puzzling work behind 'The Wilton Diptych' which makes it one of the most intriguing artworks in the world.
Why did Queen Charlotte not like this portrait of herself?
Dear gentle reader, we note that Queen Charlotte despised this portrait of herself. As Bridgerton returns to our screens with season three, pray watch curator Jon King as he recounts the story behind this portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence.
Unexpected views
Sharon Walters on Francisco de Zurbarán's 'Saint Margaret of Antioch'
Artist Sharon Walters talks about her work with portraiture and images of women in relation to Francisco de Zurbarán's 'Saint Margaret of Antioch'
Piero della Francesca's 'The Baptism of Christ'
Picture of the month May 2024
In celebration of our 200th birthday, Director Gabriele Finaldi has picked one of his favourite works in the collection.
Chemistry of colour
Ultramarine
Follow the journey of one of the most celebrated and sought-after pigments in art.
Behind the scenes in Conservation
Britta New shows how science and new technology improve our understanding of the changes that were made to Rubens's 'Judgement of Paris' over its lifetime.
Michelangelo's 'The Entombment'
Picture of the month April 2024
Why would Michelangelo leave a work unfinished? Courses and Events Programmer Caroline Miller and Gallery Educator Bethan Durie investigate with a close look at 'The Entombment'
Unexpected views
Jananne Al-Ani on Egbert van der Poel's 'A View of Delft after the Explosion of 1654'
Artist Jananne Al-Ani talks about the interesting parallels she found between this small painting, a relatively new find for her in the collection, and her own research
Is there engineering in art?
Rob Bell from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers asks the question is there engineering in art?
There may be art in engineering but is there engineering in art? Rob looks for the answer in Turner's 'Rain, Steam and Speed' and 'Dutch Boats in a Gale'
Alexandrine-Emilie Brongniart
Picture of the month March 2024
In celebration of Women’s History Month, we take a closer look at a charming portrait by one of the most popular female artists in the collection, Elisabeth Louise Vigée le Brun
The Linbury Lecture 2023
Annabelle Selldorf
Annabelle Selldorf, the founding principal of New York City-based Selldorf Architects delivers the 2023 lecture, exploring the relationship of architecture to art in museum settings
The myth and image of Narcissus
Picture of the month February 2024
Narcissus's tale of tragic beauty and forbidden desire has long inspired artists. Through images from the Renaissance to today, Holly James Johnston explores how the myth has particularly resonated with queer artistic and literary circles
Why is this picture painted in black and white?
Dr Francesca Whitlum-Cooper asks what are we really looking at here? What clues lie in this black and white picture? Could this painting be pretending to be something else?
Meindert Hobbema's 'The Avenue at Middelharnis'
Picture of the month January 2024
Start the year with a mindful look at this Dutch landscape, guided by Lucia van der Drift
Artists on Artists
Volker Hermes and Peter Brathwaite
Artists Peter Brathwaite and Volker Hermes on Frans Hals, creating character, and the 'Joan Collins of Haarlem'
Behind the scenes in Conservation
A closer look at Pesellino
Marvel at Pesellino's mastery of gold and silver in the newly restored 'Story of David' panels and follow the clues that suggest the panels were owned by the Medici family
Fra Filippo Lippi's 'The Annunciation'
Picture of the month December 2023
Curatorial Fellow Nicholas Flory takes a look at the details in Lippi's painting of the Archangel Gabriel with Mary – the painting voted your picture of the month
Pauline Matthews' legacy gift
Memories of the Gallery and Manod
Suzanne Bosman tells the story of Pauline Matthews OBE, whose father helped to secure the safety of the Gallery’s paintings during the Second World War
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Behind the scenes
Find out what happens behind closed doors in this series of films that look at how we care for and conserve our paintings.
Van Gogh
Witness the landscapes that so inspired Van Gogh, discover the secrets behind his palette, and find out what ‘Heartstopper’ actors Nima Taleghani and Fisayo Akinade had to say about his work.
Women artists in the collection
Trailblazers and rule-breakers; discover some of the female artists in the collection including Artemisia Gentileschi, Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun and Rosa Bonheur.
One painting, many voices
From wondering if tigers go to the dentist to pondering why Mrs Andrews looks unamused, find out how one painting can mean very different things to different people.
See the bigger picture
Read and watch our highlight series below or browse our archive of features and films
Make and create
Get stuck in with online art tutorials you can follow at home.
[Re]curated
‘The Artist’s Eye’ was a series of exhibitions staged at the National Gallery between 1975 to 1987, curated by contemporary artists. Our [Re]curated films use digital technology to bring these exhibitions to life to explore and reflect on them.
5-minute meditation
Let go of thoughts of the past and worries for the future with a mindful look at one painting.
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