Issued: July 2009
The re-launched www.nationalgallery.org.uk is the first major gallery website to offer a full-screen zoom facility for its entire collection. Users can now examine every National Gallery masterpiece in outstanding detail, effortlessly sweep across digital canvases and zoom into minute details of their choosing.
Also for the first time, users can now check the up-to-date locations of their favorite works of art prior to visiting. Using the Gallery’s own collection database, the new website updates the layout of the collection twice daily. Users can explore the paintings room-by-room using an interactive floorplan, allowing them to follow the narrative of the hang, as well as access new research material for specific works of art.
A new editorial approach enables a wide range of users, from novices to academic researchers, to access different layers of content targeted to their specific needs. Users can now search by artist and period or focus on loans and acquisitions. For those less familiar with the Gallery there is a selection of 30 ‘must-see’ paintings or the option of a random search (‘take a chance’).
The National Gallery is a world leader in art-historical and scientific research into Old Master paintings. The new website provides an indispensable tool to engage with this pioneering work. A dedicated research section will be updated with new findings, catalogue entries and detailed information about the care of the collection by the Gallery’s leading Scientific and Conservation Departments.
For the best visual experience, the site has been designed to take advantage of the new generation of larger computer screens. Visitors can now access over 12,000 images, 18 hours of audio and at least 200 videos. The site has also been optimised to enable visitors to find specific content with greater ease through search engines like Google, including every painting in the collection.
The National Gallery offers a rich program of events throughout the year. A new interactive calendar will now enable visitors to conveniently pin-point full details on upcoming talks, courses and workshops.
Charlotte Sexton, Head of New Media, said
"The National Gallery’s new website raises the bar for cultural websites. It offers exceptional access to this world-class collection of Western European paintings and to our expert knowledge about them."
For further press information please contact:
Nicola Jeffs at eloise.maxwell@ng-london.org.uk or 020 7747 2885
For public information call 020 7747 2885, or visit the collection online
Notes to Editors
Site design – Bureau for Visual Affairs; Providers of the underlying content management system - Box UK