Read and watch stories inspired by our paintings

Claude's 'Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba': Picture of the month October 2024

There are many representations of the Queen of Sheba in art, whether in 15th-century manuscripts, Renaissance paintings or contemporary artworks, but what does the way she is presented tell us about attitudes towards Black women at the time? Melissa Baksh shares her thoughts on the depiction of the Queen of Sheba in our Claude painting, as well as other artworks throughout history.

By Melissa Baksh

Video (part of a series)

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'

Video (part of a series)

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.

Video (part of a series)

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

Video (part of a series)

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

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

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.

Video (part of a series)

Unexpected views: Alexis Teplin on Paul Cezanne’s 'Hillside in Provence'

Alexis Teplin talks about her work and Paul Cezanne’s 'Hillside in Provence'

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

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.

Video (part of a series)

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.

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 5, key stage 4 and key stage 3

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'

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

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.

Video (part of a series)

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'

Video (part of a series)

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

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

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'

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 5, key stage 4 and key stage 3

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

By Lily Middleton

Article (part of a series)

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

By Holly James Johnston

Video (part of a series)

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?

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 5, key stage 4 and key stage 3

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

By Lucia van der Drift

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 5

Artists on Artists

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

Video (part of a series)

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

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 5

Bermejo's 'Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil': Picture of the month November 2023

Curator Daniel Sobrino Ralston tells us why Bermejo's late Gothic-demon was the stuff of nightmares in its day

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Linked Lives: A Poet, An Abolitionist and An Aristocrat : How did we trace these portraits in London to a poet in New Orleans?

Poet Madeleine Le Cesne discovers the astonishing story of her family’s history at two neighbouring London galleries.

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

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

Article, suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Bermejo's 'Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil': Picture of the month November 2023

Curator Daniel Sobrino Ralston tells us why Bermejo's late Gothic-demon was the stuff of nightmares in its day

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Contemporary artists at the National Gallery

Explore how some of the most innovative artists are connected with the nation's collection.

Unexpected views: Eddie Otchere on Hendrick ter Brugghen's 'The Concert'

A new take on the painting from photographer, educator and curator Eddie Otchere that draws on his interest in hip hop and photography.

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Frans Hals: Curators' highlights

Take a peek at some of the highlights in 'The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Frans Hals', with curators Bart Cornelis and Charlotte Wytema

Video, suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Rubens's 'Roman Triumph' : Picture of the month October 2023

Student and Articulation alumna Catherine Ahura gives her personal response to Rubens’s 'Roman Triumph'

By Catherine Ahura

Article (part of a series), suitable for key stage 5

Behind the scenes in Conservation: Reuniting 400-year-old marriage portraits

See how the team reunited Frans Hals's portraits of a husband and wife, after two centuries of being apart

Video (part of a series)

How Frans Hals transformed portraiture

Curator Bart Cornelis asks, 'what makes Hals one of the greatest portrait painters in history?'

Video, suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Ferdinand Hodler's 'Kien Valley with the Bluemlisalp Massif': Picture of the month September 2023

Curator Christopher Riopelle takes a closer look at Hodler's vibrant Swiss landscape – the painting voted your picture of the month

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 5

Behind the scenes in Conservation: Solving the mystery of a Frans Hals portrait

How did the discovery of a monster and skull hidden beneath this painting reveal the identity of the sitter?

Video (part of a series)

Paula Rego's 'Crivelli's Garden': Picture of the month August 2023

Former National Gallery Educator Ailsa Bhattacharya, and Lecturer Lizzie Perrotte tell us what it was like sitting for Paula Rego's mural 'Crivelli's Garden'

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 5

Behind the Scenes: Refurbishing Room 29

Find out how Room 29 has been transformed by a major refurbishment, made possible through the generous support of the Wolfson Foundation.

Video (part of a series)

Jazz musician Arun Ghosh on Zurbarán's Saint Francis : Picture of the month July 2023

Award-winning clarinettist and composer Arun Ghosh reveals how he's taken peace and inspiration from Saint Francis, with curator Joost Joustra

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 5

Unexpected views: Céline Condorelli on Pontormo's 'Joseph with Jacob in Egypt'

Céline Condorelli, our Artist in Residence 2023, explores the relevance of Pontormo's painting and its fantasy architectural setting to her own work.

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Sensory storytelling with Constable's 'Cornfield'

See how 'The Cornfield' was brought to life through sensory storytelling, when the painting made a surprise visit to a Tyneside shopping centre

Video, suitable for key stage 1, key stage 2, key stage 3 and key stage 4

Saint Francis of Assisi: Highlights tour

Glimpse inside our 'Saint Francis of Assisi' exhibition with curators Director Gabriele Finaldi and Dr Joost Joustra

Video, Exhibition

Is Constable's 'Cornfield' a real or imagined landscape?

Dr Mary McMahon, our Bernays Curatorial Fellow of British Paintings, asks whether Constable's 'The Cornfield' is too good to be true. Does this lane and stream exist or is this rural idyll exactly that?

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 5, key stage 4 and key stage 3

'For Philip II, King of Spain': A new poem by Maz Hedgehog : Picture of the month June 2023

Maz Hedgehog performs a new poem responding to Titian's 'Diana and Callisto', and discusses the complex relationship between artists and their patrons, with Fiona Alderton

By Maz Hedgehog

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 5

Did you know? : Facts you might not know from the National Gallery’s history

Read about the footballs, patrol dogs and slate mines that have made us what we are at 199 years old.

Article, suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Behind the scenes in Conservation: Cleaning Paolo Uccello's 'The Battle of San Romano'

Restorer Paul Ackroyd talks us through some of the challenges he's encountered while working with Uccello's 15th-century battlefield scene

Video (part of a series)

A mindful look at the Ugly Duchess : Picture of the month May 2023

Take a slow look at the 'Ugly Duchess', with kindness and curiosity, guided by mindfulness practitioner Lucia van der Drift

By Lucia van der Drift

Video (part of a series)

Pissarro's 'Boulevard Montmartre at Night': Picture of the month April 2023

As chosen by you, Belle Smith explores Pissarro's one-of-a-kind luminous night scene

Article (part of a series)

Behind the scenes in Conservation: The Ugly Duchess

Britta New reveals surprising discoveries about 'The Ugly Duchess' and how the painting links Leonardo da Vinci to 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'

Video (part of a series)

Literally raising 'The Raising of Lazarus': Watch as art handlers move one of our largest paintings

Go behind the scenes as our art handlers have the task of moving and rehanging Sebastiano's huge 'Raising of Lazarus'

Video, suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

A change of scene: See your favourite paintings in a new light

Find out how we've redisplayed the collection's Renaissance paintings across the Gallery while the Sainsbury Wing is closed.

Video, suitable for key stage 5, key stage 4 and key stage 3

How do you tell the difference between a heroine and a femme fatale?: And why could the woman in this painting be either Judith or Salome?

Dr Maria Alambritis puts the case for both potential subjects of this painting

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Unexpected views: Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard

Artists and filmmakers Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard explore the cinematic qualities of Paul Delaroche’s ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey’

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Bridget Riley's 'Messengers': Picture of the month March 2023

For Women's History Month, Fiona Alderton looks at a surprising painting by one of our most celebrated female artists

By Fiona Alderton

Video (part of a series)

Room 14: One room, 26 paintings : Behind the scenes of an Early Renaissance rehang

Curator Laura Llewellyn works with art handlers to arrange and hang a selection of 15th-century Italian paintings in Room 14

Video, suitable for key stage 5 and key stage 4

Guardi's 'Venice': Picture of the month February 2023

Cultural historian and Italian teacher Rachel Haworth pictures life in Guardi’s Venetian scene

By Rachel Haworth

Article (part of a series)

Lucian Freud and Corot's 'Italian Woman' : Picture of the month January 2023

Art historian Isaac Nugent explores Lucian Freud’s connection to Corot’s ‘Italian Woman’

By Isaac Nugent

Article (part of a series)

Unexpected views: Alketa Xhafa Mripa on Artemisia Gentileschi's self portrait

Conceptual artist Alketa Xhafa Mripa talks to Rev Dr Ayla Lepine about Artemisia's 'Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria' in relation to the art and religion research theme, Crossing Borders

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Unexpected views: Chantal Joffe on Titian's 'Diana and Callisto'

Contemporary painter Chantal Joffe describes her first encounter with Titian’s ‘Diana and Callisto’, relating her own experience of the figures it contains to those of Lucian Freud

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Why does this painting make some people cry?: and what does this tell us about transcendence?

Revd Dr Ayla Lepine, curator of the virtual exhibition 'Fruits of the Spirit: Art from the Heart' and former Ahmanson Research Associate Curator in Art and Religion at the National Gallery, explores the theme of peace through Monet's 'Water-Lilies'

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Restoring Piero della Francesca's 'The Nativity'

Following its three-year conservation treatment, Jill Dunkerton reveals some surprising discoveries about Piero della Francesca’s stunning ‘Nativity’

Video (part of a series)

Lippi's 'Annunciation' : Picture of the month December 2022

Anna Murray and Harriet O’Neill explore the theme of light in Lippi’s ‘Annunciation’ – as voted for by you

Article (part of a series)

Unexpected views: Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings

Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings explore Uccello's 'The Battle of San Romano'

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Why it takes two days to move a 500-year-old altarpiece: Behind the scenes

Find out, in a rare chance to see our art handlers at work before the Gallery opens, how the team moves a huge, very heavy, 500-year-old altarpiece

Video, suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Unexpected views: Amie Siegel on Stubbs's 'Whistlejacket'

Amie Siegel tells us about her relationship with the painting and its influence on a recent work

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Freud's paintings of queer and marginalised bodies

Art historian Gregory Salter considers Lucian Freud’s paintings of naked bodies in the age of Section 28, the early years of HIV AIDS, and preoccupations about class and gender

Poet Yomi Ṣode on Caravaggio : Picture of the month November 2022

Award-winning poet Yomi Ṣode responds to Caravaggio's 'Supper at Emmaus', for November’s picture of the month

Video (part of a series)

A closer look at Orazio Gentileschi's 'The Finding of Moses'

See this painting through the eyes of four contributors: a priest, a rabbi, a curator and an artist

Unexpected views: Liz Johnson Artur on Degas's 'Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando'

Liz Johnson Artur explores the painting's innovative composition and perspective

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

A close look at three paintings by Freud

Curator Paloma Alarcó reveals how Lucian Freud's paintings reflect his practice – from paint-splattered floorboards to an interest in zoology

Why do artists sign their works of art?: and what can this tell us about the artist and their paintings?

Sarah Herring, Associate Curator of Post-1800 Paintings, looks at Klimt’s signature and what it reveals about the influences on his art and the trends of the time

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Picture of the month: October 2022: Noli me Tangere

Discover the painting that started our 'Picture of the month' tradition during the Second World War

Article (part of a series)

Unexpected views: Andrew Grassie on Piero della Francesca's  'Baptism of Christ'

Artist Andrew Grassie discusses what it is about Piero's painting that stays relevant to his process and his work

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Vernet's 'Shipwreck in Stormy Seas': Picture of the month September 2022

Storyteller Fiona Alderton sets the scene of Vernet's dramatic seascape

By Fiona Alderton

Article (part of a series)

Why is this little angel covered in bees?: and what does this tell us about myths and their meanings?

Watch as Charlotte Wytema, our Simon Sainsbury Curatorial Fellow, reveals the lesson that underlies this intriguing painting.

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Moroni's 'La Dama in Rosso' : Picture of the month August 2022

Curatorial Trainees Emma Meehan and Chloe Church examine Moroni's mysterious ‘La Dama in Rosso’ – the painting voted for by you

By Chloe Church and Emma Meehan

Article (part of a series)

Recreating Saint Sebastian

Holly James Johnston explores Saint Sebastian's resonance within the queer community and recreates Cima's 'Saint Sebastian' in drag

By Holly James Johnston

Article, suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Murillo's 'Infant Saint John with the Lamb': Picture of the month July 2022

Sixth form student and Articulation alumna Nicole Conteh explores Murillo’s tender portrayal of a young Saint John

By Nicole Conteh

Article (part of a series)

Why is there someone drawing graffiti inside the church?: and what does this tell us about how artists use their imagination when painting everyday life?

Join Justine Rinnooy Kan, our Dorset Curatorial Fellow, as she looks at some behaviour we wouldn't expect to see inside a church.

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Behind the scenes in Conservation: How we uncovered the secrets of the Gallery’s oldest painting

Learn about the surprising discoveries which were revealed during the restoration of Margarito d’Arezzo’s 'Virgin and Child Enthroned'

Video (part of a series)

Seurat's 'Bathers at Asnières': Picture of the month May 2022

Christina Bradstreet explores the theme of loneliness in Seurat’s ‘Bathers at Asnières’ for Mental Health Awareness Week

By Dr Christina Bradstreet

Article (part of a series)

Behind the scenes in Conservation: A sky of 500-year-old fingerprints

Larry Keith retouches a recently repaired panel painting by Piero di Cosimo, and reveals the marks this Renaissance artist left in his work

Video (part of a series)

Why does this lady have a fly on her head?: and what can this tell us about the tricks artists play?

Dr Francesca Whitlum-Cooper, The Myojin-Nadar Associate Curator of Paintings 1600–1800, investigates the unusual addition to 'Portrait of a Women from the Hofer Family'.

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Unexpected views: Tom Lovelace on Georges Seurat's ' Bathers at Asnières'

Artist Tom Lovelace discusses his continuing affinity with Seurat's 'Bathers at  Asnières', the inspiration for his reflective performance 'Bathers' at the Gallery.

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Curator's introduction : Gainsborough's Blue Boy

Christine Riding, the Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department, introduces the exhibition in this recorded live talk

Pissarro's 'The Avenue, Sydenham': Picture of the month April 2022

Fiona Alderton imagines walking through this spring scene by Pissarro – as voted for by you

By Fiona Alderton

Article (part of a series)

Behind the scenes in Conservation: Cleaning Constable's 'The Hay Wain'

Paul Ackroyd reveals some of 'The Hay Wain's' hidden details which have been brought to life through cleaning

Video (part of a series)

The art of fashion

From the London catwalk to the ballrooms of Bridgerton, see how fine art has inspired high fashion

Video, suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Artist's introduction: Kehinde Wiley at the National Gallery: The Prelude

Kehinde Wiley introduces his exhibition at the Gallery and explains why he thinks 'paintings have to punch you in the gut'

The Linbury Lecture 2021: Joseph Koerner: Dürer's mobility

American art historian and filmmaker Joseph Koerner gives the 2021 Linbury Lecture on the occasion of The Credit Suisse Exhibition: 'Dürer's Journeys'

Curator's introduction : Kehinde Wiley at the National Gallery: The Prelude

Christine Riding, the Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department, introduces the exhibition in this recorded live talk

Behind the scenes in Conservation: Cleaning Reynolds' 'Captain Robert Orme'

Hayley Tomlinson reveals why paintings by Reynolds are notoriously difficult to clean

Video (part of a series)

Raphael's 'Garvagh Madonna': Picture of the month March 2022

For Women's History Month, Professor Hilary Fraser looks at Raphael’s tender portrait of the Madonna and Child with John the Baptist

By Hilary Fraser

Article (part of a series)

Jim Broadbent meets 'The Duke of Wellington'

Actor Jim Broadbent meets the co-star of his new film 'The Duke' for the first time

Interview, suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Gainsborough's 'Blue Boy': Picture of the month February 2022

Art historian Dan Vo looks at the queer history of Gainsborough's ‘Blue Boy’ for LGBTQ+ History Month

Article (part of a series)

Behind the scenes in Conservation: Displaying 'The Red Boy'

Follow the newly-cleaned 'Red Boy's' journey from the Conservation Studio to the Gallery walls

Video (part of a series)

Why is Gainsborough's 'Blue Boy' so famous?

100 years after leaving the UK, find out why 'The Blue Boy' remains one of the nation's favourites

Video, suitable for key stage 2, key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Bellows's 'Men of the Docks': Picture of the month January 2022

We start the year with George Bellows's icy scene of New York dockworkers

Article (part of a series)

10-minute talks: Tiepolo's 'Allegory with Venus and Time'

Letizia Treves, James and Sarah Sassoon Curator of Later 17th-Century Paintings looks up at Tiepolo's colourful ceiling painting

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Unexpected views: Zadie Xa and Benito Mayor Vallejo on Poussin's 'Adoration of the Golden Calf'

Contemporary artists Zadie Xa and Benito Mayor Vallejo discuss one of Poussin's greatest works with curator Priyesh Mistry

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Behind the scenes in Conservation: Restoring Piero della Francesca's 'Nativity'

Caroline Campbell and Jill Dunkerton discuss the conservation of Piero della Francesca's miraculous Christmas scene

Video (part of a series)

What can one colour tell us about a painting?

Our Conservation Fellow, Kendall Francis takes a closer look at indigo, a blue dye and pigment extracted from the leaves of plants, and how it is used and represented in paintings in our collection.

Video, suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Picture of the month: December 2021: A Scene on the Ice near a Town

By popular demand – Avercamp's festive scene has been voted your picture of the month

Article (part of a series)

Picture of the month: November 2021: The Four Times of Day: Evening

A hushed scene from the landscapes of Corot's memory

Article (part of a series)

10-minute talks: Murillo's 'Self Portrait'

CEEH Curatorial Fellow in Spanish Paintings Daniel Sobrino Ralston goes behind the frame

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

10-minute talks: Botticelli's 'Portrait of a Young Man'

Laura Llewellyn, Associate Curator of Renaissance Paintings, asks the question, is this anonymous person someone Botticelli knew or perhaps only imagined?

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Ali Cherri, the National Gallery Artist in Residence 2021

We spoke to Ali before his show to find out how and where he was finding inspiration for his project

Interview, Artist in Residence programme, suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Unexpected views: Hanna Tuulikki on Piero del Pollaiuolo's 'Apollo and Daphne'

Hanna shares some new and unconventional ways of looking at and interpreting the subject of this small but powerful painting.

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Picture of the month: October 2021: Peace and War

Who will win? Minerva or Mars? Wisdom or war?

Article (part of a series)

Unexpected views: Cécile B. Evans on Salvator Rosa's 'Witches at their Incantations'

Evans draws a comparison between the themes of their own work and those of Salvator Rosa with curator Daniel Herrmann

Interview (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Behind the scenes in Conservation: A first look at 'The Red Boy'

Paul Ackroyd introduces Lawrence's 'Red Boy' – a work so popular it was the first-ever painting to feature on a British postage stamp

Video (part of a series)

10-minute talks: Jan van Eyck's 'Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?)

Join Emma Capron as she wonders whether we can take this portrait at face value

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Picture of the month: September 2021: The Horse Fair

At a time when we would have been celebrating Pride in London, we look at the work of trailblazing artist Rosa Bonheur

Article (part of a series)

Behind the scenes in Conservation: Cleaning the 'lost altarpiece'

Britta New and Nelly von Aderkas discuss the cleaning of a Renaissance altarpiece that was hidden in an Italian wood store for many years

Video (part of a series)

Behind the scenes in Lincoln: Jan van Huysum Visits

Learn how the visit of 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase' to a food bank in Lincoln helped bring the local community together

Picture of the month: August 2021: The Avenue at Middelharnis

You voted for Hobbema's unusual, carefully composed landscape as your picture of the month

Article (part of a series)

Behind the scenes in Conservation: The unfashionable artist who inspired Van Gogh

Kristina Mandy discusses Adolphe Monticelli, an artist admired in his lifetime, who inspired Van Gogh's famous 'Sunflowers', but who later fell out of fashion

Video (part of a series)

10-minute talks: Anthony van Dyck's 'Equestrian Portrait of Charles I'

The muscular horse, the shiny armour, what's this portrait really saying and why?

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Picture of the month: July 2021: Wineglasses

This languid summer scene by Singer Sargent is not as informal as it first appears

Article (part of a series)

Behind the scenes in Conservation: Restoring an 'undisplayable' painting: Part two

Kendall Francis and Larry Keith discuss the restoration of a work with a 'snowstorm' of painting loss

Video (part of a series)

10-minute talks: Luca Giordano's 'Perseus turning Phineas and his Followers to Stone'

Letizia Treves explains why some characters in this huge painting look decidedly off colour

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

A closer look: Jan van Huysum's 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase'

See 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase' through the eyes of a florist, calligrapher, potter and ornithologist

Video, suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

One painting, many voices: Matejko's 'Copernicus'

Discover the painting described as Poland's national icon

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

Picture of the month: June 2021: The Mantelpiece (La Cheminée)

What does Vuillard’s mantelpiece reveal about the artist?

Article (part of a series)

Behind the scenes in Conservation: Restoring Botticelli's 'Adoration of the Kings': Part three

Jill Dunkerton and Marta Melchiorre ask, how can we identify Botticelli's hand from that of his assistant, Filippino Lippi's?

Video (part of a series)

Unexpected views: Andy Holden on Murillo's 'Self Portrait'

Take a journey through artist and musician Andy’s reflections on self image, illusion, meta-painting and cartoon realities... all in connection to Murillo’s 'Self Portrait'.

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 3, key stage 4 and key stage 5

10-minute talks: Jan van Huysum's 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase'

Lucy Chiswell gets her gardening gloves on for some time with van Huysum's flowers.

Video (part of a series), suitable for key stage 5

Picture of the month: May 2021: Late Afternoon in our Meadow

Pissarro's shimmering afternoon in the countryside has been voted your picture of the month

Article (part of a series)

Behind the scenes in Conservation: Restoring Botticelli's 'Adoration of the Kings': Part two

Watch Jill Dunkerton as she retouches a Renaissance masterpiece

Video (part of a series)

10-minute talks: Luca Signorelli's 'The Circumcision'

Joost Joustra tells us about Signorelli's striking and unusual altarpiece

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Sensing the Unseen: At home: An experimental, interactive experience designed for mobiles

Immerse yourself in the world of Gossaert’s masterpiece ‘The Adoration of the Kings’ and its awe-inspiring intricate detail

Picture of the month: April 2021: Venice: The Feast Day of Saint Roch

Canaletto's tribute to the saint who helped bring an end to the plague

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10-minute talks: Hieronymus Bosch's 'Christ Mocked'

Emma Capron looks at something a little different by Hieronymus Bosch: an episode from the Easter story, arranged in a striking new way.

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Unexpected views: Harold Offeh on Botticelli's 'Venus and Mars'

Offeh chats to curator Priyesh Mistry about Botticelli's iconic painting in relation to his own artistic practice.

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Behind the scenes in Conservation: Retouching Rubens's 'Het Steen'

After months of restoration, Larry Keith unveils the newly retouched 'Het Steen' in the Conservation Studio

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Picture of the month: March 2021: Stormy Landscape with Ruins on a Plain

A solitary walk through Georges Michel's brooding landscape

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Behind the scenes in Conservation: The Gallery during lockdown

Peek behind our closed doors, with Larry Keith

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The Linbury Lecture 2020: Salvatore Settis: Deeper thoughts

Eminent archaeologist and art historian Salvatore Settis delivers the 2020 Linbury Lecture, exploring some of the leading figures in art at the turn of 16th-century Venice

10-minute talks: Rembrandt's 'A Woman bathing in a Stream (Hendrickje Stoffels?)'

Could this be Rembrandt's lover and why did Rembrandt choose this setting? Bart Cornelis, Curator of Dutch and Flemish Paintings, offers some answers

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Reuniting Rubens's beloved landscapes

After centuries apart, two Rubens masterpieces will be brought back together. We go behind the scenes to find out more

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Picture of the month: February 2021: View of Oudewater

A slow look at this scene of everyday life in a small Dutch town

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10-minute talks: Cosimo Tura: A Muse (Calliope?)

Imogen Tedbury decodes Tura's mythical goddess

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Behind the scenes in Conservation: A structural repair of Rubens's 'Het Steen'

How will Britta New meet the challenge of repairing Rubens's fragile panel which has survived centuries' worth of restorations and one very severe frost?

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Behind the scenes in Conservation: Cleaning Rubens's 'Het Steen'

Find out what Larry Keith discovered when he removed 75 years’ worth of discoloured varnish from Rubens’s 'Het Steen'

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Artemisia in ballpoint pen: Gina Siciliano and Letizia Treves in conversation

Artist Gina Siciliano discusses her graphic novel 'I Know What I Am: The Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi' with curator of the Gallery’s 'Artemisia' exhibition, Letizia Treves

Picture of the month: January 2021: The Drunkard

Sorolla's penetrating but compassionate observation of drinkers in a Basque tavern

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10-minute talks: Gossaert's 'The Adoration of the Kings'

Susan Foister looks at Gossaert's vibrant masterpiece

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One painting, many voices: Bellows's 'Men of the Docks'

Can you spot the cupcake, jazzy jumper, and orange thingy? See 'Men of the Docks' through the eyes of schoolchildren

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Picture of the month: December 2020: Snow Scene at Argenteuil

Monet's scene of a Parisian suburb under snow has been voted your picture of the month

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Behind the scenes in Conservation : Restoring the Gallery's oldest painting

Kristina Mandy shows the steps involved in restoring a painting that is over 750-years-old

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5-minute meditation: Van Gogh's 'Wheatfield, with Cypresses'

Feel the mistral of Southern France in Van Gogh's rhythmic brushstrokes

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One painting, many voices: Velázquez's 'The Rokeby Venus'

Mysterious, forbidden, provocative... why does 'The Rokeby Venus' divide visitors?

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Picture of the month: November 2020: Insects with Common Hawthorn and Forget-Me-Not

Van Kessel the Elder's cabinet of curiosities has been voted your picture of the month

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A curated look: Drinking

Christopher Riopelle takes a look at paintings of drinking and conviviality in the last of our curators talks from home

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The National Gallery and London Philharmonic Orchestra concert - July 2020: Picking up the baton

With the Gallery closed to the public for the first time in its 196-year history, we collaborated with the London Philharmonic Orchestra to showcase art and music with a nod to Dame Myra Hess

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Picture of the month: October 2020: Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando

A soaring aerialist performs a magnificent feat but does this striking painting celebrate the performer or the painter himself?

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5-minute meditation: Gallen-Kallela's 'Lake Keitele'

Take a moment to soak in the serenity of this tranquil Finnish lake

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A curated look: Close up

Letizia Treves takes a closer look at some of our smaller paintings on copper

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Picture of the month: September 2020: Margate (?) from the Sea

Turner's animated sketch of sea and sky has been voted your picture of the month

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Make and create: Playing with water

Art ideas for little ones under 5

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A Cup of Water and a Rose

Francisco de Zurbarán

Picture of the month: August 2020: Poplars on the Epte

Voted your picture of the month: Monet's favourite view of poplars on a river in Normandy

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Make and create: Printing on fabric

Bethan demonstrates how fabric printing can be used to tell a story

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5-minute meditation: Bonington's 'An Estuary in Northern France'

Escape to the sandy bank of a quiet shore

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One painting, many voices: Titian's 'Bacchus and Ariadne'

Unforgettable, beautiful, perfect... Hear why people fall in love with Titian's 'Bacchus and Ariadne'

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A curated look: Beaches

Sarah Herring takes us to the seaside with paintings of the coast

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5-minute meditation: Bonington's 'An Estuary in Northern France'

Escape to the sandy bank of a quiet shore

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Dolphins and winged lions return as our largest room reopens

Find out more about Room 32's major renovation programme made possible through the generous support of Julia and Hans Rausing, after whom the gallery has been named

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Make and create: Making art together

Bethan explores the idea of collaboration, with a little help from her friends

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A curated look: Remembering

Priyesh Mistry reflects on paintings that pay tribute to and commemorate loved ones

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Picture of the month: July 2020: A Regatta on the Grand Canal

Canaletto's view of Venice's famous canal has been voted your picture of the month

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One painting, many voices: Holbein's 'The Ambassadors'

Grandiose. Monumental. Chas and Dave? Find out what people had to say about 'The Ambassadors'

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5-minute meditation: Bonheur's 'The Horse Fair'

Can you hear the thunder of hooves and smell the horse market?

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Make and create: Self portraits

Learn how to make self portraits using different techniques, with Bethan and Gus the cat

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A curated look: Angels

Joost Joustra decodes paintings of angels

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Picture of the month: June 2020: Self Portrait in a Straw Hat

Voted your picture of the month: Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun's intriguing self portrait

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One painting, many voices: Gainsborough's 'Mr and Mrs Andrews'

From Jeremy Vine to a parish priest, find out why Gainsborough's painting has intrigued people for centuries

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Gainsborough's daughters

A portrait of Gainsborough's daughter Margaret is reunited with pictures of her family

5-minute meditation: Redon's 'Ophelia among the Flowers'

Lose yourself in Redon's symphony of colour

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Make and create: Construct a still life

From humble pieces of fruit to epic tablescapes, watch how artist Nick Pace constructs still-life scenes from household items

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A look at paintings of doctors, healers, and carers in the collection

Explore how artists have painted healers throughout history, from biblical figures to eminent doctors who made groundbreaking discoveries

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10-minute talk from home: The home office

Step into Antonello da Messina's 'Saint Jerome in his Study'; a retreat of calm and solace

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Make and create: Drawing Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'

Learn how to take your pencil for a walk, and other ways of drawing nature, with Bethan Durie

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5-minute meditation: Turner's 'Rain, Steam, and Speed'

A slow look at Turner's painting of the Great Western Railway

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A curated look: A day in the countryside

Lucy Chiswell brings the outside in, with a look at paintings of the outdoors

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Make and create: A collage inspired by Rousseau's 'Surprised!'

Create a jungle-inspired collage using materials you can find at home, with Bethan Durie

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A curated look: Working from home

Francesca Whitlum-Cooper peeks into paintings of people at home

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Picture of the month: April 2020: Lake Keitele

Painted whilst in isolation, Gallen-Kallela's view of a Finnish lake offers a moment of calm

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A king-sized restoration project

Watch how it took a small army of people to clean, repair and restore one of our largest paintings, Van Dyck's 'Equestrian Portrait of Charles I'

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Take a video tour of art history's female protagonists

In celebration of International Women's Day, Fiona Alderton chooses some highlights in our collection

Picture of the month: March 2020: The School of Love

A tender portrait of a young family – except this is no ordinary family

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Love and punishment: Arrows in art

From Cupid's bow to Odysseus's epic archery skills, discover the meaning of arrows in art with Carlo Corsato

Picture of the month: February 2020: The Supper at Emmaus

Caravaggio’s iconic painting tells this biblical story as never before

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Picture of the month: January 2020: The Baptism of Christ

This earliest surviving work by 15th-century Tuscan painter, Piero della Francesca, shows an important moment in the history of Christianity

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30-second introductions

What you need to know about Leonardo and The Virgin of the Rocks, in 30 seconds

The lost altarpiece

How would Leonardo’s Virgin of the Rocks have looked in its original setting?

Unlocking Leonardo

15 years after discovering a hidden drawing beneath Leonardo’s Virgin of the Rocks, we uncover more of the mystery

Leonardo and The Virgin of the Rocks

What you need to know about one of Leonardo’s most famous paintings

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How to spot your saints

Cleavers, poison and snakes, oh my! But what do they have to do with saints? Ed Dickenson explains all

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Gauguin's journey

Six events in Gauguin’s life that influenced both the way he thought and the way he painted

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What you need to know about Gauguin’s portraits

We answer some questions about Gauguin's portraits and self portraits

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A new chapter - Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands

Elizabeth C. Childs explores Gauguin's time in the South Seas and the impact the region had on his portraits

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Virtual reality dance in the Gallery

How can dance interpret and respond to our paintings and architecture?

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Cats in the collection

From starring roles to cameo performances, meet some of the cats who've sneaked into our paintings

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You've sung the carols, you've sent the cards, but how well do you actually know the Nativity? Here's the original Christmas story, told through our paintings

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Picture of the month: December 2019: The Nativity at Night

Divine and earthly light illuminate Geertgen tot Sint Jans's tranquil night-time scene

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Birds and death in paintings

What have birds got to do with death? Ed Dickenson reveals some of the hidden meanings in our paintings

Picture of the month: November 2019: The Finding of Moses

A vast, dramatic painting telling the story of a mother’s love

Article (part of a series)

Chemistry of colour : Malachite

Journey through a spectrum of colours with our Scientific Department as we explore some of the different pigments used in our paintings

100 years of the Photographic Department: Part One: A history

In the first part of our centenary celebrations, we look at how the team has evolved over the last 100 years

Picture of the month: October 2022: Noli me Tangere

Discover the painting that started our 'Picture of the month' tradition during the Second World War

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Picture of the month: September 2019: The Healing of the Man born Blind

A small fragment of one of the most celebrated Early Renaissance paintings ever made

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John Ruskin and the National Gallery

What did the Victorian era’s leading art critic have to say about our paintings?

Picture of the month: August 2019: An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump

Is Wright 'of Derby's' experiment a symbol of progress or something more sinister?

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Picture of the month: At Handeck

Alexandre Calame’s view of the Swiss Alps is small in size but ambitious in scale

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In detail: Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil

Discover the detail in this extraordinary painting by Bartolomé Bermejo

Leonardo’s Legacy: Francesco Melzi and the Leonardeschi

Read how the rare loan of a painting by Leonardo da Vinci’s favourite pupil, Francesco Melzi, was the centrepiece of a special display

What you need to know about Sorolla

He’s one of Spain’s most celebrated artists, but is less well known outside of his home country. Here’s what you need to know about the artist dubbed Spain's Impressionist

Exhibition insight

Gain an insight into the first major exhibition of Sorolla’s paintings in the UK since 1908

Bright colours, bold brushstrokes, and unexpected angles

Famous for his technical virtuosity; his skill at painting the fleeting effects of light, we take a look at the main aspects of Sorolla's technique

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Picture of the month: June 2019: The Story of Griselda, Part I: Marriage

A display of remarkable loyalty

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Picture of the month: May 2020: A Wheatfield, with Cypresses

Van Gogh’s sunlit view of the French countryside has been voted your picture of the month

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Picture of the month: April 2019: Van Gogh's Chair

His chair may be empty, but van Gogh's presence is still felt in this painting

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Picture of the month: March 2019

Though small in scale, Frans van Mieris the Elder's portrait of his wife is rich in detail

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Women in our collection

Discover some of the female artists in our collection

Rare self portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi

Discover our newly restored and recently acquired painting by the most celebrated female artist of the Italian Baroque

Michael Palin's favourite paintings

Michael Palin discusses his favourite National Gallery paintings, in conversation with Caroline Campbell.

Guide to Impressionism

Find out how a radical breakaway movement became one of the most popular styles in modern art.

A new acquisition: Bernardo Bellotto's 'The Fortress of Königstein from the North'

Watch our Director, Gabriele Finaldi, explore the life and work of Bernardo Bellotto and the recently acquired painting, The Fortress of Königstein from the North.

Australia's Impressionists: In focus

Discover how four of Australia's most significant artists engaged with and contributed to the broader, international movement that was Impressionism.

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Heroine of Trafalgar: The Fighting Temeraire

Read about Turner's celebrated painting of the last voyage of an old war hero – The Fighting Temeraire.

The real Madame de Pompadour

She was the most powerful courtesan of her day, but who was the real Madame de Pompadour?

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How to spot a Raphael

Learn how The Madonna of the Pinks was identified as a work by Raphael.

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Botticelli's Venus and Mars in Renaissance Florence

Learn more about Botticelli's intriguing mythological scene depicting the goddess of love, and the god of war

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The Gallery in wartime

Learn how the National Gallery survived during the Second World War.