C C Land: The Wonder of Art

We’ve always told the story of painting in the Western European tradition, from the middle of the 13th century to the early 20th century. Alongside the reopening of the Sainsbury Wing, our celebrated collection will be completely redisplayed. We’ve never done this before. ‘C C Land: The Wonder of Art’ is for everyone, everywhere. And it’s free for all. It begins on 10 May 2025. 

When you visit, the way we display the collection from our oldest to most recent paintings may be familiar. But rather than telling a single story of the history of art, we’ll introduce new narratives. So, you’ll find unexpected, themed rooms that tell us about the making of art, particular types of painting like portraits or flower paintings, or an individual artist. And we’ll pair works together across centuries. 

Our reopened Sainsbury Wing 

The newly reopened Sainsbury Wing will be home to the earliest paintings in our collection. Here you’ll find Piero della Francesca’s Baptism of Christ, in a chapel-like room specifically designed for the work. The San Pier Maggiore Altarpiece will be displayed in an impressive, newly built frame. Paolo Uccello’s The Battle of San Romano will be back after its three-year restoration process. And you’ll encounter the first of our new themed rooms, one that glistens. Every painting hanging there will have one thing in common: the colour gold. 

Old friends and new surprises 

Moving into the main Wilkins building, we have a few surprises in store alongside reliable old friends. George Stubbs’s Whistlejacket will be exactly where you last saw it, but others will move to new surrounds.  

Two of the most recognisable artists in the National Gallery will now have rooms that are entirely their own: the French Impressionist Claude Monet and Italian Renaissance painter Titian. Other artists with dedicated rooms include Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Rembrandt and Thomas Gainsborough.  

Further themed rooms will look at making and meaning. This includes one home to our oil sketches, like John Constable’s Weymouth Bay, and another for pastels such as Jean-Etienne Liotard’s The Lavergne Family Breakfast. 

Artists inspiring artists 

We’ve always wanted to show how artists have inspired other artists through history. Most famous among these is Joseph Mallord William Turner’s admiration for Claude. Their four landscapes will remain together. ‘The Wonder of Art’ will introduce new pairings of paintings that have been inspired by predecessors - even centuries later. These will include Rubens’s Portrait of Susanna Lunden(?) (‘Le Chapeau de Paille’) and Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun’s Self Portrait in a Straw Hat, as well as Titian’s Portrait of Gerolamo(?) Barbarigo and Rembrandt’s Self Portrait at the Age of 34. 

Paintings you may never have seen before  

‘C C Land: The Wonder of Art’ gives you a chance to discover works you may never have seen. We will display works that have been in our stores waiting for the moment to be back, like Samuel Van Hoogstraten’s A Peepshow with Views of the Interior of a Dutch House. Peer into this unique, perspective box to see an illusion of a 17th-century Dutch house. And we will showcase the series of acquisitions made during our Bicentenary year, such as Eva Gonzalès’s The Full-length Mirror. 

‘C C Land: The Wonder of Art’ is for everyone, everywhere. And it’s free for all. We can’t wait to welcome you back to your National Gallery. It all begins on 10 May 2025.