The National Gallery in London enjoys the distinction of being one of the world's finest art museums. It is home to the national collection of Western European painting dating from the 13th to the 19th centuries and truly offers something for everyone. With its convenient location on Trafalgar Square, it is also very easy to visit.
Although the National Gallery has much more to offer than just its core collection, the painting collection is world renowned for a good reason. Containing more than 2,300 separate works, it represents a broad swath of time ranging from the 1200s through the 1900s. Notable paintings include Vincent Van Gogh's "Sunflowers," Seurat's "Bathers at Asnières," Rubens' "Samson and Delilah" and Turner's "Fighting Temeraire." Separated into over 65 separate galleries, the collection has a great deal to offer both seasoned art lovers and newcomers to art appreciation.
Thanks to their large space, the National Gallery has room to host a number of travelling exhibitions, bringing the world's finest art right to London. Some travelling exhibitions include "Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals," in late 2010, and "Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan" which runs 9 November 2011 through 5 February 2012. Because they tend to appear for short periods of time, visitors should always check the National Gallery's calendar to see what is on display when they plan to visit and preferably book in advance as exhibitions can be very popular.
In addition to still pictures, the National Gallery's film program presents the world's finest moving pictures, as well. Periodically, the gallery runs a series of related films. During the summer of 2011, the "A Delicate Balance" film season included films such as Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire" and Andrei Tarkovsky's "Andrei Rublev," which considered the balance between the real and the spiritual. The fall 2011 season, entitled "Divine Doubt" analyzed the relationship of people's beliefs to reality through films such as Ingmar Bergman's "Cries and Whispers" and Carl Theodor Dreyer's "Ordet".
On most Fridays, the National Gallery presents free concerts. Concerts are performed by students from the Royal College of Music who choose what to play having been inspired by works in the gallery. Typically lasting one hour, they usually consist of classical music.
Beyond film and concerts, the National Gallery offers a wide range of classes, tours and lectures for all types of people. As an example, one Friday night in November contains a concert, brief chats about French painters Jean-Honore Fragonard and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, a lecture on Leonardo da Vinci, and a 60-minute guided tour introducing the museum's collection. Other classes and events include poetry workshops, drawing workshops inspired by a particular painting, and hands-on art workshops for children.
The National Gallery is located on Trafalgar Square in London and is generally open from 10 am to 6 pm, although it stays open until 9 pm on Fridays. Leicester Square, Piccadilly and Charing Cross tube and rail stations are just a couple of hundred metres away, as are multiple bus lines. Drivers can take advantage of nearby car parks, and boat services stop at the Embankment pier on the river Thames.