1 British Museum
2 Covent Garden Piazza
3 Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster)
4 National Gallery
5 Natural History Museum
6 St Paul's Cathedral
7 Science Museum
8 Tower of London
9 Victoria & Albert Museum
10 Westminster Abbey
Home to one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of Western art in the world, the National Gallery houses over 2,000 paintings.
The collection is divided chronologically, with the Sainsbury Wing housing the oldest paintings, from 1260 to 1510. Two of the most famous works are The Virgin and Child cartoon by Leonardo da Vinci and Venus and Mars by Botticelli. The Doge by Giovanni Bellini is considered the greatest-ever Venetian portrait. Less famous but equally worth while are The Wilton Diptych (by an unknown artist), The Battle of San Romano by Uccello, The Baptism of Christ by Piero della Francesca and The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck.
The West Wing progresses to 1600 and includes The Entombment (unfinished) by Michelangelo. Two famous mythology paintings are Bacchus and Ariadne by Titian and Allegory with Venus and Cupid by Bronzino. More 'worldly' masterpieces include Holbein's Ambassadors and Pope Julius II by Raphael. The North Wing deals with the 17th century. Among its 15 or so Rembrandts is the sorrowful Self Portrait at the Age of 63 (that same year he died a pauper). Contrast this with the pompous Equestrian Portrait of Charles 1 by Van Dyck, and the charming Le Chapeau de Paille (Straw Hat) portrait by Rubens. Young Woman Standing at a Virginal by Vermeer, The Rokeby Venus by Velázquez and Enchanted Castle by Claude are also worth seeking out. The East Wing (1700-1900) contains a whole host of popular favourites: Sunflowers by Van Gogh; Bathers at Asnières by Seurat; Gare St-Lazare by Monet; and from the British school, Hay-Wain by Constable and Fighting Temeraire by J. M. W. Turner.Address: Trafalgar Square
Phone: (020) 7747 2885 WEBSITE: www.national gallery.org.uk
Open: Daily 10-6 (Wed until 9). Closed 24-26 Dec, 1 Jan, Good Fri
Restaurant: Café (Inexpensive), Brasserie (Moderately priced)
Bus: 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23, 24, 29, 53, X53, 77a, 88, 91, 109, 139, 159, 176
Metro: Charing Cross
Train: Charing Cross, Leicester Square
Accessible: Excellent
Admission: Free
Info: Lower Regent Street
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