Collection of the National Gallery, London facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The National Gallery is a famous art museum in central London, located in Trafalgar Square. It holds one of the world's best collections of paintings from Western Europe.

The gallery started in 1824 when the British Government bought 36 paintings. Today, it has grown to about 2,300 paintings! These artworks are by around 750 different artists. The paintings date from the mid-1200s up to 1900. Most of these amazing artworks are on display for everyone to see.

Amazing Artworks at the National Gallery
Galleries of Masterpieces
Images for kids
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Amazing Artworks at the National Gallery

Georges-Pierre Seurat, Bathers at Asnières (1884).

Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers (1888).

Hans Holbein the Younger, The Ambassadors (1533).

Leonardo da Vinci – The Virgin of the Rocks (1495–1508).

Raphael, The Madonna of the Pinks (La Madonna dei Garofani) (1506–07).

The National Gallery has many famous paintings. You can see art from different countries and time periods. Here are some of the types of art you can find:

Dutch Art: Masters of Light and Life

The gallery has many paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. Artists like Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer are well-known. Rembrandt has 27 paintings here, including famous self-portraits. Vermeer, known for his beautiful use of light, has two paintings. Other Dutch artists include Vincent van Gogh, famous for his "Sunflowers" series, and Frans Hals.

English Art: Portraits and Landscapes

You can explore the history of British painting. Important artists like John Constable and J. M. W. Turner show stunning landscapes. Constable's The Hay Wain is a highlight. Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds are known for their beautiful portraits. William Hogarth offers a look at 18th-century life with his detailed scenes.

Flemish Art: Rich Colors and Detail

Flemish painters are known for their rich colors and detailed work. The gallery has many works by Anthony van Dyck and Peter Paul Rubens. Van Dyck has 25 paintings, and Rubens has 30! You can also see early Flemish masterpieces by Jan van Eyck, including the famous Arnolfini Portrait.

French Art: From Classic to Impressionist

The French collection covers many styles. You'll find classical works by Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain. Later, you can see the bright colors of Impressionist painters like Claude Monet (19 paintings) and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Post-Impressionist artists like Paul Cézanne and Georges Seurat (known for Bathers at Asnières) are also featured.

German Art: Portraits and Landscapes

German art includes works by Hans Holbein the Younger, who painted detailed portraits. Albrecht Dürer is another key German artist with works in the collection.

Italian Art: Renaissance to Baroque

Italy is home to some of the world's most famous artists. The National Gallery has many Italian masterpieces. You can see works from the early Renaissance by Sandro Botticelli and Fra Angelico. Later, there are paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo. The gallery also has dramatic Baroque paintings by Caravaggio and beautiful cityscapes by Canaletto.

Spanish Art: Drama and Emotion

Spanish painters often captured strong emotions. The gallery has works by Diego Velázquez, known for his realistic portraits. Francisco de Goya shows a range of styles, from portraits to more dramatic scenes. You can also see paintings by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Francisco de Zurbarán.

Galleries of Masterpieces

Dutch Paintings

Frans Hals, Young Man with a Skull c. (1626–28)
Rembrandt, A Woman Bathing in a Stream, (1655)
Aelbert Cuyp - Peasants and Cattle by the River Merwede (1658–60)
Pieter de Hooch - The Courtyard of a House in Delft (1658)
Rembrandt, Portrait of Jacob Trip, (1661)
Jan Steen - Skittle Players outside an Inn (1660-3)
Rembrandt, Self-Portrait, (1669)
Johannes Vermeer - A Young Woman seated at a Virginal (1670-2)
Meindert Hobbema - The Avenue at Middelharnis (1689)
Rembrandt 1644
Rembrandt, Saskia van Uylenburgh in Arcadian Costume, 1635
Vincent van Gogh, Van Gogh's Chair, 1888
Gerard David, The Virgin and Child with Saints and a Donor, probably 1510

English Paintings

William Hogarth - Marriage à-la-mode (1743)
Thomas Gainsborough - Mr and Mrs Andrews (1750)
George Stubbs, Lady and Gentleman in a Carriage, (1787)
Joshua Reynolds, Lord Heathfield (1788)
John Constable - The Hay Wain (1821)
John Constable - The Cornfield (1826)
J. M. W. Turner - The Fighting Temeraire (1839)
J. M. W. Turner - Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway (1844)

Flemish Paintings

Jan van Eyck - Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?) (1433)
Jan van Eyck - The Arnolfini Portrait (1434)
Follower of Hugo van der Goes - Virgin and Child, c. (1485)
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Adoration of the Kings, (1564)
Anthony van Dyck - The Emperor Theodosius is Forbidden by Saint Ambrose to enter Milan Cathedral (1619–20)
David Teniers the Younger - Peasants at Archery (1645)

French Paintings

Philippe de Champaigne - Cardinal de Richelieu (1633–40)
Claude Lorrain - Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula (1641)
Edgar Degas, Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando, (1879)
Paul Cézanne, Self-Portrait, (1881)
Pierre-Auguste Renoir -The Umbrellas(1883)
Claude Monet, The Water-Lily Pond, (1899)
Nicolas Poussin- The Adoration of the Golden Calf, (1633–1634)
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Madame Moitessier, 1856
Paul Delaroche, The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, 1833
Claude Lorrain, Landscape with Aeneas at Delos, 1672

German Paintings

Albrecht Dürer, Portrait of Dürer's Father at 70, (1497)
Albrecht Altdorfer, Landscape with Path, c. (1516)
Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam, (1523)
Adam Elsheimer, St. Paul at Malta, c. (1600)
Caspar David Friedrich, Winter Landscape, (1811)
Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, "Ruth in Boaz's Field", (1828)
Albrecht Dürer, St Jerome in the Wilderness, 1495, oil on panel,

Italian Paintings

Paolo Uccello - The Battle of San Romano (1438–40)
Giovanni Bellini - The Doge Leonardo Loredan (1501-4)
Raphael - Portrait of Julius II (1511)
Paolo Veronese - The Family of Darius before Alexander (1565–70)
Caravaggio - The Supper at Emmaus (1601)
Canaletto - The Stonemason's Yard(1726–30)
Caravaggio - Boy Bitten by a Lizard (1596)

Spanish Paintings

El Greco, Christ Driving the Traders from the Temple, (1600)
Francisco de Zurbarán, Cup of Water and a Rose on a Silver Plate, c. (1630)
Diego Velázquez, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, (1618)
Francisco de Zurbarán, Saint Francis in Meditation (1639)
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities, (The Pedroso Murillo) (1675–82)
Francisco de Goya, The Lamp of the Devil, (1797-1798)
Francisco de Goya, Doña Isabel de Porcel, (1805)
Francisco de Goya, Portrait of the Duke of Wellington, 1812–14