King's Gallery facts for kids
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| Established | 1962 |
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| Location | Buckingham Palace London, SW1 United Kingdom |
| Public transit access |    Victoria |
The King's Gallery is a special art gallery located right at Buckingham Palace in London. Buckingham Palace is the official home of the British King or Queen. This gallery used to be called the Queen's Gallery.
It first opened its doors in 1962 when Elizabeth II was Queen. The gallery shows amazing artworks from the Royal Collection. These artworks are rotated, meaning different pieces are shown at different times.
The gallery was made much bigger in the early 2000s. It now has its own entrance that looks like a classic building. Inside, you can usually see about 450 artworks. Most of these are paintings and drawings.
History of the Building
The King's Gallery is the part of Buckingham Palace that sticks out the most to the south. It stands on the spot where the palace chapel used to be. That chapel was sadly bombed during the Second World War.
The gallery was built specifically to be an art space. It opened in 1962. Over the next 37 years, about five million people visited it. In 1999, the gallery closed for a big renovation and expansion.
The architect John Simpson was in charge of this work. On May 21, 2002, Queen Elizabeth II reopened the gallery. This happened during her Golden Jubilee celebrations. The new design included a grand entrance with Doric columns. New rooms were also added, making the space more than three times bigger. The King's Gallery is open to the public for most of the year.
Cool Exhibitions
The King's Gallery often hosts exciting art shows. For example, from May to October 2019, the gallery had a special exhibition. It featured 200 drawings by the famous artist Leonardo da Vinci. These drawings came from the amazing Royal Collection.
