THE NATIONAL GALLERY 103


‘The curatorial staff certainly know what they are doing even if, time and again, their architectural advisors have long been


found wanting’


have been made to bring the room into the 21st century. Te original architect, Sir Richard Allison, inspired by the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, chose to cover the walls in a light grey fabric, with mouldings painted grey to match. Today, the walls have changed to a warm olive green to complement the paintings, and the floors have been replaced with a light oak to make the room feel brighter.


During the Second World War, the gallery’s collection was sent for safe keeping to a disused slate mine in Manod, Wales. Te gallery was bombed nine times between


This page Since the redevelopment of the Sainsbury Wing, almost half of the National Gallery’s entire collection has been put away and has now had to be re-hanged, ready for the reopening in May 2025


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