The National Gallery in London is launching an international competition to design a new wing for an expanded collection, which will include modern art.
The institution has already raised £375 million for the development, dubbed Project Domani. The new wing will be built on the site of the last remaining part of the National Gallery’s current campus, St Vincent House.
The property was acquired nearly 30 years ago to enable the National Gallery to expand. It currently houses a hotel and office complex.
Additionally, Project Domani will revitalise the area between Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square, creating a vibrant, fresh experience for visitors.
Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery, said: “We want to be the place where the UK public and visitors from across the globe can enjoy the finest painting collection in the world from medieval times to our own, in a superb architectural setting.
“We are hugely excited by these developments and are immensely grateful to our donors for their support – on an unprecedented scale – as the National Gallery steps into its third century.
“We look forward to an ever-closer collaboration with Tate on this significant new initiative.”
Design competition launching on 10 September
With the new wing, the National Gallery will expand its collection to include 20th-century paintings, which the museum will start collecting.
To achieve this, it will collaborate with the Tate group of museums “on loans, curatorial and conservational expertise to support the development of [the National Gallery’s] new displays”, said Maria Balshaw, director of Tate.
The National Gallery’s architectural competition launches at midday on 10 September.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “I’ve been clear that we want the arts to be accessible for everyone and that philanthropy is crucial to that mission.
“The new wing at the National Gallery will open up world-class art for millions of people from home and abroad.
“I want to thank the generous donors who will help to transform the National Gallery, cementing its position as one of the most loved and visited institutions that will inspire people for generations.”
Images courtesy of the National Gallery
