The National Gallery has announced its “largest transformation” since its formation 200 years ago, including a new wing expected to open in the early 2030s. The London institution, which welcomed more than 3.2million visitors from around the world in 2024, has already attracted £375million of cash pledges, including the two largest ever publicly reported single cash donations to a museum or gallery globally. An international architectural competition for a brand-new wing to house an “expanded collection” has been launched, which is expected to attract “exciting, younger architectural firms” as well as those long-established.
Officials added that the move also marks the beginning of “an exciting new collaboration” with the Tate and other museums in Britain and around the globe. The gallery’s postmodernist building in Trafalgar Square, designed by William Wilkins, opened in 1838 on the former site of the King’s Mews. 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 expand gallery space, and currently houses a hotel and office complex.
Project Domani will also “revitalise” the area between Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square, “creating a vibrant, fresh experience for visitors”, bosses say.
The new wing is set to “benefit from the dramatic advances made in building techniques and sustainability during recent decades”, and “will be a landmark of both local and international significance, enriching the nation’s artistic presence on a global scale”.
Sir Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery, said: “With the Bicentenary celebrations now completed, the National Gallery looks to the future.
“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.”
He added: “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.”
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, said: “This landmark investment is fantastic news for the National Gallery and the arts in general.
“It boosts the economy, opens doors for educational experiences for young people and will make great art accessible for generations to come.
“As set out in our Civil Society Covenant, this government values the role of philanthropists and institutions like the National Gallery in creating a better, fairer future for all.”