Celebrating 200 Years: The National Gallery, London’s Big Birthday Weekend in Full Color
The National Gallery in London is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a series of special events on its Big Birthday Weekend from 10-12 May. To kick off the festivities, a history of the museum will be projection mapped onto the facade of the building, featuring voices of curators, art lovers, and actor Michael Palin. The museum’s rich collection, spanning from the 13th to 19th centuries, will be highlighted in the show.
Music and poetry will also play a role in the celebrations, with performances by Jools Holland and readings by Ben Okri. Additionally, visitors will have the chance to create Renaissance selfies and add their own works of art to a special birthday cake made from recycled paper.
As part of the anniversary celebrations, some of the museum’s greatest treasures are on loan to museums around the UK and abroad. Masterpieces from the National Gallery, including works by Raphael, Monet, and Constable, are currently on display in Taiwan as part of a touring exhibition.
A new initiative called National Treasures will launch on 10 May, featuring exhibitions built around masterpieces loaned by the National Gallery. Turner’s “The Fighting Temeraire” is on display at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle, while Velázquez’s “The Rokeby Venus” is the focus of an exhibition at the Walker Gallery in Liverpool.
The celebrations will culminate in a public art piece by Turner prizewinning artist Jeremy Deller in Trafalgar Square in July. The National Gallery is also undergoing an £85m project to upgrade its facilities as part of the anniversary initiative.
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Elara Voss, graduated from the Royal College of Art in London with a Master’s in Fine Art. She specializes in contemporary sculpture and installation art, exploring themes of nature and human interaction. Elara’s works have been featured in several group exhibitions across Europe, and she is currently working on her first solo show.