British artist Lucien Freud once said he would “go to the National Gallery rather like going to a doctor for help.” Indeed, over the course of 200 years, the National Gallery in London has amassed one of the world’s most coveted art collections, with works ranging from the 13th to 20th centuries. Now, in celebration of its bicentennial, a new coffee table book will catalog the gallery’s iconic masterpieces, from both the famous and the forgotten.
Published by Taschen, The National Gallery: Paintings, People, Portraits is rigorous and comprehensive in scope, spanning nearly 600 pages and 700 years of art history. The book gathers work from artists such as Van Eyck, Titian, Rembrandt, Morisot, and Matisse. It also features contributions from leading figures in the art industry, including David Hockney, Ai Weiwei, Rachel Whiteread, and Flora Yukhnovich, among others. Large-scale photographs of the National Gallery itself punctuate the meticulously curated selection of artworks, offering an indelible glimpse into the institution’s lavish interiors and exhibition spaces.
Given its sprawling nature, the gallery’s collection is organized within the book into distinct chapters. Much of the book’s first few chapters explore the significance of sacred and secular art throughout Europe through the 13th to 16th centuries. These sections showcase religious scenes, ornate detailing, and, at times, more humorous paintings, such as Two Tax-Gatherers. In this composition, two old women sit by a table with a book of records and coins. As the woman on the left simply writes in the book’s weathered pages, the other confronts the viewer with a grotesque yet, somehow, comical facial expression.
A later chapter attends to the drama and naturalism of the Baroque movement. Another considers the evolution of modern art throughout Europe by the 1830s, encompassing artists such as Camille Pissaro, Gustav Klimt, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Edouard Manet.
“In our 200th year, our vision extends beyond mere festivity: it is a commitment to establish a profound legacy that will steer the gallery toward its third century and beyond,” Anh Nguyen and Rebecca Marks, the book’s editors, write in the preface.
By perusing the countless pages of The National Gallery: Paintings, People, Portraits, the gallery’s impact on art history comes into unquestionable focus. It is, as Nguyen and Marks continue, a celebration of the gallery’s enduring presence and its efforts to “forge connections across generations.”
The National Gallery: Paintings, People, Portraits will be published in March 2025 and is currently available for pre-order on Taschen’s website.
London’s National Gallery is about to have its own book titled The National Gallery: Paintings, People, Portraits.
Published by Taschen, the National Gallery book explores the institution’s renowned collection across 600 pages and 700 years of art history.
The book also features contributions from renowned contemporary artists such as David Hockney, Rachel Whiteread, and Ai Weiwei.
Taken in its entirety, Taschen’s National Gallery book offers a critical glimpse into one of the world’s most renowned art collections.
