National Gallery unveils Sainsbury Wing after redevelopment

The National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing reopens to the public on 10 May following a revamp that museum director Gabriele Finaldi hopes will provide a more welcoming experience for visitors.

The two-year transformation, led by Selldorf Architects working with Purcell architects, is a key part of a £85m building programme that was initiated to mark the gallery’s 200th anniversary in 2024.

C C Land: The Wonder of Art, a full rehang of the National Gallery collection featuring 1,000 works of art tracing the development of Western European painting from the 13th to 20th centuries, also opens on 10 May.

The Sainsbury Wing was designed in 1991 by Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates. According to the National Gallery, the revamp of the wing is intended to provide a better and more welcoming first experience for visitors.

“I joined the gallery in 2015 and one of the things that I was very concerned about was the welcome that we provided for visitors,” said Finaldi.

“The welcome was always at the back of our mind, and indeed at the front of our mind, as we were thinking about what it is that we wanted to do.”

The redevelopment includes a new public square on the south-west corner of the 1830s National Gallery building that faces Trafalgar Square. The original gallery building was designed by William Wilkins.

The stepless, street-level entrance to the reworked Sainsbury Wing opens out onto a new-look foyer offerering visitors 60% more space than before.

The anniversary programme also includes the creation of the Roden Centre for Creative Learning for children and families. This was designed by Lawson Ward Studio and opened in February.

A Supporters’ House will be opening later this year featuring with dedicated spaces and amenities for patrons and members in the National Gallery’s main building.

The Sainsbury Wing redevelopment has not been without controversy, with Denise Scott Brown, one of the building’s original architects, comparing Selldorf’s modernising plans to a “circus clown wearing a tutu”.

Eight former presidents of the Royal Institute of British Architects also objected to revamp, calling the designs “insensitive”.

However, the original Sainsbury Wing entrance hall was considered by some to be overly dark and cluttered, making it unwelcoming for visitors.

In 2023, builders discovered a letter written by the late donor John Sainsbury hidden inside one of the foyer's non-structural columns. In it, Sainsbury anticipated the removal of the false columns, saying he believed they were a “mistake of the architect and that we would live to regret our accepting this detail of his design”.