National Gallery works: the masterpieces you shouldn’t miss

NATIONAL GALLERY LONDON WORKS: THE MASTERPIECES YOU SHOULDN’T  MISS

National Gallery London works, which ones to see before exiting the most important Art Gallery in Great Britain? There are many masterpieces you shouldn’t miss housed in this museum you can visit many times, since the admission is free of charge, and which makes you retrace all the main artistic movements of history of art.
In this post you’ll find the artworks you shouldn’t miss at the National Gallery of London which will transform your visit into an unmissable art binge.

National Gallery London works

NATIONAL GALLERY LONDON WORKS TO SEE

Before revealing which the unmissable artworks at the National Gallery of London are, you need to know that the admission is free of charge, so you can arrange your visit according to the time at your disposal or your favourite artists. For instance, you can decide to admire only the works I recommend in this post or you can make your life easier and book a guided tour which will make you see the most important works on display in the museum in few hours and answer all your questions.
So, here are all the works you must see at the National Gallery of London!

JAN VAN EYCK–THE ARNOLFINI PORTRAIT (1434)

Bruges 1434. Jan Van Eyck portrays in minute detail the house of the rich Italian merchant Giovanni Arnolfini. The man is holding the hand of his wife Giovanna Cenami gently, and the couple is depicted in a rich room and where each detail seems to be placed there for a specific reason, conveying more or less clear meanings.

The Arnolfini Portrait is one of the greatest masterpieces among Jan van Eyck’s works.

Jan Van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait

LEONARDO DA VINCI – VIRGIN OF THE ROCKS (AROUND 1500)

Like all works by Leonardo also the Virgin of the Rocks, on exhibition at the National Gallery, has a charming story. First of all, there are two versions of this masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci: one is housed in London and the other hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The London version was commissioned to decorate the church of San Francesco Grande in Milan, but became the wedding gift from Ludovico il Moro to Maximilian of Habsburg, entering this way France and for this reason is now on display at the Louvre Museum. The other painting, instead, was painted to be placed inside the church it was commissioned for.

Why is it housed in London, then?

Because in 1785 it was sold to an English painter and art collector, and it was so that Leonardo’s canvas crossed the English Channel and is now in the National Gallery.

Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci

VAN GOGH – SUNFLOWERS (1888)

National Gallery London works and masterpieces are on display since the first rooms and one of the first marvels you’ll admire is van Gogh’s painting depicting sunflowers.

The importance of the Sunflowers theme, and also its fame, lies in the fact that this pictorial representation makes Van Gogh use the whole spectrum of yellow, his favourite colour.
With thick and rapid brush strokes the artist seems to give these flowers a soul, which seems to reflect his angst.

Detail of the Sunflowers housed at the National Gallery of London