The National Gallery has announced the final plans for its 200-year anniversary celebrations, set to culminate at Trafalgar Square this month.
Rounding off the two-year, UK-wide Triumph of Art festivities in the Gallery’s honour, the event scheduled for 26 July will feature a parade up Whitehall followed by performances art, workshops and music.
Turner prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller, who has been commissioned to lead festivities, said he was relishing the unique opportunity.
Deller said: “I’m looking forward to working with partners across all four nations to create something epic to mark the Gallery’s 200 years.”
Founded in 1824 with the express intention to be open to the public, The National Gallery claims to be unique among other major European museums which generally grew out of royal art collections.
Since moving from Pall Mall to its current site at Trafalgar Square, the gallery has established itself as one of the world’s most iconic art museums, welcoming over three million visitors in 2024.
The permanent collection features work by renowned British artists, such as JMW Turner and William Hogarth, as well as celebrated pieces by international painters such as Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh.
National Gallery curator Emily Stone said the bicentenary could be considered a work of art in its own right.
She said: “Over two years, Jeremy Deller has explored ancient mythologies, local folklore and motivations to gather, from across the UK and from the National Gallery’s collection to create an event that is joyful, surreal and hopefully like nothing else that has come before.
“The Triumph of Art is a celebration of creativity, making and impressive bodies – a blend of the ancient and the contemporary – which can only be truly experienced live, eventually becoming its own mythology in the stories, images, and memories of those who really were present.
“The project really is the first of its kind in the UK and we can’t wait for everyone to join in.”
Celebrations on 26 July will commence from 11am and last until 4pm.
Families are encouraged to attend, with provisions being made for adults, children and infants alike.
Feature image: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons SA 4.0 licence
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