London’s National Gallery have announced that ahead of its two hundredth anniversary in 2024, the institution will receive a major upgrade of its public amenities . The estimated cost of the upgrade is between $35 million and $43 million which will be paid for via a soon-to-be-launched fundraising campaign.
The upgradation plan comprises of the restoration of the Sainsbury Wing lobby, as well as the creation of a new research center and the improvement of the outdoor area at the edge of Trafalgar Square. “It might take half a decade before the institution welcomes the six million annual visitors it was greeting before the pandemic”, Gallery director Gabriele Finaldi said. They believe that the visitors will return to London and that the National Gallery wants to be a part of the recovery.
When the Sainsbury Wing opened in 1991, it was anticipated there would be three million visitors to the gallery. So it was never intended to handle twice the number. Although the wing as a whole is a Post-Modernism masterpiece, the project briefing paper admits that the present foyer is “uninviting, underwhelming and confusing”.
The second element is a new research centre with greater public access than the existing library. It might be located in the lower level of the 1838 building, near its juncture with the Sainsbury Wing. The space just outside the wing, which borders but is not a part of Trafalgar Square, will also receive a sprucing-up, with all renovations being done with an eye to security, as the gallery is close to the Canadian and South African diplomatic missions.
The final aspect will be to improve the “public realm” just outside the Sainsbury Wing. This land, several metres wide along the frontage and also the passage between the wing and the Wilkins building, is owned by the gallery and does not form part of Westminster Council’s Trafalgar Square.