National Gallery London Marks 200 Years with Major Acquisitions
The National Gallery in London has just turned 200, and it is celebrating its bicentenary with three extraordinary additions to its world-renowned collection. The gallery, an iconic institution in the UK and a major centre for European painting, has added rare and significant works by Edgar Degas, Carl Gustav Carus, and Floris van Dijck, each piece a masterpiece of its era.
These historic art acquisitions represent not only the growth of the gallery’s collection but also its continued commitment to preserving and showcasing the greatest artistic achievements of the Western world. If you’re an art lover, collector, historian, or just curious about the National Gallery’s bicentenary celebrations, these new treasures demand your attention.
1. Edgar Degas’ Ballet Dancers (1888): A £9.4 Million Pastel Masterpiece
Perhaps the most eye-catching of the new acquisitions is Ballet Dancers (1888), a vibrant pastel drawing by the legendary French Impressionist Edgar Degas. Valued at £9.4 million, the artwork features five dancers adorned in vivid orange and turquoise tutus, layered and smudged with Degas’ signature pastel technique.
“The picture shows the complex pastel technique favoured by Degas during the 1880s, layering, blending and smudging the tones to create the effect of rich, pulsating colour,” the National Gallery noted.
Courtesy – National Gallery
The painting was acquired through the UK government’s Acceptance in Lieu scheme, which allows inheritance tax to be offset by the donation of nationally important artworks. In this case, £7.89 million of tax was settled, with the National Gallery Trust contributing the remaining £1.56 million in a deal brokered by Christie’s.
Currently on display in Room 42, Ballet Dancers is a prime example of Edgar Degas’ Impressionist genius and a breathtaking addition to the National Gallery of London collection.
2. A View of the Sky from a Prison Window by Carl Gustav Carus: Romanticism in Captivity
The second acquisition is as emotionally charged as it is historically significant. A View of the Sky from a Prison Window (1823) by Carl Gustav Carus, a central figure in German Romanticism, has found its new home at the National Gallery. This work marks the first painting by Carus to enter a UK public collection.
Purchased for £396,660, the painting was funded by a legacy gift from the late Martha Doris Bailey and Richard Hillman Bailey, with contributions from Charles Booth-Clibborn. This small yet arresting painting was created in Dresden during Carus’s friendship with Caspar David Friedrich, another giant of the Romantic era.
“Ultimately, the picture addresses the dialogue between fear and hope, captivity and freedom, both physical and psychological,” said Sarah Herring, associate curator of post-1800 paintings.
Courtesy – National Gallery
Now showcased in Room 38, this haunting scene of a sky framed by prison bars offers a poignant metaphor for spiritual resilience, an essential theme of 19th-century Romantic art.
3. A Dutch Delight: A Banquet Still Life by Floris van Dijck (1622)
Completing this powerful trio of acquisitions is A Banquet Still Life (1622) by Floris van Dijck, a master of the Dutch Golden Age. Known for his elevated viewpoint and detailed table scenes, Van Dijck’s work is a foundational piece of the banquet still life tradition.
Acquired for £2.9 million from a private collection in a treaty sale brokered by Sotheby’s, this painting features a lavish table spread with fruit, sweets, olives, and Wanli Chinese export porcelain—a celebration of abundance and visual richness.
“Van Dijck’s compositions are always seen as if from an elevated viewpoint,” the gallery notes. “The painting is a superb example marking the beginning of the Dutch tradition of so-called banquet still lifes.”
Courtesy – National Gallery
Now viewable in Room 23, this work adds substantial depth to the National Gallery’s collection of Dutch still lifes, which continues to draw global audiences.
A Celebration of 200 Years
These acquisitions are more than just beautiful works of art, they are symbolic of the National Gallery’s mission to evolve while preserving the legacy of classical European painting. Funded in part by a remarkable £6.75 million legacy gift from the Baileys, these additions also pay tribute to Christopher Riopelle’s 27-year tenure as curator of post-1800 paintings.
The acquisitions align with the gallery’s bicentenary rehang titled “C C Land: The Wonder of Art“, an ambitious project made possible by its partnership with a Hong Kong-based property developer. The revamped Sainsbury Wing is another milestone in a year packed with celebration, reflection, and forward-looking innovation.
The Significant Milestone and Artworks
This bicentenary is not just a marker of time, it’s a declaration of intent. The National Gallery in London has reaffirmed its role as a beacon of art conservation, education, and cultural preservation. Whether it’s Degas’ pastel ballerinas, Carus’ Romantic solitude, or Van Dijck’s lavish banquet, each painting adds to the story of European art history in profoundly different but equally powerful ways.
If you’re planning to visit London in 2025, make sure to stop by the National Gallery and witness these masterpieces in person. They don’t just tell the story of the past—they help us reimagine the future of art.
Image – Inside London’s National Gallery. Courtesy – The Art Newspaper
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