Toasting the next 200

Very excited to be attending the launch of the National Gallery’s rehang and refurbished Sainsbury Wing this evening, as the NG’s authorized bicentenary historian. The Twentieth Century Society has been critical of Annabelle Selldorf’s interventions in Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown’s postmodern landmark, that originally opened in 1991. The forest of columns in the Sainsbury Wing foyer has been thinned, floorplates cut back and the glass on the grand staircase rendered more transparent. How does it look? How far has the redesign managed to respect the original scheme and accommodate the new demands placed on the Wing (it will now serve as the main visitor entrance)? Only time will tell, but I look forward to sharing my impressions with NG members at a launch event for my NG history, to be held on Friday 13 June. This talk will be hosted by the Gallery’s Chief Librarian and Archivist Alan Crookham, and take place in the Supporter’s House Salon - itself a NG200 initiative.