Displaying an unsurpassed collection of European paintings from 1250 to 1900 – including works by Leonardo, Botticelli, Velazquez, Rembrandt, Turner ,Van Gogh, and the Impressionists – this is one of Europe’s great galleries. You’ll peruse 700 years of art – from gold-backed Madonnas to Cubist bathers.
I adore art. I don’t always get it… and I certainly don’t have the education in art to critique it. But I admire it… more than admire it… I am awed at the human capacity to evoke… awe.
I will normally get an audio guide if I am in an art museum. It deepens my appreciation of the piece, and a good audio tour also helps guide you around the complex. But Jackie hates them… will not use one. And if I utilize one, it does not feel like we’re experiencing it together. So I didn’t get one… that was a big mistake.
The National Gallery is a big place. Often times, the rooms run in numerical order… until they don’t. We picked up a map and brochure, thinking we would just follow one of the color-coded tours to spend a nice 90 minutes wandering around. Before very long we were hopelessly lost… even with the help of the friendly volunteers.
So we did not get a full experience of the gallery… probably walked by once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. But we still saw some remarkable works of art.
We even saw a Van Gogh. Got a nice picture of Jackie with the sunflowers,
