Image: The King and Queen reopen the National Gallery Sainsbury Wing (The National Gallery)
Their Majesties viewed an inscription marking their visit, toured the rehang of the collection, unveiled Coronation State Portraits and visited the new Roden Centre for Creative Learning.
The King and Queen visited the National Gallery today to officially reopen its Sainsbury Wing, concluding its two-year capital project.
The visit marked the second anniversary of the Coronation of King Charles III – the Royal Patron of the National Gallery – and Queen Camilla.
During their visit, their Majesties saw an inscription carved into the stone at the bottom of the Sainsbury Wing Staircase marking their visit. This is underneath an inscription unveiled in July 1991 marking the original opening of the Sainsbury Wing by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
They also toured part of C C Land: The Wonder of Art, the rehang of its collection, featuring 1,000 works of art, before its opening next week.
In Central Hall they unveiled the Coronation State Portraits, commissioned from the artists Peter Kuhfeld and Paul S. Benney. These portraits will remain on display at the National Gallery until 5 June, before then moving to the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace.
Their Majesties concluded their visit with a view of the brand new Roden Centre for Creative Learning, one of the largest dedicated gallery learning spaces in the UK.
The visit was led by the National Gallery’s director, Sir Gabriele Finaldi, who said: “We were delighted to welcome our Royal Patron, His Majesty the King, and Queen Camilla, to reopen the Sainsbury Wing and to tour the new display of the Gallery’s paintings on such a special day, the 2nd anniversary of their Coronations.
“We are delighted to host the newly unveiled Coronation State Portraits at the Gallery. Our visitors will be the first people to enjoy them.”
