National Gallery course

About the course

Each week the class discusses a selection of paintings in front of the works themselves. Seeing the actual paint, the size of each picture and its original use gives a deeper understanding of the national collection.

The course also looks at how and why paintings are hung, how they are lit, why some are under glass and others are not, and how different curators arrange rooms. It covers the history and origins of the National Gallery building itself, in the context of the collection.

The National Gallery has a limited supply of stools for anyone who needs one.