The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square in London, was founded in 1824 and houses a rich collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13 century to 1900.

Unlike comparable art museums such as the Louvre in Paris or the Prado in Madrid, the National Gallery was not formed by nationalising an excisting art collection. It was established when the British government in 1824 bought 36 paintings from a banker. The National Gallery was after this purchase shaped by its early directors, and by private donations, which comprise two thirds of the present collection. The resulting collection is small in size, compared with many European national galleries, but most major developments in Western painting are represented with important works.

Almost all of the 2,300 paintings in the collection are on permanent display. The collection represents some of the greatest Western European painters including: Van Eyck, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Turner, Rembrandt, Degas, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Monet, Rubens, Velázquez, Van Dyck, Titan and Bellini.

The National Gallery has free entrance. Opening hours are daily from 10:00 to 18:00, except Friday where opening hours are 10:00 to 21:00. There are guided tours every day at 11:30 and 14:30. The Gallery also features special exhibitions.