Stories ·
A gallery emptied by war, kept open by people
Evacuated paintings, a Welsh quarry, Myra Hess’s concerts and one returning picture changed the Gallery during the Second World War.
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Taking the paintings out of London
In 1939 the pictures went first to several sites in Wales and Gloucester. In 1941 they moved into prepared storage at Manod, a slate quarry in north Wales. Protected spaces inside the mountain provided stable conditions for works that could no longer safely remain in London. Moving them required packing, transport and continuing care far from their usual galleries.
Music in the empty building
The pianist Myra Hess proposed public concerts to the Gallery’s director, Kenneth Clark. The first took place on 10 October 1939. People came to hear music in a museum whose paintings had been removed, giving the building another public use during wartime. The concerts depended on performers, organisers and audiences continuing to make that journey.
One painting at a time
In 1942, the Picture of the Month brought a single work back for viewing. The first was Titian’s Noli me Tangere, which shows Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection. Each chosen picture was put into the underground strong room overnight. Visitors could concentrate on one painting while most of the collection remained away from London.
Find the wartime story in the building
The Main Vestibule contains a Manod slate tablet commemorating the collection’s wartime refuge. Its material connects the London building with the Welsh place that protected the paintings. The story also offers a way to shape your own visit. Staying with one picture has a history here, quite apart from any attempt to see the whole collection.
Photo gallery 1
Image credits
- xiquinhosilva · Central Hall, National Gallery.jpg · CC BY 2.0 · WebP / AVIF
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/bryansjs · Entrance hall of the National Gallery, looking north.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0 · WebP / AVIF
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/bryansjs · Entrance hall of the National Gallery, looking south.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Diego Delso · Bóveda de la sala 36, Galería Nacional, Londres, Inglaterra, 2014-08-11, DD 165-167 HDR.JPG · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Philafrenzy · National Gallery Sainsbury Wing staircase.jpg · CC0 · WebP / AVIF