On May 10, the National Gallery of London reopens the public the Sainsbury Ala after the remodeling directed by the New York study led by Annabelle Selldorf, in collaboration with the British architects specialized in Purcell Heritage. The project is part of the NG200 WelCome program, valued at 85 million pounds, started on the occasion of the museum of the museum founded in 1824.
Originally designed by American architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, the Sainsbury wing was inaugurated in 1991 among harsh criticisms. Despite being conceived as an extension of the Wilkins building, in 2017 it became the main entrance for gallery visitors. The following year, the wing was listed as a grade I building, the highest level of patrimonial protection in the country, being one of the youngest constructions to receive such designation.
The remodeling of Seldorf Architects – authorities of other museum projects such as the recent expansion of the New York Frick Collection – received strong criticisms when it became known in 2022, among whose opponents was Denise Scott Brown. The controversy generated led to the project review.
-During the works of the Sainsbury wing, a hidden letter was discovered, dated in July 1990, within one of the supports when demolishing some columns of the lobby. Signed by Lord Sainsbury, one of the main donors, the note expressed its firm opposition to the installation of those columns of the Venturi and Scott Brown project, since they lacked structural function.
The intervention of Seldorf Architects includes the opening of the ground floor by suppressing non -structural supports, the reduction of the first floor to a curved mezzanine and the replacement of dark glass with transparent panels. These modifications allow a greater entry of natural light and visibility from and from Trafalgar Square. The ground floor now houses a cafeteria, a store and an information counter. In the subsoil, the auditorium has been modernized with new upholstered seats and a more spacious lobby. Materials such as Florentine Gray Limestone (Pietra Serena) have been used to give aesthetic continuity between plants.
The Guardian. ‘Tranquillising good taste’: can the National Gallery’s airy new entrance exorcise its demons?
