National Gallery, London

The National Gallery is an art gallery in London, located on the north side of Trafalgar Square. It holds the National Collection of Art from 1250 to 1900 (subsequent art from the National Collection is housed in Tate Modern). Some British art is included, but the National Collection of British art from this period is mainly in Tate Britain. The collection of 2,300 paintings belongs to the British public, and entry to the main collection is free, though there are charges for entry to special exhibitions.

Associate Artists

Since 1989 the gallery has run a scheme that gives a studio to contemporary artists to create work based on the permanent collection. They usually hold the position of associate artist for two years and are given an exhibition in the National Gallery at the end of their tenure. There have been six associate artists so far:

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• Paula Rego (1989-90)
• Ken Kiff (1991-93)
• Peter Blake (1994-96)
• Ana Maria Pacheco (1997-99)
• Ron Mueck (2000-02)
• John Virtue (2003-05)