Last week, I’ve been into the National Portrait Gallery and was very surprised to learn that it is planned for closure from 29 June 2020 to Spring 2023. This three-year major rebuilding project would be the biggest development of the Gallery since it opened in 1896. The budget for the refurbishment is going to be £35.5 million, including creating facilities such as new visitor entrance, a public forecourt and a learning centre.
I was astonished by the news, as I personally really support the idea of improving one of the oldest and most famous museums in London, but would also worry about visitors within those 3 years would be unable to see those splendid paintings.
I think even though the closure meant the rejection of visitors, it might still be good in another way. For example, during the time of closure, the gallery itself is planning to lend out 300 portraits per year to regional museums in the country, including the York Art Gallery, the Holburne Museum in Bath, the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle, National Museums Liverpool and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. I consider this as a good idea, as, first of all, as a very ancient museum, the National Portrait Gallery itself would need maintenance, therefore the temporary closure would bring a more pleasant experience to visitors in the future, which is great as more people would enjoy it. But what I consider as the most important factor, is that by spreading the portraits around the country, more people could then see those marvellous paintings themselves, experiencing cultures in Britain from the Tudor and Elizabethan era, to the glorious Victorian times, and finally to contemporary time through all of those fascinating paintings and portraits. I believe that the more people that are influenced by the history of the country, the more enriching it will be.
However, the only problem would be that more than 1.5 million people visited the National Portrait Gallery from 2018 to 2019. It would be a shame for the visitors who came to London and couldn’t visit the portraits. This is the downside of refurbishment, but I suppose that other galleries in London, such as the National Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum, could also present them with fantastic drawings to enjoy.
Yanjun Zhou
