The National Gallery, London

The National Gallery borders Trafalgar Square to the north. It is located at the centre of London. The gallery is a British monument, featuring works of art spanning a full six centuries. There are over 2300 paintings here, and there is no charge on access to the main collection.
The National Gallery was founded in 1824. Two-thirds of the collection was secured by private donations. The earliest collection is relatively small, but of exceptional quality. All trends in art are represented. The building itself has been extended many times. The gallery was founded after the British government purchased the art collection of Russian banker John Angerstein. It was housed in temporary facilities for the first 14 years. A more appropriate building was secured in 1838, after Reverend William Carr, Sir George Beaumont and other notable individuals made donations with this purpose. The new collection featured 16th Italian works at the fore. Renaissance paintings dominated the display over the next three decades. It was not until Charles Lock Eastlake was appointed director that the collection began to expand. Eastlake travelled throughout Europe and bought new paintings in a wide variety of styles. He purchased over 200 paintings in total, among which masterpieces like Piero della Francesca's Baptism of Christ.
The National Gallery of British Art was founded in 1897. It was initially known as the Tate Gallery. It featured some superb pieces of native art. In 1917 the collection came to include contemporary art with some Impressionist paintings.
During WWII the collection was evacuated to Manod Quarry, North Wales, and well-preserved as a result. The Picture of the Month tradition was established in 1941, when Rembrandt's Portrait of Margaretha de Geer was displayed publicly upon request. This was done to motivate public support. Indeed, it would have been impossible to secure works like Leonardo da Vinci's The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and St. John the Baptist and Raphael's Madonna of the Pinks without the support of the public.
Eminent British architect John Nash suggested that the gallery be moved to Trafalgar Square, which he had designed. However, he was not chosen to design the new building. This honor was conferred upon William Wilkins. He eventually faced serious obstacles, such as lack of space and of government support.
The most important addition to this building has been the Sainsbury Wing. It features opulent decorations, dating back to or based on 19th century designs.
Naturally, the most important aspect of the National Gallery is its art collection. Highlights are Sandro Botticelli's Venus and Mars, Leonardo da Vinci's Virgin of the Rocks, Raphael's Portrait of Pope Julius II, and Van Gogh's Sunflowers.
Venus and Mars is a superb example of Italian Renaissance art. It depicts the two gods. The god of war sleeps naked, and the goddess of love watches over him, fully clothed. This artist provides commentary on the power of love over war. This painting was commissioned for a wedding.
Da Vinci's Virgin of the Rocks is based on the mythical meeting between John the Baptist and baby Jesus. The Virgin stands at the centre and Jesus blesses John while sitting by Uriel, an angel. There is another version of this painting at the Louvre in Paris, where the angel is pointing to John. This gesture is absent in the painting at the National Gallery of Britain. There are other inconsistencies as well, such as missing haloes. The British and the French painting were both done by Da Vinci. Generally it is thought that the British version is the later work. The inconsistencies figured as part of the plot of Dan Brown's bestseller Da Vinci Code.