Give a Gift Membership to the National Gallery
Treat the art lover in your life to a Gift Membership with the National Gallery!
The National Gallery is on Trafalgar Square in London. It is home to the national collection of paintings from the 13th to 19th centuries in the Western Tradition, and the paintings are on show 361 days a year, free of charge
The Gallery aims to care for the collection, to enhance it for future generations, and to study it. It seeks to be a resource on art, and to inpsire. Amongst some of the works, you'll find names such as Vermeer, Cezanne, Monet, Seurat, Gainsborough, Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Van Eyck, Michelangelo, Constable, Raphael, Canatello, da Vinci, Stubbs - to name a few! There are over 2,600 paintings and so it's one of those galleries where it's wonderful to keep coming back. Search the collection here and view the Must Sees here.
The Highlights from the Collection include Vermeer's "A Young Woman standing at a Virginal", an incredible Equestrian Portrait of Charles I by van Dyck, Sansom and Delilah by Rubens, Summer's Day by Morisot, a Self Portrait at the age of 34 by Rembrandt, Sunflowers by Van Gogh, The Fighting Tremeraire by Turner, The Hay Wain by Constable, Whistlejacket by Stubbs, and many more. Take a look here.
There are two gift memberships, one for House and one for Exhibition.
Exhibition Memberships are from £78.00 and they enjoy benefits such as access to the Supporters' House, a curated programme of House events, unlimited access to exhibitions and all the benefits of Exhibition Membership. There are more benefits than that - you can see them here!
The House Memberships are from £140.00 and you can enjoy benefits such as unlimited free exhibition tickets, invites to member-only previews, a curated programme of in-gallery an digital events and all the benefits of Friend Memberships. The Supporters’ House, which is a private space to relax, and re-charge and connect. Find out more here.
What's coming up at the National Gallery?
There's an exhibition, Zurbarán, the Spanish painter, until the 23rd August; and also Monet and Renoir: Painting Side by Side until the 15th September 2026. And there are fantastic landscapes from Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793–1865), who was one of Austria's greatest landscape painters. But there's more to come, with exhibitions such as Van Eyck: The Portraits, (starting on the 21st November 2026 through to the 11th April 2027) and German Expressionism, Modern Painting 1900-1918, in 2027. See all the exhibitions and events here.
And did you know.... that the National Gallery have some great courses? I do the Talk and Draw course online (no need to head up to London) which is monthly on a Friday at 4pm. And no, you don't have to share your efforts on the zoom call, much to my relief. And that one is free, though they ask for a donation (they suggest £5). You don't have to be a member for this one, but there are member courses only. See what courses are running here.
You can see the exhibitions taking place now and those coming soon here.
Don't forget that the National Gallery has a superb online shop, too, where you can buy all sorts of gifts (including a gift membership) for the art lover in your life! From cards and diaries, to books, prints and posters, accessories (including scarves, bags, totes and jewellery) and stationery, there are also exhibition prints. Visit the National Gallery's online shop here.
If you're looking for a one-off experience, you could look at Virgin Experience Days. They list a National Gallery Italian Renaissance Tour and Two Course Lunch with Prosecco at Locatelli for Two, with an art-expert guided tour of Italian Renaissance Masterpieces, a VOX headset to elevlate the experience and general free admission to the National Gallery, with the opportunity to enjoy the rest of collection at leisure before the tour. There's a two-course (set menu) late lunch, with a glass of Prosecco at the Locatelli restaurant! Tuck into more information about this experience here.