The King's Gallery, previously known as the Queen's Gallery, is a public art gallery at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

, the official residence of the

British monarch The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the British con ...

, in London. First opened to the public in the reign of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

in 1962, it exhibits works of art from the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...

on a rotating basis. Enlarged in the early 21st century, the gallery has its own separate public access entrance built in a "new" classical style and typically displays about 450 works, mainly paintings and drawings.

Building history

The gallery forms the most protruding south wing of the Palace. It is on the site of the palace chapel bombed during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The purpose-built gallery opened in 1962; in the next 37 years it received five million visitors, until its closure in 1999 for refurbishment and expansion. The work was commissioned from architect John Simpson. On 21 May 2002, the gallery was reopened by Elizabeth II to coincide with her

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali language, ...

. The new work included a Doric entrance portico and new rooms, more than tripling the space available. It is open to the public for most of the year.

Exhibitions

*From May to October 2019, the Gallery housed an exhibition of 200 of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

's drawings from the

References

Sources

*Fisher, Mark (2004). ''Britain's Best Museums and Galleries''. London:

Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

External links

* {{authority control 1962 establishments in England Art museums and galleries established in 1962 Art museums and galleries in London Buckingham Palace Gallery Museums in the City of Westminster Royal buildings in London

Building history

Exhibitions

See also

References

Sources

External links