National Gallery of Scotland
The National Gallery of Scotland is located on The Mound, just off Princes Street, in the heart of historic Edinburgh. The gallery's history dates back to 1819, when the Royal Scottish Institute was founded. Here you can admire some of the best works of art located in Scotland.
Gallery Keepers
The Victorian artist James Drummond not only exhibited his paintings at the Scottish National Gallery, but also worked there from 1868 to 1877. James Drummond's dramatic painting Porteous Mob from 1855 was exhibited when the Gallery first opened in 1859. Drummond was also appointed the second chief curator of the gallery in 1868.
The only building
The building of the Scottish National Gallery originally housed two different organizations, each with its own entrance. The east side was occupied by the Royal Scottish Academy from 1855 to 1910. The Scottish National Gallery itself had a west side. After the Royal Scottish Academy moved next door to the former Royal Institute building, the National Gallery was transformed into a single gallery, which reopened in 1912.
Famous paintings
The National Gallery of Scotland's collection covers Western art with a particular focus on Scottish works. Highlights include paintings by Constable, Botticelli, Cezanne, Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Rembrandt and Titian. Apart from this cursory list, the collection covers a huge number of disparate styles and time periods, from the Old Masters to the French Impressionists. One of the earliest works in the gallery is "The Virgin and Child Enthroned" or "Altar", a painted panel designed to create an altarpiece in churches. The painting was painted around 1418 by Lorenzo de Monaco (Pier di Giovanni).
The Art Building
Scottish art galleries occupy the lower level, while Italian Renaissance, Dutch and Flemish art occupy the ground floor. On the upper floor there are galleries of the Northern and Gothic Revival, French Impressionists and works of the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum is surrounded by some of the city's most famous landmarks, including Edinburgh Castle to the southwest, St. Giles Cathedral to the southeast, the Scott Monument to the northeast, and the city's main shopping street, Princess Street, to the north.
