More than 700 people attended the National Gallery Summer Party on Thursday 15 June 2023 – the Gallery’s second summer party and fundraiser for NG200, The National Gallery’s Bicentenary campaign.
Celebrity guests including Bella Freud, Bianca Jagger, Felicity Jones, Maya Jama, Rocco Ritchie, Francesca Hayward, Emily Boateng, Pearl Mackie, Sir Grayson Perry – plus many more – explored a dramatically transformed National Gallery, home to some of the world’s most famous artworks.
For one night only, the galleries became the grandest of country houses with, with performances, styling and a menu to match. It was inspired by the artistic fervour celebrated in our new major exhibition After Impressionism: Inventing Modern Art, an exhilarating time when artists were freed from the old order and modern art was born.
There was also a surprise performance from multi-award-winning singer and songwriter Celeste, who joined forces with renowned saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, to entertain delighted guests with a very special set. They performed within a beautiful bespoke soundscape created especially for the night by DJ and producer John Gosling and Robert Ames, co-Artistic Director of London Contemporary Orchestra and devised as a modern interpretation of Claude Debussy’s Jeux.
The National Gallery would like to give special thanks to Headline Partner, Burberry, Tara and Tim Falk-Mitchell and The Al Thani Collection Foundation, Nyetimber and additional support from Ladurée, MarGin, Kavka Vodka and Berry Bros & Rudd.
The National Gallery Bicentenary
On 10 May 2024 the National Gallery will be 200 years old, marking two centuries of bringing people and paintings together. For 12 months, we will celebrate our past and look forward to our future with a year-long festival of art, creativity and imagination which sets the tone for our third century.
As the Gallery for the nation, we serve communities from our local Westminster area to the furthest reaches of the UK with a national programme of exhibitions and learning projects. We will also invite the world into the gallery as virtual visitors to share in our stories and research told by a wide array of voices, the National Gallery is a space for everyone everywhere.
As a culmination of our celebrations, the National Gallery will host a spectacular extravaganza of art within its newly remodelled space, welcoming everyone inside as well as spilling out into Trafalgar Square and its vicinity.
The Summer Party is an extraordinary, fundraising event directly supporting the local, national and international NG200 celebrations as we accelerate our journey to being the Gallery for the Nation.
The total cost of the NG200 Programme is £95 million, and the Gallery is delighted to have already secured pledges and commitments approaching £83 million, with the Summer Party playing a vital role in the ongoing campaign to raise the rest of the funds.
National Gallery Director of Development, Anh Nguyen, said ‘Thank you to all our friends, donors and supporters who came out to support the National Gallery last night at our Summer Party. The fundraiser generated crucial funds for our Bicentenary campaign – an initiative to ensure the Gallery remains the people’s gallery as we forge a pathway to being the National Gallery of the future.
We were overwhelmed by the love and the appreciation shown by guests for the National Gallery and look forward to celebrating our 200th birthday next year.’
