National Gallery to open overnight for Van Gogh exhibition finale

The National Gallery in London is offering a unique nocturnal experience for art enthusiasts during the final weekend of its Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibition. For the first time since 2012, the gallery will remain open overnight from 9pm on Friday 17^th January to 10am on Saturday 18^th January 2025. This rare event is part of the closing celebrations of the exhibition, which has attracted over 280,000 visitors since its opening on 14^th September 2024.

The decision to extend opening hours into the night follows the rapid sell-out of additional slots previously made available for the exhibition’s last weekend. This overnight opening echoes a historical precedent set during the gallery’s Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan exhibition, marking only the second instance in its history that the gallery has operated through the night.

Sir Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, expressed his enthusiasm for the extended hours, hoping to inspire visitors in the same way that notable artists such as Lucian Freud, David Hockney and Francis Bacon were inspired during their nocturnal visits. Freud, known for his deep connection with the gallery, famously remarked, “I use the gallery as if it were a doctor, I come for ideas and help.”

Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers is notable for being the gallery’s first exhibition dedicated solely to Vincent van Gogh, focusing on his imaginative transformations of his subjects. The exhibition features over 60 works, including loans from international museums and private collections.

In addition to the exhibition, the gallery is celebrating its 200^th anniversary with a series of events and exhibitions under the banner NG200. This includes the digital exhibition NG Stories, showcasing the gallery’s history, and several other notable exhibitions like Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350 and José María Velasco: A View of Mexico.

The gallery also plans to unveil several new initiatives and spaces in 2024, including the reopening of the Sainsbury Wing and a new Learning Centre, enhancing its offerings to the public.

For those unable to visit in person, the gallery offers an alternative way to experience the exhibition through a 90-minute film, Exhibition on Screen: Van Gogh Poets and Lovers, available in cinemas across the UK and Europe. The film provides in-depth insights into Van Gogh’s works and the thematic underpinnings of the exhibition.

Tickets for the overnight opening are available for purchase now.

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Image: Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers, 1888; oil on canvas 92.1 × 73 cm, Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1924, © The National Gallery 

Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers is at the National Gallery from 14^th September 2024 until 19^th January 2025. For further information or to book visit the exhibition’s website here.