National Gallery, Sainsbury Wing Trafalgar Square

This extension to the National Gallery was opened in 1991. [note The architect was Robert Venturi of Venturi Scott Brown Associates of Philadelphia USA. It was designed to complement William Wilkins’ 19th century gallery, to which it is linked at first floor level.]

There is lettering on the outside to the left of the entrance [pic], and in the foyer behind the reception desk, but it is overpowered by other distractions. Going up the grand staircase to the galleries however is one of the country’s largest commissions of carved lettering for many years. The names of some of the Renaissance masters run along a frieze which begins way above your head with Duccio and ends at your feet with Raphael. It was carved by Michael Harvey in 1990 and the forms themselves are very much ‘his’ sharing many characteristics with his lettering for book jackets and his 1990 typeface Ellington.