Located at the National Gallery, the Sainsbury Wing gives visitors a space to explore and study the museum’s collection of early Renaissance paintings. The Sainsbury Wing was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on July 9, 1991, and it was presented by Sainsbury brothers: John, Simon, and Timothy. Originally, the Hampton’s Furniture Store was the occupant of the collection, but it was destroyed during the Blitz in 1940. Initially there was a competition to determine the new design for a new wing in 1981 until the winning architects stirred controversy because of their design resulting in a halt to the extension. However, the Sainsbury brothers revived the proposal extension and funded the construction of the new wing in April 1985 with Robert Venturi as the new architects.
Categories