Sainsbury Wing

The Sainsbury Wing is an extension of the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square in London, purpose-built to house the museum's collection of Early Renaissance paintings. Designed by the American architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, the building opened in 1991 and was commissioned following a famously contentious public debate about modern architecture in Britain. Its postmodern facade, which references the classical stonework of the original Wilkins building while departing from it in deliberate and witty ways, remains one of the most discussed pieces of late-twentieth-century architecture in the capital.

Inside, the wing's top-lit galleries display works by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and their contemporaries, offering a dedicated space for paintings produced between 1250 and 1500. Visitors can explore these galleries as part of The Official National Gallery Guided Tour, which provides expert commentary on the collection and its broader context within one of the world's great public art institutions.