Buckingham Palace’s Picture Gallery will reopen this summer after a major transformation. The Royal Collection described it as a “once-in-a-generation re-display,” which nearly doubled the number of masterpieces on display from 63 to 120 paintings. This required 875 hours of meticulous hanging.
New Additions and Renovations
Paintings by Rubens, Caravaggio, and Zoffany are among those on show. New additions include Zoffany’s The Tribuna of the Uffizi, commissioned by Queen Charlotte but never displayed in her apartments because she disliked its crowded composition. It was last hung in the Picture Gallery in 1841. Visitors will also see A Rough Dog by George Stubbs, believed to depict George IV’s large pet dog, and Thomas Gainsborough’s portrait of Johann Christian Fisch. Five Rembrandt paintings and Rubens’s Self Portrait are shown facing a newly-added portrait he painted of his friend Anthony Van Dyck.
The state room’s coral pink velvet wall coverings, dating from 1976, have been replaced with vibrant new emerald-green silk damask.
Curator’s Perspective
Anna Reynolds, surveyor of the King’s pictures, said: “This re-hang is an exciting and rare opportunity to significantly increase the number of world-class paintings on display for visitors, in line with our charitable aim to share as much of the Royal Collection as possible. It continues the longstanding tradition of renovations and re-hangs in the Picture Gallery that have commonly taken place following a change of reign, and we are delighted to be able to share it with as many people as possible this summer.”
Historical Color Changes
The 47-metre-long gallery, added to the palace by architect John Nash in the 19th century, has changed color numerous times due to shifting tastes and fabric ageing. It has been golden yellow, lilac (Victorian period), crimson red, and olive green (most of the 20th century). It switched to pink 50 years ago and now, amid material deterioration, has been updated to emerald green.
Royal Use and Visitor Access
The room is used by the royal family to host guests, including President Donald Trump in 2019 during a state visit. The gallery is also seen by more than half a million visitors each year.
The transformation was unveiled a fortnight after it was announced the King and Queen will never live at Buckingham Palace. Charles and Camilla will stay at Clarence House instead, despite the £369 million renovation of the palace. The Duke of Sussex will also not be staying at the palace during his ongoing UK trip. The King’s youngest son missed the opportunity to stay after initially rejecting an offer for his family, and then accepting too late for arrangements to be made for a one-night stay in the 775-room palace. Buckingham Palace also believes the timing, amid judgment in Harry’s legal case against Associated Newspapers on Tuesday, could have compromised the King’s constitutional position.
Summer Opening Details
The summer opening of Buckingham Palace runs from July 9 to September 27 this year. A Rolls-Royce Phantom IV used by the royal family will be on display in the Grand Entrance Portico. In the Family Pavilion on the West Terrace, handwritten letters sent to the King by children from around the world will be shown, highlighting shared interests such as the environment and sustainability. Also new this year is a large oil study of the King by Jonathan Yeo, made in 2023 in preparation for the first official portrait of Charles after his coronation, commissioned by The Drapers’ Company. The red-hued depiction was recently gifted to the Royal Collection by Yeo and hangs in the Silk Tapestry Room adjacent to the Picture Gallery. Tickets for the summer opening are available at www.rct.uk and +44 (0)303 123 7300.
