‘Our capital's cultural biosphere is unrivalled'

As the National Gallery celebrates its 200th birthday, Nick Clark talks to its director Gabriele Finaldi about funding, A-list fans and the challenges of protecting its artworks for future generations

THE chance to celebrate the 200th birthday of a treasured institution comes around fairly rarely. But today, in the very heart of London, the champagne corks will be popping as the National Gallery, one of Britain’s great cultural jewels, hits that venerable age. It will put on a Big Weekend of celebrations, kicked off by a spectacular illumination show projected onto the front of the famous neo-classical building in Trafalgar Square from 9pm tonight.

There will also be concerts — masterminded by Jools Holland — workshops, talks and tours, as well as tales from the gallery’s storied history.

Gabriele Finaldi is the National Gallery director who sees in the 200. “It’s an enormous privilege to be part of the generation that crosses the threshold into its third century,” he says. “It’s not like any year; the bicentenary has galvanised people’s affection for the gallery and their generosity towards it.” He adds, with a laugh: “We’d stretch the birthday celebrations to 200 years if we could.”

Over the past two centuries, more than 300 million people have come to see some of the most recognisable paintings in the history of art. Today they visit from all over the world to experience the joys of work by masters from Leonardo to Turner, Raphael to Van Gogh, Constable to Botticelli.

It may have a global appeal but its importance to London and its inhabitants is at its core. Finaldi, 59, says: “For Londoners, many of us were brought up with the National Gallery; we felt it was ours and it has become a part of the fibre of our lives… It’s embedded in this history of this country and the history of London.”