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The Queen's Gallery contains
treasures from the vast Royal Collection. Her
Majesty possesses one of the finest and most valuable art
collections in the world. It
is particularly rich in the works of old masters such as Leonardo
da Vinci and Rembrandt.
The Royal Collection is a tribute
to the patronage and artistic taste of Kings and Queens from
the 16th to the 21st centuries. Held in trust by the
Queen for her successor and the nation, the collection is
completely self-funded.
This small gallery, on the southwest
corner of Buckingham
Palace, was opened in 1962 at the suggestion of
the Queen and Prince Philip, who wished to establish a public
gallery to display works of art from The Royal Collection.
For many years the Queen's art
adviser was Sir Anthony Blunt, but in 1979 he was exposed
as a Soviet spy and stripped of his knighthood.
The regularly changing exhibitions,
based on a theme, give the public a chance to see some of
the 9,000 works of art displayed in the Royal palaces or kept
in store.
Until 1962 The Queen's Gallery
was used as a conservatory and at one time the building was
also used as a chapel. After remodelling by the architects
John Simpson and Partners, The Queen's Gallery re-opened in
May 2002 in time for Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee celebrations.
Admission charge
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