The National Gallery in London has announced that it will develop a new wing and public space on its campus. It will also expand its collection to include twentieth- and twenty-first-century art.
The initiative, called Project Domani, has already attracted £375 million in cash pledges. The Julia Rausing Trust and the Crankstart foundation have each pledged £150 million, the two largest ever single cash donations to a museum or gallery globally.
The Julia Rausing Trust is a UK-based grantmaking organisation. This gift is the single largest donation it has ever pledged. Hans Rausing, founder trustee of the Trust said that ‘my beloved wife Julia was a passionate supporter of the National Gallery and its role in making great art accessible to all. She would have wholeheartedly embraced the vision and ambition behind this project, recognising its potential to transform the understanding and appreciation of art, and to reinforce the Gallery’s role on the world stage.’
Crankstart is a San Francisco-based foundation created by the philanthropic couple Michael Moritz, a venture capitalist, and Harriet Heyman, an author.
The National Gallery is launching an architectural competition on 10 September to find a designer for the new space that will be built on the site of St. Vincent House.
