Press Releases

With four days left to vote, over the past 10 days the public have been voting for their favourite paintings. Anyone can vote for any painting in a UK collection. Old or new, British or foreign. Titian, Constable, Renoir, Monet, Frida Kahlo or Beryl Cook. If it’s your favourite – you can vote for it.

The result will be announced on September 5, live on the Radio 4 Today programme (92-95 FM / 198 LW) in a broadcast from the National Gallery, London.

“The National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff is one of dozens of galleries across the country getting involved, and we are hoping that a picture from our national collection is named ‘The Greatest Painting in Britain,” said Dr Ann Sumner, Curator (FINE ART), National Museum. “Our most popular paintings are:-

• Renoir La Parisienne 1874
• Thomas Jones Buildings in Naples 1782
• Monet San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight 1908
• Francis Bacon Study for Self Portrait 1963
• Van de Cappelle A Calm 1654

“But we need YOUR support to get everybody in Wales involved in this exciting opportunity to raise the profile of our national collections. The popular choice will almost certainly be La Parisienne by Renoir, one of our greatest artistic treasures with an international reputation. Here in Cardiff the public have long called the picture ‘The Blue Lady’ and her post card is a best seller. On the other hand recent research and publicity on the 18th century Welsh landscape painter Thomas Jones has meant that his Building in Naples also has an instantly recognisable appeal. Traditionalists may prefer our great Old Master painting of A Calm by Van de Capelle and our Bacon Self Portrait is much admired as well. We would really appreciate the Welsh public voting on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme website and letting us know which paintings they like best. My overall feeling is that La Parisienne will triumph! She’s a popular image – a young girl gliding across the picture surface, putting on her gloves. The blues in the picture are magnificent.”

HOW DOES THE POLL WORK?

The First Round - From 25 July to 8 August, the public are able to vote for any painting in Britain. If it is a painting, and it is in a UK collection (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), you can vote for it.

All voting will be done via the Today programme website at www.bbc.co.uk/today. You can also record comments and opinions about the paintings, as well as casting your vote.

To create a lively national debate, a panel of celebrity advocates will be discussing their favourite paintings on the Today programme. These will include Alexander McQueen, Boris Johnson, Sir Paul Smith, Grayson Perry, Marcus Harvey and John Virtue.

Dedicated web pages on www.bbc.co.uk/today and www.nationalgallery.org.uk will help stimulate a debate about what your favourite painting might be.

The Shortlist — From 15 August, voting moves to a shortlist of the Top 10 paintings – as voted for by the public.

Voting will again be via www.bbc.co.uk/today.

The Today programme will host three weeks of debate around the shortlisted paintings.

The Final – 5 September at the National Gallery. Today presenter, James Naughtie, and National Gallery Director, Charles Saumarez Smith, will reveal to the nation live on Radio 4, exactly which the British public think is 'The Greatest Painting in Britain.'

Other NMGW sites are the National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff, Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans, Big Pit: National Mining Museum, Blaenafon — winner of this year's prestigious Gulbenkian Prize, Roman Legionary Museum, Caerleon, and National Woollen Museum, Dre-fach Felindre. Opening later this year is the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, telling the innovative story of the peoples and industry of Wales. Entry to the National Museum & Gallery is free, thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

For further information please contact:

Julie Richards, Press Officer
National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff
tel: 07876 476695
email: Julie.richards@museumwales.ac.uk

For PUBLIC information quote 020 7747 2885 information@ng-london.org.uk