Do you remember the 2006 fantasy-comedy film Night at the Museum? It stars Ben Stiller as a night security guard, employed to guard the American Museum of Natural History, who discovers that, every evening, the exhibits come to life.
Imagine if, the sun slipping below the horizon, Hope the female blue whale, who dangles from the ceiling of London’s own Natural History Museum, were to suddenly emit a blast of sonorous whale song. Or if the World War tanks on display at the Imperial War Museum spluttered back to life. Or if the Parthenon sculptures, better known as the Elgin Marbles, straightened their togas and toddled off back to Athens.
Well, imagine no more because on Friday, May 9 one lucky person will get the chance to spend the night at the National Gallery — and be able to reveal once and for all if such magical things ever actually happen.
Why? Because the National Gallery is launching a prize draw to find the first member of the public to enter the fully-finished Sainsbury Wing, following its two-year closure. The winner will get to spend the night in a bed planted on the ‘bridge’ which connects the newly refurbished Wing with the rest of the gallery, within sight of some of the world’s greatest paintings. Will Stubb’s Whistlejacket whinny at dawn? Will steam begin to rise from the tug boat in Turner’s Fighting Temeraire?
Founded by this country’s Parliament in 1824, the National Gallery is considered to be one of the greatest galleries in the world — housing treasures such as Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne and van Gogh’s Sunflowers. What is even more astonishing is that admission is still free. Before settling into peaceful slumber, the competition winner will enjoy a guided tour of C C Land: The Wonder of Art — the Gallery’s blockbuster rehanging of its entire 1-000 strong collection to celebrate the Sainsbury Wing reopening and the tail-end of its 200th birthday year. ‘When you visit, the way we display the collection from our oldest to most recent paintings may be familiar,’ they say. ‘But rather than telling a single story of the history of art, we’ll introduce new narratives. So, you’ll find unexpected, themed rooms that tell us about the making of art, particular types of painting like portraits or flower paintings, or an individual artist. And we’ll pair works together across centuries.’ As the winner wakes up on the morning of Saturday, May 10, they will get the chance to enjoy a breakfast hamper ahead of the first proper public opening at 10am (so no long lie-ins please).
The competition is open until 6pm on Monday, April 28 and is available to anyone who subscribes to the Gallery’s newsletter. The prize also includes dinner for two at Locatelli, the National Gallery’s restaurant, soon to be opened by Michelin-star chef Georgio Locatelli.
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