National Gallery (London)

Founded in 1824 when the British government purchased 38 paintings from banker John Julius Angerstein, the National Gallery in Westminster, London, attracts 3,100,000 visitors annually. Unlike continental European national museums founded on nationalized royal collections, the gallery's collection was assembled through parliamentary purchases and private benefactions to serve the public. Masterpieces on display include Jan van Eyck's The Arnolfini Portrait (1434), Leonardo da Vinci's The Virgin of the Rocks, J. M. W. Turner's The Fighting Temeraire, and Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers. Admission to the main permanent collection has remained free of charge since the museum's founding, ensuring broad democratic access to fine art.