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![]() The National building and Royal Scottish Academy building, viewed from the South (2005) | |
Former names | Scottish National Gallery, National Gallery of Scotland |
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Established | 1859 |
Location | The Mound, Edinburgh |
Coordinates | 55°57′3″N 3°11′44″W / 55.95083°N 3.19556°W |
Visitors | 1,583,231 (2019)[1] |
Public transit access | |
Website | www |
The National (formerly the Scottish National Gallery) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by William Henry Playfair, and first opened to the public in 1859.[2]
The gallery houses Scotland's national collection of fine art, spanning Scottish and international art from the beginning of the Renaissance up to the start of the 20th century.
The National is run by National Galleries Scotland, a public body that also owns the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Because of its architectural similarity, the National is frequently confused by visitors with the neighbouring Royal Scottish Academy Building (RSA), a separate institution which works closely with the National.[3]