National Gallery windfall

National Gallery windfall

Mark Getty, with his uncle Gordon Getty, has given 10 million to the National Gallery, London. Mark is the creator of Getty Images, one of the world’s major digital archives. He is one of two sons of Sir Paul Getty’s first marriage. The fund will cover the majority of the cost of re-designed public spaces, new cafes and facilities, and improved street level access from the soon to be fully pedestrianised Trafalgar Square to the north. The Getty funding carries with it the request that the Getty name will be clearly and prominently displayed in future, Sainsbury-wise. This is highly overdue, given the original 50 million bequest in l985 by Sir Paul Getty. Not that requests to the Sainsbury family are now in the past. Sainsbury sources, it is hoped, will fund improvements to the Sainsbury Wing, now suffering from the effects of ten years and 25 million visitors.