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National Gallery picks Tokyo Olympic stadium architect to design new wing

The National Gallery in London has selected Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to design a major new wing as part of its ambitious £750m "Project Domani." Kuma, known for the Tokyo Olympic stadium and V&A Dundee, beat out high-profile competitors including Norman Foster and Renzo Piano. The expansion will occupy a site near Trafalgar Square currently housing a hotel and office complex, and is supported by record-breaking £150m donations from both the Julia Rausing Trust and the Crankstart foundation.

article news schedule Sep 8, 2025 visibility 20 link 10 artists

London’s National Gallery receives record-breaking donations for new wing—and will start collecting contemporary art

London's National Gallery has announced plans for a major new extension, costing around £400 million, with £375 million already raised in record-breaking donations. Two anonymous pledges of £150 million each, from Michael Moritz's Crankstart foundation and the Julia Rausing Trust, are described by director Gabriele Finaldi as the largest-ever known cash donations to any cultural institution globally. The new wing, to be built on the site of St Vincent House, will open in the early 2030s following an international architectural competition launching on 12 September. The gallery also revealed it will begin collecting 20th-century and contemporary art, expanding its traditional cutoff of around 1900, in collaboration with Tate.

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