The National Gallery in London will unveil a new site-specific commission by British artist Sir Richard Long on 10 May 2025. Titled "Mud Sun," the five-meter-wide mud work is hand-applied using tidal mud from the River Avon and installed at the top of the grand staircase in the newly transformed Sainsbury Wing. The work has been donated by Dr. Didi Mei Yi Wong to mark the Gallery’s 200th anniversary and will enter its Contextual Collection. It is Long’s second commission for the Gallery, following "River Avon Mud Crescent" (2023).
The commission underscores the National Gallery’s ongoing commitment to contemporary interventions within its historic spaces, particularly as it reopens the renovated Sainsbury Wing. Long’s practice—using natural materials and bodily gesture to create primal forms—continues to resonate in institutional contexts, bridging land art and museum tradition. The donation also highlights the role of private philanthropy in supporting major acquisitions and anniversary programming at national institutions.