National Gallery outlines woke overhaul to attract more 'diverse visitors' at London museum

The National Gallery is pushing to attract more "diverse visitors" to the historic London museum as part of its new decade-long strategy.

The renowned British institution has unveiled its plans in a 14-page document, titled "National Gallery Strategy 2026-2036".

In its introduction, the National Gallery outlines its vision to tell an even more "varied" story of painting to its visitors.

"We want the National Gallery to be the home to a narrative of painting stretching from Giotto through to the greatest artists of our own time, in the firm belief that even more lives will be enriched," it says.

Last year, the iconic London museum lifted its ban on displaying post-1900 art as part of a revamp that will include a new wing expected to open in the "early 2030s".

The rule has long been in place due to an agreement with Tate, which in turn collects only modern art.

National Gallery director Gabriele Finaldi previously voiced his opposition to the 20th-century cutoff in 2016, declaring how it was “slightly frustrating to reach 1900 and then not go on”.

The 10-year strategy outlines how the museum will be ploughing ahead with adding contemporary pieces to its collection as part of its push to become "the home to the story of painting".

The document states: "We will build a world-class 20th- and 21st-century collection of paintings of recognised merit and significance through purchases, loans, gifts and bequests.

"Previously unrepresented artistic styles, movements and painters will be represented in our displays."

The National Gallery said these additions will "diversify" the type of art it has on offer, with greater representation for differing "chronology, gender, heritage and geography".

It continues: "This expansion is fundamental to our ambition to strengthen connections between art, artists and the public, enabling richer and more comprehensive narratives, building new audience experiences, and expanding the horizons of our research."

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In the strategy's "Inspire Audiences" section, the museum sets out its intention of attracting a wider variety of visitors by "removing barriers to engagement".

It says: "We will develop inspiring programmes, experiences, products and communications that resonate with a broader range of people, making us a place where art and audiences thrive together.

"The National Gallery will become the most engaging gallery in the world."

The document added: "Exhibitions and public programmes will embrace modern and contemporary art to a greater extent, adding dynamism through the presentation of a broader range of arts and artists across media, chronology, gender and cultures."

Earlier this year, the National Gallery became embroiled in another row after depicting a Christian saint as a transgender Asian man.

To retell the story of St Sebastian, who was believed to have been killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians, transgender models have been used by Ming Wong, a Singaporean artist.

The installation involved different videos depicting the trans models playing the Christian saint, where they can be seen to be listening to a seashell, dancing and doing martial arts movements.

At the time, Lucy Marsh, from the Family Education Trust, accused the museum of "rewriting history".

She told the Daily Mail: "Portraying St Sebastian, who is venerated in the Catholic and Orthodox Christian traditions, as a 'transgender' man is not only historically inaccurate but incredibly offensive to Chistians.

"Pretending that an important male saint was secretly trans is ridiculous, because a Roman soldier could not have been female," Ms Marsh added.

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