National Gallery finds historical connections to slavery

Sixty-seven individuals associated with the National Gallery's history had connections to slavery and abolition, research has found.

Launched in 2018, the gallery's project is reviewing whether its historical collectors, trustees, donors, painters and founders benefited from the slave trade, or had links to slavery and the abolitionist movement.

It has covered years 1824 to 1880 thus far, finding a further 79 individuals with no relation to slavery or abolition.

The work is a collaboration with University College London’s Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery, who are creating an online archive to present the data.

Work has begun on the project’s third phase, covering years 1880 to 1920, before a final phase investigating picture owners from 1640 is launched.