Time capsule discovery sheds light on the behind-the-scenes tensions during the Sainsbury Wing鈥檚 construction
A surprising discovery at the National Gallery has brought to light a decades-old critique by one of its key benefactors.
Contractors renovating Venturi Scott Brown鈥檚 Sainsbury Wing uncovered a hidden letter from 1990, in which John Sainsbury expressed strong disapproval of aspects of the architectural design.
A report in The Art Newspaper has revealed that the letter, buried within a column in the foyer of the Sainsbury Wing at London鈥檚 National Gallery, shows that John Sainsbury believed the architects had made a significant error.
In the letter, typed on Sainsbury鈥檚 supermarket stationery, John Sainsbury criticised the American postmodernist architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown for incorporating two large, non-structural columns in the foyer. Sainsbury described these columns as a 鈥渕istake鈥� but expressed overall satisfaction with the architects鈥� design.
During the construction, Sainsbury discreetly placed the letter into one of the columns, encasing it in a plastic folder for protection. The letter was only discovered last year, as part of ongoing renovations to the foyer.
Dated 26 July 1990, the letter was addressed 鈥淭o those who find this note鈥�. The note read:
鈥淚F YOU HAVE FOUND THIS NOTE YOU MUST BE ENGAGED IN DEMOLISHING ONE OF THE FALSE COLUMNS THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED IN THE FOYER OF THE SAINSBURY WING OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY. I BELIEVE THAT THE FALSE COLUMNS ARE A MISTAKE OF THE ARCHITECT AND THAT WE WOULD LIVE TO REGRET OUR ACCEPTING THIS DETAIL OF HIS DESIGN.
鈥淟ET IT BE KNOWN THAT ONE OF THE DONORS OF THIS BUILDING IS ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED THAT YOUR GENERATION HAS DECIDED TO DISPENSE WITH THE UNNECESSARY COLUMNS.鈥�
Last year, the National Gallery embarked on an 拢85m project to refurbish the Sainsbury Wing. Annabelle Selldorf鈥檚 redesign, which included the removal of the non-structural columns, aimed to create a more open and welcoming foyer to accommodate an increased number of visitors. However, the decision to demolish the columns was met with significant opposition.
Robert Venturi died in 2018, but his partner, Denise Scott Brown, has been a vocal critic of the redesign. 鈥淪he鈥檚 making our building look like a circus clown,鈥� Scott Brown said of Selldorf鈥檚 redesign in an interview. 鈥淭here are elements of tragedy 鈥� circus clowns are made up to look happy, but they鈥檙e not. This is a circus clown wearing a tutu.鈥�
Other opponents of the proposals included eight former RIBA presidents and the campaign group the Twentieth Century Society. The RIBA past presidents called the proposed changes 鈥渄rastic鈥�, 鈥渋rreversible鈥� and 鈥渋nsensitive鈥�, arguing that Selldorf鈥檚 vision 鈥渃hanges a finely conceived space into an airport lounge鈥�.
Westminster City Council approved Selldorf鈥檚 plans, and the columns in the Grade I listed building were removed last year. The letter, now archived as an important historical document, offers a rare glimpse into Sainsbury鈥檚 thoughts and the behind-the-scenes tensions surrounding the design of one of London鈥檚 most significant art spaces.
The refurbished Sainsbury Wing is now set to reopen in May next year.
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