{"id":423331,"date":"2026-02-13T09:11:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T09:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/423331\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T09:11:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T09:11:08","slug":"londons-national-gallery-to-cut-staff-as-it-faces-8-2m-deficit-the-art-newspaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/423331\/","title":{"rendered":"London\u2019s National Gallery to cut staff as it faces \u00a38.2m deficit – The Art Newspaper"},"content":{"rendered":"

The National Gallery is to make serious cuts, with a significant number of staff expected to leave, in the face of a \u00a38.2m deficit in the coming year. Running costs have increased considerably in recent years, with income now stagnant. The looming cuts will also impact the exhibition programme.<\/p>\n

In a statement to The Art Newspaper, a spokesperson says that the gallery will \u201cbe stopping several of our activities where, for a number of reasons beyond our control, we can no longer justify their costs\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Initially there will be a \u201cvoluntary exit scheme\u201d available to all staff of the National Gallery and its commercial arm. If this does not raise sufficient savings, then compulsory redundancies are possible.<\/p>\n

This news comes after the gallery\u2019s announcement last September that it had received pledges of \u00a3150m each (from Michael Moritz\u2019s Crankstart foundation and the Julia Rausing Trust) for its planned major new extension<\/a>, scheduled for completion in the early 2030s. These donations are ring-fenced and the project is expected to continue as planned.<\/p>\n

Until today\u2019s news of cuts there was little indication of the growing deficit. This was because the financial results for 2024-25 received a major boost from the gallery\u2019s Van Gogh exhibition<\/a>, which attracted a record 335,000 visitors.<\/p>\n

In the current financial year, which ends in March, the gallery expects to face a deficit of around \u00a32m. Unless decisive remedial action is taken now, the 2026-27 deficit is estimated to grow a further \u00a36.2m, totalling \u00a38.2m.<\/p>\n

The gallery spokesperson cites \u201cthe present global landscape with the cost-of-living crisis\u201d as a reason for the deficit. Like other institutions, the gallery \u201dfaces increasing competition for people\u2019s time and share of wallet\u201d, they add.<\/p>\n

The gallery\u2019s visitor numbers have still not recovered from just before Covid, when it had six million visitors a year. In the 12 months ending in September 2025, the figure was 3.8 million. With the reopening of the Sainsbury Wing last May, the figures are improving. But despite rising numbers, visitors are usually coming to see the free permanent collection, rather than buying exhibition tickets or paying for coffees.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A view of George Stubbs’ Whistlejacket at the National Gallery, London<\/p>\n

Photo: Spiroview Inc.<\/a><\/p>\n

The gallery says: \u201cDue to many widely reported circumstances which are beyond our control, such as rises in operational costs and commercial pressures, we have now reached a point where we must make difficult and painful decisions\u2026 To achieve sustainability, we must balance our artistic and educational mission with a new operating structure.\u201d The gallery has also had to navigate newly elevated business rates and national insurance payments, as well as inflation.<\/p>\n

The gallery, as a national museum, currently receives an annual government grant of \u00a332m. Discussions about its finances have been held with the culture department, but there is understood to be little prospect of a substantial rise.<\/p>\n

With regard to the exhibition programme, the cuts could mean fewer free exhibitions, not as many ticketed shows, less international borrowing of artworks, and more expensive tickets. These options are to be explored in the coming months.<\/p>\n

The initial voluntary \u201cexit\u201d scheme offered to staff, who number nearly 500, will include financial incentives to leave. After this, the gallery says it \u201cwill be consulting with staff on plans for going forward\u201d\u2014which could involve compulsory redundancies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all must understand that things have changed,\u201d the gallery spokesperson says. \u201cWe need to make tough decisions now to future-proof the gallery for the years ahead\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The National Gallery is to make serious cuts, with a significant number of staff expected to leave, in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":423332,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,1345,4176,10748,10345,14361,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-423331","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-exclusive","14":"tag-finance","15":"tag-museums","16":"tag-museums-heritage","17":"tag-national-gallery","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom","20":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/423332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}