The palace is undergoing a 10-year refit to
replace dangerous electrical wiring and boilers, and refurbish
other ageing infrastructure, a programme that will cost about
370 million pounds ($494 million) and is due to finish in 2027.
As part of this work, the 200-year-old roof of the Picture
Gallery will be replaced and all the paintings, including works
by Canaletto, Vermeer and Rembrandt have been removed for the
first time in almost 45 years, Buckingham Palace said on Monday.
"Their removal is the culmination of months of planning between
the Reservicing Programme Management Office and Royal Collection
Trust," the palace said.
"The works are widely acknowledged as highlights of the Royal
Collection and 65 are now due to go on public display together
nearby at The Queen’s Gallery."
The Picture Gallery, one of the principal State Rooms at the
palace, was created by George IV in the 1820s.
($1 = 0.7488 pounds)
(Reporting by Michael Holden, editing by Elizabeth Piper)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](column_spacer.png)
|
|