London’s National Gallery to cut staff as it faces £8.2m deficit

London’s National Gallery is preparing staff reductions and program cuts after projecting an £8.2 million deficit for 2026–27, The Art Newspaper reported on 13 February 2026. The museum is offering a “voluntary exit scheme” to all employees (including its commercial arm) and said compulsory redundancies are possible if savings are insufficient. The gallery expects a deficit of around £2 million in the current financial year ending in March, and estimates the shortfall could grow by a further £6.2 million the following year. The report also noted that a 2024–25 Van Gogh exhibition drew a record 335,000 visitors, while overall attendance in the 12 months ending September 2025 was 3.8 million, down from about six million annually pre-Covid, and that £150 million pledges from both the Crankstart foundation (Michael Moritz) and the Julia Rausing Trust remain ring-fenced for a major extension planned for the early 2030s.

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