Columbia Threadneedle Foundation

Art

A vibrant arts sector brings a wide range of social, cultural and economic benefits. For more than 10 years, Columbia Threadneedle has been a major supporter of the arts in the UK through partnerships that span visual arts, art as therapy and art-based education programmes for diverse groups and communities from London and around the UK.

© The National Gallery, London

Strawberry painting - Art thumbnail

© The National Gallery, London

Take One Picture at the National Gallery

Columbia Threadneedle Foundation has partnered with the National Gallery in London since 2018 to support the Gallery’s ‘Take One Picture’ learning programme and exhibition. Complementing the Foundation’s support, Columbia Threadneedle Investments is the exclusive corporate sponsor of Take One Picture.

Take One Picture is the National Gallery’s flagship primary schools programme. Each year the Gallery chooses one painting from the collection to inspire primary classrooms countrywide. The programme aims to put art at the centre of children’s learning, inspiring a lifelong connection with artists, museums and galleries.

Surprised! Henri Rousseau (1844 - 1910)

Henri Rousseau, ‘Surprised!’ 1891 © The National Gallery, London.

A display of work produced by schools based on the painting is then shown at the National Gallery in a dedicated exhibition and a selection is published on the National Gallery website. To be considered for the display, schools submit examples of how a whole class or school has used the picture in a cross-curricular way. Explore Take One Picture here.

We are proud to sponsor the Take One Picture learning programme and exhibition for the seventh consecutive year. For the first time, the exhibition is being displayed outside the walls of the Gallery and on Trafalgar Square, running as part of the Gallery’s Free Festival of Art. This year the National Gallery has selected ‘Surprised!’ (1891) by Henri Rousseau, one of the Gallery’s top 20 most popular and visited paintings, as the source of inspiration.

Take One Picture is the National Gallery’s flagship primary schools programme. Each year the Gallery chooses one painting from the collection to inspire primary classrooms countrywide. The programme aims to put art at the centre of children’s learning, inspiring a lifelong connection with artists, museums and galleries.

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