Letter Critiques National Gallery's Design Choices

During recent renovations at London's National Gallery, demolition workers discovered a hidden letter from 1990 inside a column of the Sainsbury Wing, written by the late John Sainsbury. The letter criticized the false columns, which served no structural purpose, and expressed delight that future generations chose to remove them. Sainsbury, a major donor to the gallery, had inserted the note during construction, reflecting his disagreement with the architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. His widow, Anya Linden, expressed satisfaction at the rediscovery of the letter, aligning with Sainsbury's views on the gallery's redesign. However, some, including architect Denise Scott Brown and former gallery director Neil MacGregor, opposed the removal of the columns. The letter has now been archived as a historical document.