 The present building , the third to house the National Gallery , was designed by William Wilkins from 1832 to 1838 . Only the façade onto Trafalgar Square remains essentially unchanged from this time , as the building has been expanded piecemeal throughout its history . Wilkins 's building was often criticised for the perceived weaknesses of its design and for its lack of space ; the latter problem led to the establishment of the Tate Gallery for British art in 1897 . The Sainsbury Wing , an extension to the west by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown , is a notable example of Postmodernist architecture in Britain . The current Director of the National Gallery is Gabriele Finaldi . 
