Glorious: Bernardo Bellotto at the National Gallery reviewed

What is the National Gallery playing at? Why, in this summer of stop-start tropical storms, is the NG making visitors — visitors with prebooked, time-slotted tickets, mind — queue outside and in the rain? Why are its cloakrooms still closed and umbrellas forbidden? My husband had to stash his behind a balustrade on Orange Street. Why, with a 1:45 ticket, were we not through the doors until 2:05? Why make your harassed marshals, doing the best they can, shout ticket times and field questions from furious picture-fanciers? Lousy sort of freedom this. The V&A, by the way, is just as bad.

I used to roll my eyes at the ‘it’s your collection’ shtick given to every schoolchild, but then they closed the gallery and then they made you book and then they made you wait outside on stormy Sunday afternoons and now I think: ‘Yes, it is my bloody collection and I used to bloody walk right in.’