Rail operator hosts live art class on board train to celebrate the National Gallery partnership

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Northern, has celebrated the National Gallery’s 200^th anniversary by running its first ever live art class on a train.

The activity aimed to drum up visitors to the Rembrandt exhibition, currently on loan at the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery as part of the ‘National Treasures’ campaign. To celebrate the two organisations working together, GTR offered art aficionados the chance to improve their drawing skills with a unique class on board the Gatwick Express.

Eight lucky art enthusiasts were treated to a two-hour lesson, led by Brighton-based artist, Sara Reeve, which saw the group travel from Brighton to London and back.

Sara, who starred in Sky’s Portrait Artist of the Year 2023, helped participants enhance their drawing skills with a series of warm up exercises before she challenged everyone to draw their best self-portraits.

The one-off class was created to inspire people to visit the exhibition, where art lovers can see Rembrandt’s artwork, Self Portrait at the Age of 34, on display until Sunday 4^th August.

Jenny Saunders, Customers Services Director for Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “To encourage people to visit this prestigious exhibition in Brighton, we wanted to offer a unique experience they’ll remember for years to come. Although the National Gallery is based in London, having this exhibition in Sussex is brilliant because it makes art more accessible to people living in the south of England. As the only train operator in the area, we’re excited to bring culture seekers to Brighton and Hove to discover all the city has to offer.”

The National Gallery has lent 11 more beloved paintings from its collection to museums across the UK, each of whom have programmed exhibitions around them. One of the exhibitions is at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge until 10 September. Customers can travel to Cambridge on GTR’s Thameslink and Great Northern services.

Kate Turnbull, Head of Marketing, Digital and Communications for Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, said: “We have been honoured to host this wonderful Rembrandt masterpiece in Brighton Museum & Art Gallery for the first time ever, thanks to the National Gallery. It’s absolutely brilliant the exhibition has inspired this unique art class on the train by artist, Sara Reeve, and we hope everyone enjoys creating their own mini-Rembrandt, before seeing the real thing for themselves.”

Artist, Sara Reeve, said the art class was “an incredible experience” to lead, adding: “We’ve all been so inspired by Rembrandt’s Self Portrait at the Age of 34 - it’s a beautiful painting which really needs to be seen in real life at the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.”

To find out more and to book your trip to Brighton, visit Southern Rail, Gatwick Express or Thameslink.

Notes to editors

• Sara Reeve was a semi-finalist on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2023. See her work here
• National Treasures: Botticelli in Cambridge featuring the painting “Venus and Mars” (about 1485) is on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum until 10 September
• For more information about the National Gallery’s 200^th anniversary exhibitions, click here