The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House is open to the public again after a fire in the buildingalthough the rest of the landmark remains closed “until further notice.”
Around 125 firefighters fought the blaze, which broke out on Saturday afternoon as smoke rose over central London.
The fire broke out in an area of the building that did not contain valuable artwork. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The day after the fire, several fire trucks were parked outside. The undamaged art gallery appeared to be as usual, with visitors lining up before the doors opened at 10:00 a.m. CET and milling around inside.
Visitors Paul Clark, his wife Jiorgia and their four children had travelled from Washington state on holiday. The family saw firefighters battling the blaze while travelling on the London Eye on Saturday.
“It was sad to see that,” Clark told the BBC. He said they had feared the artwork had been damaged but were “very relieved” that everything was safe.
Mr Clark said he was a huge fan of Vincent Van Gogh – the gallery houses the painter’s famous self-portrait with a bandaged ear.
The fire broke out in the west wing of the building, which is mainly used as office and storage space.
Somerset House Trust director Jonathan Reekie said there were “no valuable artefacts or works of art” in this part of the building.
The Courtauld Gallery is an art museum that houses the collection of the Samuel Courtauld Trust, including masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The gallery also displays works by the Impressionists Edouard Manet, Claude Monet and Paul Cezanne.
