Free to experience

An immersive experience for children. Step into a hidden world of art and magic at the National Gallery.

The Keeper of Paintings and the Palette of Perception is a free mobile-based experience that uses AR technology to encourage children to explore the exhibition and learn about the paintings.

Visitors are asked to help guide a fictitious Keeper of Paintings to find a lost ‘Palette of Perception’ – a magical object with special gems that gives them ‘powers’ – to engage with the paintings digitally. As they move through the exhibition responding to the app’s story, a new digital world is revealed where visitors can solve puzzles, find hidden secrets, and collect the gems connected to the paintings.

The Keeper of Paintings

For as long as there have been humans, there have been Keepers – immortal, magical beings who exist just outside the normal realms of time and space. Their role is to be caretakers and custodians of our world and the most wondrous things in it.

The Keeper of Paintings is one such being, guardian of the National Gallery’s collection, tasked with using their powers to preserve the magical essence of art and culture through the ages, for every generation.

Joined by their trusty cat sidekick, Claws Monet, the Keeper wields the magic contained within five gems on their Palette of Perception to keep the collection safe.

Unfortunately, even the Keeper can’t always stop things from going wrong, and they often find themselves in need of help from young Keepers-in-training.