The DNA of Dulwich Picture Gallery is aspirational, in the sincerest sense. Opening in 1817 when private collections were still the norm, it’s the world’s first purpose-built public art gallery. (It’s also a credible contender for inspiring the design of the red telephone box.) After a significant reworking, and the addition of a new children’s space and sculpture garden, the Gallery is again hoping to redefine what it means to make art accessible.

The Grade II*-listed building was Sir John Soane’s utterly original embodiment of the dying wish of the founders: for their collection of old masters to ‘go down to Posterity for the benefit of the Public’. There’s an unapologetic Enlightenment idealism at the heart of this demand for everyone to be able to partake in Europe’s cultural canon. This is baked into the architecture too, which originally included almshouses (since converted into gallery space).

So it’s admirable that the Gallery is determined to continue expanding its audience, even to those aged eight and under. While it’s hardly the first cultural venue to offer a playground, it has made the wise........

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