1. National Gallery
This famous gallery houses one of most important collections of paintings in the world. The gallery has around 2,300 paintings dating back to the 13th century, including works by some of the greatest artists to have ever lived.
Holbein, Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Constable, Canaletto and Michelangelo are just a flavour of the artists whose works are exhibited at the National Gallery.
Some of the gallery’s must-see highlights include the Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck, The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci, The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger and Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. Yet this represents the tip of the iceberg in terms of the masterpieces held at the National gallery.
Visitors will find the paintings arranged by date period, with each period colour coded on the gallery’s floor plan. The permanent collections are exhibited on level 2 of the gallery, with the Sainsbury Wing, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991, containing paintings from the early renaissance period.
Level 0 is where you will find the gallery’s shops and cafes. The largest store is located in the Sainsbury Wing, where you will also find a large selection of specialist books. The National cafe serves hot and cold food, while the Espresso bar also offers light refreshments. The gallery opens every day from 10am, with free admission to 700 years of art.
2. Dulwich Picture Galley
Founded in 1811, this is the world’s first purpose-built public art gallery, which today remains a vibrant and important exhibitor of modern and historic artworks. The gallery building was originally designed by renowned architect John Soanes to house Dulwich College’s collection of paintings.
Visitors to Dulwich Picture gallery can view works from European masters including Rubens, Canaletto, Rembrandt, Gainsborough and Constable. Particular highlights are Girl at a Window by Rembrandt and Samson and Delilah by Anthony Van Dyck. As well as the permanent collection of works from the old masters, the gallery hosts some of the nation’s leading exhibitions highlighting the best in modern British art.
Public talks and community engagement are features of the gallery, which aims to be inclusive to all. The purpose built gallery offers one of the best examples of gallery architecture too. Be sure to check out the mausoleum for the gallery’s founders, which is located on the west side of the gallery building and was designed to recall a funeral monument.
Adult admission prices are £16.50, with concessions starting from £8. The gallery can be found on Gallery road and opens Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5pm. The Dulwich Picture gallery has a cafe and gardens where you can relax for a bite to eat, as well as a shop where you can buy all your mementos and gifts.
3. White Cube
White Cube exhibits the best in international contemporary art. London is home to two White Cube galleries, providing further access to some of the best known contemporary artists of our time. Among the artists represented by White Cube are Damien Hirst, Sarah Morris, Tracey Emin, Anthony Gormley and Theaster Gates.
The White Cube galleries exhibit a diverse range of media and subject matters. The exhibitions are frequently changed to provide continual stimulation and interest for visitors to the galleries. The gallery rooms are large white spaces with a concrete style floor and overhead lighting. The interior decor combines art gallery and museum for a striking effect.
The Bermondsey gallery is the largest of the two London White Cube offerings, with 58,000 square feet housing exhibition space, warehousing, an auditorium and private viewing spaces. The smaller gallery at Masons Yard located off Duke Street in St. James was opened in 2006. Here, there are galleries across two levels, with 5,000 square foot of exhibition space.
Both White Cube galleries provide an opportunity to admire contemporary art from some of the world’s greatest artists. The galleries are open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 6pm and are free to enter. The Bermondsey gallery is also open on Sundays from 12pm to 6pm and houses a bookshop too.
4. Tate Modern
This is another one of London’s big hitters, a must-see attraction for any visitor to the capital. This is a gallery dedicated to international modern and contemporary art, with more than 60,000 works forming its permanent collection.
Housed in the former Bankside power station with its landmark chimney, the re-designed interiors provide a striking setting for this world renowned art gallery.
The huge Turbine hall sits at the centre of the gallery and has housed significant installations such as The Weather Project by Olafur Eliasson. Another feature of this impressive building are the tanks which used to contain the oil that once powered the station’s generators. Now these large underground spaces are ideal for staging live performance art.
Artists who have staged installations and works at the Tate Modern include Louise Bourgeois, Rachel Whiteread and Ai Weiwei. The gallery has themed areas for you to wonder through, where installations like Babel 2001 by Cildo Meireles and paintings such as The Darkward Trail by Nicole Eisenman will enthral and intrigue the whole family.
The Tate Modern offers free entry to its permanent collection, although some temporary exhibitions may involve an admission charge. The gallery is located on Bankside and opens every day from 10am to 6pm. The Tate Edit shop and the Terrace shop offer limited editions, prints, gifts, books, jewellery and more.
When its time to recharge your batteries, head to the Kitchen and Bar where a two course meal from the Winter set menu is priced at £30. Anyone feeling slightly more peckish can opt for the three course menu instead which is priced at £37.
5. National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery is another hugely popular attraction in central London. The gallery is home to a vast collection of portraits, sculptures, photographs, miniatures and drawings. Since its foundation in 1856 the National Portrait gallery has displayed the images of those who have made important contributions to UK history and culture.
The gallery’s primary collection contains around 11,000 works of art depicting some of the most famous people in British history. Highlights include what is possibly the only remaining portrait of William Shakespeare painted from life. Famous royal portraits include The Coronation portrait of Queen Elizabeth I and a famed portrait of Richard the third.
The collection of portraits continues to be added to, with contemporary portraits including a 2004 portrait of WW1 veteran Harry Patch and a portrait of the Victoria Cross recipient Johnson Gideon Beharry. With over 80,000 prints, drawings and caricatures, plus 250,000 photographs that range from the 1840’s through to the present day, there is much for visitors to see and admire.
The National Portrait gallery adjoins the National gallery in Trafalgar Square and offers free admission, although it is currently undergoing a significant transformation and refurbishment. Due to re-open in 2023, the gallery is a must visit venue, celebrating historical and inspirational figures from the UK’s past and present.
6. Serpentine Galleries
Since its foundation in 1970, the Serpentine galleries has championed the latest innovations in modern and contemporary art. Emerging and internationally established artists both feature in the galleries, as does modern architecture and design.
Originally proposed as a temporary location to display modern art, this is now one of London’s premier art galleries.
The Serpentine galleries are made up of two separate galleries that are just five minutes apart within the beautiful setting of Kensington Gardens. The South gallery is housed within a lovely grade II listed former tea pavilion. A short walk brings you to the North gallery which was designed by Zaha Hadid and opened in 2013.
The Serpentine galleries has staged exhibitions from some of the most famous contemporary artists in the world including Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Anish Kapoor and Marina Abramovic. As part of the year round exhibitions and events you will find at the Serpentine galleries is a summer showcase of temporary buildings by architects from across the world.
The Serpentine galleries are free to all visitors, with audio tours also available offering an interpretation of the exhibitions. Lancaster Gate and Knightsbridge tube stations are just a 15 minute walk from the galleries in Kensington Gardens.
The North gallery houses The Magazine restaurant offering small and large plate meals. The Serpentine shop stocks specially commissioned products, while the main London branch of Koenig books is also based within the Serpentine galleries.
7. Halcyon Gallery
The Halcyon gallery is one of the largest in London and champions modern and contemporary art, with exhibitions of fine art, sculptures, paintings, drawings and more. The gallery showcases both emerging and established artists, and has built its highly distinguished art collection over the past 40 years.
Past and present exhibitions at the Halcyon gallery have featured Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Lorenzo Quinn and Bob Dylan. The gallery also likes to take its innovative philosophy on modern art to the public, staging a number of ground-breaking sculpture placements across the world. Such placements go hand in hand with interactive exhibitions to make art more accessible and life-enhancing.
Salvador Dali, Henri Matisse and Claude Monet are further world famous artists who have featured among the Halcyon gallery’s fine arts exhibitions. The flagship gallery is located in a striking Georgian building on New Bond street. The building provides an impressively large space for visitors to explore and to admire contemporary art, both old and new.
The gallery opens from 10am to 6pm from Monday to Saturday, with Sunday opening times slightly shorter between 11am and 5pm. If you take a short walk along the road you will find a second, smaller Halcyon gallery, where you can enjoy more modern and contemporary art spread across its two floors.
8. Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery showcases the talents of up and coming domestic and international contemporary artists. The gallery has a built a reputation of introducing talented emerging artists who have gone on to gain global recognition.
Visitors to the Saatchi gallery have the chance to see these new generation of artists and the innovations they bring.
The Saatchi gallery was originally a means to display the personal collection of its founder Charles Saatchi. However, it soon grew to become a champion of rising artistic talent. Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol and Tracey Emin are among the famous artists exhibited at this gallery. Today, the various gallery spaces continue to display the work of fresh, new talent.
The Saatchi gallery provides facilities which aim to introduce as diverse an audience as possible to contemporary art. There are educational programs including workshops and talks geared to inspiring and educating visitors on the joys of contemporary art. If you head up to the top floor of the gallery you can view artwork produced by participating education and community groups.
The Saatchi gallery is located within the stunning Duke of York HQ building on King’s road in Chelsea. The gallery occupies an impressive 70,000 square foot of space which includes a restaurant area and a shop. The gallery opens every day of the week from 10am to 6pm, with last entries at 5.30pm. While entry to the gallery is free, some temporary exhibitions may have an admission fee.
9. Photographer’s Gallery
Art covers all forms of creativity, with photography a key mode of expression as well as an important recorder of history. The Photographer’s gallery in central London celebrates and explores this art form and was the first public gallery dedicated to photography when it opened in 1971.
You will be treated to a treasure trove of historical photographs alongside striking images capturing the modern world.
The gallery uses three of the building’s five floors as spaces to host its world class photography exhibitions. UK and international photographers are championed within the gallery, with the likes of Juergen Teller, Francesca Woodman, Colin Jones, Martin Parr and Zineb Sedira featuring at the Photographer’s gallery. Photography is an incredibly inclusive art form, and an aim of the gallery is to promote it to the widest possible audience.
As well as exhibitions the gallery stages events, talks, workshops and courses through the year as part of its education program. In 2022 the gallery will add a further venture called the Soho Photography Quarter, with free open air exhibitions and projections to the public in a designated and specifically designed pedestrian space. Also check out the camera obscura on the third floor, an optical phenomenon which was crucial to the invention of the camera.
The Photographer’s gallery can be found on Ramillies street just off Oxford street in central London. The gallery opens every day except Monday, with late closing on Thursday and Friday. Admission is £5, with concessions priced at £2.50. The gallery has a cafe/bar located on the ground floor, plus an independent bookshop centred around photography from which all profits are fed back in to supporting the gallery. The lower ground floor houses a print gallery where you can buy photographic prints.
10. Graffik Gallery
Graffik is one of a number of galleries in London showcasing street art. Here you will find work by established street artists as well as street art from emerging UK talent. The gallery prides itself on spotting up and coming street artists and providing a platform for them to display their art to a wider audience.
Graffik has built up a reputation as the go-to place for urban art. Visitors to the gallery can see works from Banksy, Clet & Robin Coleman, Alec Monopoly, Bambi and prolific London underground street artist 4CE. Graffik retains complete exclusivity to some of the street artists you will find represented at the gallery.
As well as exclusive editions, you can purchase original works, canvas editions, traffic signs, clothing, gifts and more. Check out Graffik’s latest arrivals to ensure you keep your collection right up to date. The gallery also holds regular themed exhibitions, allowing you to familiarize yourself and further appreciate the skills involved in creating great street art.
Graffik is free to enter and can be found on the Portobello road next to the famous antiques market. The gallery is usually open through the week from 11am and offers a consultancy service as well as a graffiti workshop for anyone interested in learning more about this vibrant art form.
