Art Galleries in London
After New York, London is rightly regarded as the second art centre in the world. London boasts more than 400 art galleries catering to every taste, many of them containing paintings, drawings and scupltures of international value. Therefore, if your visit is short, you will need to be selective. Some of the city’s finest art galleries include: Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace; National Gallery; National Portrait Gallery; Tate Britain; Tate Modern and Barbican Art Gallery. In order to get a true feel for London, a visit to at least one of these world-famous galleries is a must. There are also important commercial art galleries like Lisson, Victoria Miro and White Cube, which draw ardent collectors from every corner of the globe. Regularly changing exhibitions are held at numerous art galleries in London, making them even more interesting stopping points.
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The National Gallery
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Address: Trafalgar Square
Phone: +44 20 7747 2885
e-mail: information@ng-london.org.uk
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Website: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk
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The National Gallery, established in 1824, lies on the north border of Trafalgar Square in the centre of London. Its exterior is a famous British monument. Inside the gallery works of art cover a full six Centuries. The gallery is home to over 2,300 paintings, and there is no charge to enter the main collection. Various schools of art are represented here; the gallery's permanent collection consists of paintings from Western Europe dating back to around 1250 onwards.
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Barbican Art Gallery
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Address: Silk Street
Phone: +44 20 7638 8891
e-mail: http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery
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Website: art@barbican.org.uk
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London’s legendary Barbican is the largest multi-arts and conference venue in Europe. It’s often referred to as the Intergalactic Gallery, as its event calendar features a staggering range of art, music, dance, theatre and educational events. The building of the Barbican is also home to the famous London Symphony Orchestra. The Barbican Art Gallery houses major exhibitions by leading figures from the field of international art, from renowned architects to the recent Turner-prize winners. Every first Thursday of the month, the gallery remains open until 10pm, offering a special exhibition accompanied by a seminar session and an open Martian cocktail bar.
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Brick Lane Gallery
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Address: 196 Brick Lane
Phone: +44 20 7729 9721
e-mail: http://www.thebricklanegallery.com
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Website: info@thebricklanegallery.com
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The Brick Lane Gallery is a trendy cultural centre, promoting a uniquely eclectic variety of contemporary art produced in the United Kingdom and all around the world. The diverse event calendar focuses primarily on emerging and mid-career artists. The integrated programme includes both solo-shows and group exhibitions, showcasing innovative developments in painting, drawing, photography, video, sculpture, and performance. The gallery is conveniently located on the hip Brick Lane, within a walking distance from all prominent cultural centres of the area. It’s available for hire for individual shows.
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Dulwich Picture Gallery
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Address: Gallery Road
Phone: +44 20 8693 5254
e-mail: m.chessa@dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
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Website: http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
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Dulwich Picture Gallery was established in 1811 as the first public art gallery in England. It was formed on the basis of a collection of the most successful partnership of art dealers in Georgian London, Noël Desenfans and Sir Francis Bourgeois. The turning point in their career was a commission by the Polish king Stanislaus Augustus in 1790 to create from scratch a royal art collection. However, as the two dealers hunted for masterpieces across Europe, Poland was gradually partitioned by its powerful neighbours. In 1795, it ceased to exist as an independent state and Stanislaus Augustus was forced to abdicate. Thus, Desenfans and Bourgeois were left with a magnificent royal collection on their hands. As the founding of a proper British National Gallery was still two decades away, they bequeathed the collection to Dulwich College, requiring only that it be placed on public display.
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Gasworks
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Address: 155 Vauxhall Street
Phone: +44 20 7587 5202
e-mail: info@gasworks.org.uk
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Website: http://www.gasworks.org.uk
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Gasworks was founded in 1994 as a contemporary art organisation. Situated in south London, the gallery houses studios of 12 artists, offering a diverse programme of events and residencies. It promotes the exchange of ideas between the international and local art communities. Gasworks presents up to 12 residences every year; the choice of a residing artist is not governed by any kind of prescribed agenda, thus allowing the projects to be developed by both their author and the audience in response to the context. Apart from the main projects, the gallery devotes space to small-scale events, including thematic exhibitions, screenings, workshops as well as guest-curated shows.
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Institute of Contemporary Art
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Address: 12 Carlton House Terrace
Phone: +44 20 7930 0493
e-mail: http://www.ica.org.uk
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The Institute of Contemporary Art proudly calls itself home to the best of new art and culture that the United Kingdom and the entire world have to offer. Founded in 1947 by a gathering of artists, poets and writers, it quickly became an important centre of contemporary urban culture and art. For a number of decades, the institute has been hard at work to develop the society’s cultural consciousness as well as familiarize the audience with numerous budding cultural figures, including painters, sculptors, performers and writers, many of whom have gone on to become universally acclaimed artists. The ICA complex features two professional art galleries, two cinemas and a theatre.
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Marlborough Fine Art
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Address: 6 Albemarle Street
Phone: +44 20 7629 5161
e-mail: mfa@marlboroughfineart.com
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Website: http://www.marlboroughfineart.com
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Marlborough Fine Art boasts the status of one of the world’s leading contemporary art dealers, preparing on average six to eight major exhibitions every year. Founded in 1946, the gallery is appropriately located in the very heart of trendy Mayfair, within a walking distance of both Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Marlborough’s primary field of activity is dealing in works by prominent international artists. Throughout the decades of its fruitful operation, the gallery has managed to supplement collections of major museums around the world with new acquisitions. It has also been responsible for creating from scratch many very fine corporate and private collections.
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The Orangery
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Address: Holland Park
Phone: +44 20 7602 3316
e-mail: museums@rbkc.gov.uk
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Website: http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/ArtsAndMuseums/TheOrangery/
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The Orangery Gallery is located in the former building of the Holland House conservatory which now lends its fine classical proportions to an equally fine assembly of the pick of the contemporary arts. Tranquil, sophisticated and flooded with natural light, the Orangery is a natural extension of the gardens that surround it, and as such, constitutes a fitting background to presentation of work from every discipline. The Orangery Gallery is sometimes called one of the city’s most quietly successful galleries; throughout the years, it has acquired as a reputation of a gathering point of connoisseurs, eagerly anticipating the commencement of each artistic season.
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