Courtald Institute Gallery

Somerset House, Strand, WC2
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden

A great lover of art, Samuel Courtald built up an extensive private art collection. And in 1931 he set up the Courtald Institute of Art, as part of the University of London. This was the first academic establishment in the UK to offer courses in art history.

When Courtald died in 1947 he left his art collection to the University, and it has been on public display ever since.

It has been added to over the years and today houses the biggest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings in Britain. Some of the most famous pieces include Two Dancers by Degas, Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear by van Gogh, Bar at the Folies-Bergere by Manet, and La Loge by Renoir.

Other than Impressionist works, there are also some well-known earlier pieces, for example paintings by Gainsborough, Rubens and Botticelli.

The Courtald Institute Galleries are open daily from 10am-6pm Mondays to Saturdays and from 2pm-6pm on Sundays.

Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)

Nash House, The Mall, SW1
Nearest Tube: Charing Cross
Tel: 020 7930 0493

This gallery was first opened in 1948 on Dover Street as an alternative to the numerous “conventional” art galleries in London. The gallery moved to its present location on The Mall in 1968.

Dedicated not only to art, it also features contemporary drama, film, literature and photography. The gallery also has an arts bookshop, cafeteria and bar.

Over the years it has held numerous excellent exhibitions in all the fields of the arts, and has gained an excellent reputation for being both innovative and adventurous.

The names of the artists who held their first London exhibitions here reads like a who’s who of 20th century art - Henry Moore, Picasso, Damien Hirst to name but a few. The gallery is open every day from noon until 7.30pm.

Queen’s Gallery

Buckingham Palace Road, SW1
Nearest Tube: Victoria

The Queen’s Gallery is where you can view some of the extensive Royal Collection. Notable pieces include paintings by Rubens, Rembrant and Vermeer, drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, numerous royal portraits and there are even some watercolours by Queen Victoria (1837-1901). Although the collection is vast and includes many excellent works, unfortunately you will only find a small number on show at any one time.

The Gallery is located to the south of Buckingham Palace and is open Tuesday-Saturday and on Sunday afternoons.

Serpentine Art Gallery

Kensington Gardens, W2
Nearest Tube: Lancaster Gate

This art gallery is situated within Kensington Gardens, in a converted tea pavilion just south of the Serpentine. It specialises in contemporary art with exhibitions throughout the summer.

Whitechapel Art Gallery

80-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1
Nearest Tube: Aldgate East

The origins of this gallery date back to the 1880s when a clergyman worked to bring exhibitions of art to London’s East End. The gallery was then formally established in 1897.

The gallery remains independent and so is considered by many to be one of the most innovative art galleries in London. It specialises in contemporary and modern art and holds a series of temporary exhibitions each year.

The gallery also offers lectures and workshops. It is open daily except Mondays, but opening hours vary so do check in advance. Admission is free.

Dulwich Picture Gallery

College Road, SE21
Nearest Tube: North Dulwich

This off-the-beaten-track art gallery in the London district of Dulwich is the oldest public art gallery in Britain, having opened in 1817. The building that houses the gallery was designed by Sir John Soane and it is considered by many to be as much of an attraction in itself as the collection it houses.

The collection is mainly made up of 17th and 18th century art, all hung in Regency splendour. Highlights of the collection include pieces by Rembrandt, Rubens, Gainsborough and Poussin.

Temporary exhibitions are put on throughout the year. The gallery is open daily except Mondays but hours vary so check in advance.

National Gallery

Trafalgar Square, WC2
Nearest Tube: Charing Cross

This Gallery is situated in the heart of London, on the north side of Trafalgar Square.

The present building was built in 1832 in the neo-classical style, giving the whole gallery a rather imposing air. Inside the austere atmosphere is heightened by vast amounts of marble, leather and wood. But don’t let this put you off - the gallery has a reputation as one of the best art galleries in the country, if not the world.

The National Gallery houses the National Collection of Paintings with the main focus being on western European art from the thirteenth century to 1900. This collection started off in 1824 with just 38 pieces, but now it holds more than 2,000 paintings.

The Sainsbury Wing opened in 1991 and currently houses an excellent collection of Renaissance pieces, which are the highlight of the gallery. Some well-known artists that are represented at the National Gallery include Rubens, Rembrandt, Goya and da Vinci.

There is also a good collection of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings with works by Monet, Manet, Degas, Cezanne and Van Gogh, among others.

There are guided tours available, or a soundtrack on CD that you can take around with you. There is also a superb computer information centre, located in the Micro Gallery in the Sainsbury Wing, which allows you to design a personalised tour map. You select the pictures you want to see and the computer prints out a map for you to follow.

The National Gallery is open daily, but times vary so check in advance. Entry is free. There is a restaurant available for refreshments.

Royal Academy of Arts

Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1
Nearest Tube: Green Park

The prestigious Royal Academy of Arts first opened in 1768 and since then it has had numerous well-known members, including Gainsborough, Reynolds, Turner and Constable.

Not only does the Academy hold traditional art exhibitions, but it also holds an annual Summer Exhibition when thousands of works by both artists and the general public are put on display. This is a tradition that goes back over 200 years. The quality of work varies enormously and it can be good fun to go and see what is on display this year.

The Academy has been housed in its current building since 1837 which, as well as housing the Arts, is also home to the Royal Astronomical Society, the Antiquaries Society and the Chemical, Geological and Botanical Societies.

The Royal Academy of Arts is open daily from 10am-6pm. Admission varies according to the current exhibition. There is a cafeteria and gift shop available.

Tate Gallery

Millbank, SW1
Tel: 020 7887 8000
Nearest Tube: Pimlico

The Tate Gallery first opened in 1897 and it is one of the biggest and most popular art galleries in London - This is the gallery that sponsors the annual prestigious Turner Prize for modern art.

The Tate (it is commonly referred to without the Gallery part of the name) is actually made up of several galleries and with its mixture of modern and traditional art, there should be something for everyone.

Highlights of the modern art collection include pieces by Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse, and Pollock. And highlights of the British collection include works by Constable, Blake, Hogarth and Turner.

The main Tate Gallery is home to both Britain’s international modern art collection and a collection of British art through the ages. Unfortunately there is only enough room in the gallery for about a quarter of the collections to be on display at any one time.

As a result the displays are changed regularly, usually at least one a year. This makes it an exciting and innovative gallery and one that you can visit time and time again without getting bored, but if there is a particular painting that you want to see you need to check in advance if it is on display.

The Clore Gallery is next to the main building and this is where most of Turner’s works are housed. There are hundreds of works in the collection so you probably won’t get to see them all. This is one of the most popular sections of the Tate, so expect crowds. And a third gallery called Art Now shows four or five exhibitions of works by young contemporary artists each year.

Across the river, in what used to be the Bankside Power Station, a new gallery is currently under construction (due to open in the year 2000). This is going to house the modern art collection and will be called the Tate Gallery of Modern Art, whilst the building at Millbank will be left to house the British collection, becoming the Tate Gallery of British Art.

There are also two regional galleries that belong to the Tate Gallery - one in Liverpool and one in St Ives in Cornwall.

The Tate Gallery is open daily, but times vary so it is best to check in advance for opening hours. Entry to the main gallery is free, but there is usually an admission charge for special exhibitions.

William Morris Gallery

Lloyd Park, Forest Road, E17
Nearest Tube: Walthamstow Central

This gallery is located in the house that William Morris and his family lived in between 1848 and 1856. It was first opened as a gallery in the 1950s.

It tells the story of Morris’ life and works, all in the appropriate setting of a house decorated with wallpaper and furnishings designed by Morris himself. As a result the gallery is wonderfully atmospheric and quite popular.

On the top floor the gallery is also home to exhibitions on some of Morris’s close associates for example the artists Burne-Jones and Philip Webb and the furniture designer Ernest Gimson.

The William Morris Gallery is open Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10am-5pm. Admission is free.

Hayward Gallery

Belvedere Road, South Bank Centre, SE1
Nearest Tube: Waterloo

Part of the South Bank Arts Centre, the Hayward Gallery is one of London’s major venues for modern art exhibitions. It regularly receives excellent reviews and is considered by many to be one of the best art galleries in London. As a result it is extremely popular and often quite crowded.

Opening hours are Thursdays to Mondays 10am-6pm, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10am-8pm. Admission prices vary according to the current exhibition.

Please note that if there is no exhibition on, the Hayward Gallery sometimes closes so its best to check in advance as to what, if anything, is being shown.

National Portrait Gallery

2 St Martin’s Place, WC2
Tel: 020 7306 0055
Nearest Tube: Charing Cross

National Portrait Gallery, London, 15K Around the corner from the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square is the National Portrait Gallery. As the name suggests this gallery houses a collection of portraits of prominent figures throughout British history.

This makes it one of the most educational galleries in London for it helps to put faces to familiar names. It can also be great fun for kids to see what historical figures looked like, bringing history to life.

Portraits of late 20th century figures are housed on the ground floor, and then you go back in time until you reach the Tudors on the top floor.

Some of the best known portraits include those of Henry VIII (1509-47), Elizabeth I (1558-1603), and the only known portrait of William Shakespeare. More modern figures include Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and the present royal family.

There are also temporary exhibitions sometimes held in the lower ground floor.

The National Portrait Gallery is open daily but times vary. Entry is free. There are audio guides available and some excellent free lectures.

Saatchi Gallery

98a Boundary Road, NW8
Nearest Tube: St John’s Wood

This contemporary art gallery is owned by Charles Saatchi, the advertising tycoon. With a keen interest in modern art he has long been a fan of British contemporary art and so he set up this gallery in order to exhibit his collection.

With both a permanent collection and several temporary exhibitions every year this is the space to watch for up and coming British artists.

But if your taste is for the traditional then this probably is not the gallery for you - Damien Hirst’s famously controversial Shark in Formaldehyde was first exhibited here!

The gallery is open Thursdays to Sundays from noon-6pm. Admission costs around.

Wallace Collection

Hertford House, Manchester Square, W1
Nearest Tube: Bond Street

When Sir Richard Wallace died in 1890, he left this extensive collection of paintings and decorative art to his wife. When she died a few years later, she bequeathed it to the nation, and it has been open to the public ever since.

The collection had been built up over five generations having been started by the first Marquess of Hertford in the 18th century. When the fourth Marquess of Hertford died the collection passed to his illegetimate son Richard Wallace, after whom the collection is now named.

Much of the art collection consists of pieces dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. Many are from France, but Dutch and Venetian art is also well represented. Highlights include the Laughing Cavalier by Fans Hals and works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Watteau, and Poussin.

Other than paintings, the gallery also has an excellent collection of armour, the second largest in Britain after the Tower of London. And there are some beautiful examples of French furnishings from the reigns of Louis XV and XVI.

The Wallace Collection is open daily, from 10am-5pm Mondays to Saturdays and from 2pm-5pm on Sundays. Entry is free and there are also free guided tours available.

« 20 Forthlin Road in Liverpool

» Baker Street????????in London

Add to:del.icio.us Digg it Furl Netscape reddit Yahoo MyWeb