London is internationally renowned for its vibrant and exciting art scene, drawing tourists, dealers and practitioners from all over the world to its galleries and museums. There are of course the larger institutions, like the National Gallery, the National Portrait Museum, and the Tate galleries, but there are also plenty of smaller independent galleries as well. This means that when you visit London with a desire to see some top quality art you have a plethora of choices.
A Closer Look at London’s Art Scene
In London you will find over 850 art galleries and 170 museums, and this doesn't even include all the street and community art that you will find across the city. Incredibly, one in every six jobs in the capital is connected to the creative industries. And this statistic hasn't come out of nowhere. London has a long, complex, and rich history in connection to the arts.
The Royal Academy of Arts was founded in London in 1768 to formalise art education and the commerce around artistic practices. In the 18th and 19th centuries, art institutes began exhibiting their students' work and this continued on at institutions that still stand today, such as the Courtauld Gallery, the National Gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery. Later, in the twentieth century, London became a hotbed of radical art in the swinging sixties, with figures like David Hockney, Patrick Procktor, Bridget Riley and Cecil Beaton. This trend towards exciting and groundbreaking art has continued, and many famous and celebrated artists have come out of London, like Tracey Emin, Henry Moore, and even Banksy. The art industry in London has been sustained and encouraged by prestigious auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's, and artists are drawn to the city for the possibilities it holds.
Whether it is historical works of art that interest you or the cutting edge of what London has to offer, there is a gallery for you in this bustling, thriving city. Below we list some of the best galleries in London.
Barbican
Set in the spectacular Barbican housing estate, Barbican galleries encompass the main exhibition space and the Curve gallery. Both galleries regularly commission new artworks and retrospectives on famous artists, like Jean-Michel Basquiat. It's not just art on walls, either. The Barbican offers performances on stage, tours, and films, too, all celebrating art and design from across the world, as well as from London and the United Kingdom. Built originally as a kind of housing and social utopia, the Barbican extends the dream of a perfect and beautiful world into its wonderful exhibition spaces.
Institute of Contemporary Arts
This is the place to be if you are interested in the edgiest, most boundary-breaking art that London has to offer. This is a commissioning gallery devoted to all that is new and exciting in art, film, music and performance. If you time your visit well you might even get to attend a club night or a talk from a visiting artist. In the 78 years since its opening, the institute has produced and hosted some of the most daring figures in recent art history, from Kathy Acker to Jackson Pollock, and has supported some of the art scene’s most exciting movements, from Pop Art to Forensic Architecture. As an added bonus, the Institute is housed in a stunning building on the waterfront, really adding to the ambiance of the experience.
National Gallery
If you want to see the masters, this is the place to visit. In the National Gallery you can spot work by artists like Da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Rubens. This gallery is so beautiful and it is completely free to visit the main collection. Special collections—like the Caravaggio and Michelangelo exhibits—are ticketed, but these are well worth the cost. The National Gallery has an astonishing collection and whether you want to increase your knowledge of art history or simply reflect peacefully on old favourites it is a must see on any London itinerary.
Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts was, in essence, Britain’s first art school and over 250 years it has produced some phenomenal talent. The gallery has a permanent collection as well as visiting exhibitions, and there is always something interesting on display in this historic and prestigious institution.
Grove Gallery
London is a hotbed of art sales and there is always the possibility that you might uncover the next big name in contemporary art. Serena Dunn, art director at Grove Gallery, says that with “the extensive gallery network around London” finding the right place to buy art can “sometimes feel a little intimidating.” Her gallery provides all the right information, however, with talks and events occurring alongside its programme of exhibitions and an independent art advisory service that works with buyers to help them find the right piece for their collections.
Maureen Paley
This gallery began life as Interim Art in 1984 and has long championed contemporary artists across a wide range of media. This pioneering gallery has been home to a multitude of international and local artists, including Turner Prize winners Wolfgang Tillmans, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, and Gillian Wearing. This gallery is where you will really find work by the heavy hitters in the contemporary art scene available to purchase.
National Portrait Gallery
First opened in 1856, the National Portrait Gallery was one of the first public galleries in the world completely dedicated to portraits. The gallery shows portraits of important and famous British people from all across history – even Ed Sheeran has his portrait there. The gallery also hosts the wonderful BP Portrait Prize competition and a range of visiting exhibitions, too.
Art is one of the many things that keeps London firmly on the map. There is so much to see in the city’s extraordinary galleries, and it would be impossible to see it all in one visit, but this list curates some of the top places to explore on your next trip to London if you are an art aficionado.
