London has an endless amount of art to discover. It’s everywhere and sometimes not where you might expect it.
While there are the big art museums like the Tate Modern and the National Gallery, you will also find small museums and galleries tucked away in unlikely places. It’s not all inside either. You will find art in public spaces like parks and sprawled out across the walls and buildings.
I’ve put together this London art guide for anyone remotely interested in art and who wants to know the best places to hit up in the capital.
It is by no means a comprehensive list – the London art world is big and it is impossible to see it all. Nevertheless, many of the places I’ve highlighted in this guide are some of very best places to see art (in various forms) in London.
Art Museums
Tate Modern
Location: Bankside, London SE1 9TG
Kicking off the list is my favourite art museum in London – the Tate Modern. The venue boasts an international collection of modern and contemporary artworks that few can rival. If you only have time to visit one art museum in London, make it this one.
The Museum opened in 2000, making use of the old Bankside Power Station that was originally designed by the architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the man behind other famous sites like Battersea Power Station and Waterloo Bridge.
It was converted by Herzog & de Meuron, who returned to oversee a huge extension project in 2012 which included the opening of the Tanks and finished with the Switch House extension in 2016.
Tate Modern is one of four Tate venues in the UK, including the Tate Britain which is also located in London and definitely worth visiting. Before your trip make sure you check their website for current exhibitions.
Victoria & Albert Museum
Location: Cromwell Rd, Knightsbridge, London SW7 2RL
The V&A is considered one of the world’s most magnificent museums. Its foundation stone laid on this site by Queen Victoria in her last official public engagement in 1899.
The museum has 150 grand galleries on seven floors containing countless pieces of furniture, ceramics, sculpture, paintings, posters, jewellery, metalwork, glass, textiles and dress, spanning several centuries. The sheer diversity of items on display explains why the V&A is regarded by many as the best museum in London.
The National Gallery
Location: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
Presiding over Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery. It houses one of the largest and arguably greatest collections of paintings in the world, displaying over 2,300 works.
The collection includes many famous works, including Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus, Turner’s Fighting Temeraire and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. The great news is that all these incredible works of art are free to see.
The National Portrait Gallery
Location: St. Martin’s Pl, London WC2H 0HE
Located next to the National Gallery is the National Portrait Gallery. It houses the world’s largest collection of personalities and faces, from the late Middle Ages to the present day.
Visitors come face-to-face with the people who have shaped British history – from kings and queens to musicians and film stars. Artists featured range from Hockney to Auerbach, and the collection includes work across all media, from painting and sculpture to photography and video.
As well as the permanent displays, the National Portrait Gallery has a diverse programme of exhibitions and free events. If you’re feeling peckish after all the sightseeing, there’s a stunning rooftop restaurant with spectacular views across the London skyline.
Tip: If you’re looking for something to do on a Friday night, why not attend one of the free drawing classes pictured above? The museum closes at 9pm on Fridays.
The Wallace Collection
Location: Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U 3BN
The Wallace Collection is a free museum displaying superb works of art in a breath-taking historic London town house. The 28 rooms, many recently refurbished with elaborate gilding and wall silks, present collections of French 18th-century painting, furniture and porcelain.
The objects are nothing short of lavish. Many once being owned by Madame de Pompadour and Queen Marie-Antoinette. You will discover paintings by Titian, Canaletto, Rembrandt and Gainsborough to name just a few. There’s a whole room dedicated to armouries and another filled with wonderful Renaissance treasures. Try and time your visit with your appetite, and dine in the beautiful courtyard restaurant.
Royal Academy
Location: Burlington House, Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 0BD
Founded in 1768, the Royal Academy is the world’s foremost artist and architect-led institution and the country’s oldest society concerned solely with the fine arts.
The Royal Academy – Britain’s first art school – has recently expanded its campus, bringing in new free displays. Housed in the extravagant Palladian Burlington House, the RA’s biggest event is the Summer Exhibition (pictured above). It’s an absolute hoot – displaying chosen works entered by the public as well its Royal Academicians. All works are exhibited to buy so you may come away with an original piece of art if the price is right!
Commercial Art Galleries in London
White Cube
Location: 144 – 152 Bermondsey Street. London SE1 3TQ
White Cube gallery has a beautiful space on one of my favourite Streets in London: Bermondsey Street. The gallery represents international, high-profile artists such as Anselm Kiefer, Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Gilbert & George, Damien Hirst and many more. If your interests lie in contemporary art, it’s one of the best galleries in the world to visit.
Victoria Miro Gallery
Location: 16 Wharf Rd, Hoxton, London N1 7RW
The Victoria Miro Gallery is probably my favourite small gallery in London. It’s a a not-for-profit art foundation located inside a refurbished Victorian brick warehouse in a super contemporary style. With sun flooding through various architectural windows and gaps, and art pieces hung on clean white walls, it’s the perfect space to enjoy their exhibitions from a selection of world-famous artists. I recently went to see Yayoi Kusama’s latest show, The Moving Moment When I Went to the Universe, and it blew me away.
Architecture
The Barbican
Architect: Chamberlin, Powell and Bon
Location: Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS
A classic example of Brutalist architecture and the product of a postwar utopian vision. This concrete cultural complex was designed by young British architect trio Chamberlin, Powell and Bon in the mid-20th century.
The site includes the residential Barbican Estate and the Barbican Centre, Europe’s largest multi-arts and conference venue. I recently went on a guided tour of the Barbican Estate which I highly recommend if you’re a fan of brutalist architecture.
For more information about Brutalist architecture in London read more here.
The Shard
Architect: Renzo Piano
Location: 32 London Bridge St, London SE1 9SG
Completed in 2012, Renzo Piano’s recognisable Shard building is home to a number of restaurants, offices, a hotel, and a viewing gallery. Inspired by the concept of a vertical city, the over 1,000-foot-tall structure is one of the tallest buildings in Europe and can be seen upon almost every skyline of London.
Houses of Parliament and Big Ben
Architect: Sir Charles Barry
Location: Westminster, London SW1A
A trip to London would not be complete without a visit to one of London’s most famous landmarks—the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. As soon as visitors emerge from Westminster station they are greeted face-to-face with this historical and architectural masterpiece – they really went to town on the painstaking detail! Lastly, weighing in at 13 tons, the clock tower’s bell was cast in 1858 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
The Southbank Centre
Architect: A group of architects, including Warren Chalk and Leslie Martin
Location: Belvedere Road; London, SE1
Love it or hate it, the concrete landscape of Europe’s largest art centre is certainly a talking point (I, for one, love it!). The South Bank Centre is comprised of three blocks of buildings beside the Thames. The oldest is the Royal Festival Hall and beside it lies the brutalist block that contains the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room and the Hayward Gallery. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in the creative arts during your visit to London, this is one area you simply cannot miss off your itinerary. Take a look at up-coming gigs, festivals and exhibitions here.
2 Willow Road, Hampstead
Architect: Ernö Goldfinger
Location: 2 Willow Road, London Nw3 1TH
The home at 2 Willow Road in Hampstead was designed by Ernö Goldfinger in 1939. It was the architect’s family home and is now owned by National Trust.
If you’re a fan of modern architecture, chances are you’ll already know that Goldfinger is kind of a big deal. An exploration of the house were he lived is the perfect way to get up-close and personal with the man himself.
It is finished with design features that were pioneering in their time and still look current today. The property is a fine example of Modernist design and is now a National Trust site that can be enjoyed by the public. The house is quite small and unassuming from the outside but with plenty to see inside. Inside you will also see Modernist artworks by Max Ernst, Henry Moore and Bridget Riley. The whole experience is a treat for the senses.
Be sure to time your visit so you can join one of the guided tours of the property. You can book a slot here.
Street Art
There’s so much street art in London, it’s hard to know where to begin. To help, I’ve to narrowed down some of the best you will find in the city.
David Bowie by James Cochran
Location: Tunstall Road, Brixton, London
There’s a Starman waiting on the side of Morley’s department store in Brixton. This stunning mural pays homage to a late local resident, the iconic David Bowie. Created in 2013 by Australian street artist James Cochran, the mural has become a popular memorial to Bowie after his death in January 2016.
As many of you will already know, it mirrors the portrait of his 1973 album Aladdin Sane. You don’t have to worry about it disappearing any time soon – the council decided to protect it with a transparent cover. While Bowie might no longer be with us, his legacy lives on.
Murals by Dale Grimshaw
Location: Holywell Lane, Shoreditch, London
Grimshaw is a successful fine artist who also enjoys showcasing his bold and striking portraits across the streets of London. Grimshaw’s work features his signature subject style: strongly tribal subjects, fused with bright colours and motifs to give a sense of depth and vitality.
The mural above was located in Shoreditch which has the largest concentration of street art in London. It has since been painted over but don’t worry there’s plenty to more to see. I’ve written up a street art guide to Shoreditch for those who want to know more.
The Glitch (Clockwork Orange) by Zabou
Location: Village Underground wall, Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, London
Nearby Grimshaw’s mural, you can also spot this new wall mural of Alex from Kubrick’s masterpiece, A Clockwork Orange. It was created by French artist, Zabou, who has also depicted other cultural icons such as Bowie and Frida Kahlo across the streets of London.
Mixed Street Artists
Location: Leake Street, London SE1 7NN
The colourful tunnel is part of the Leake Street Arches and is London’s largest legal street art area. It’s been showcasing incredible creations ever since Banksy held the “Cans Festival” here in 2008, as a means of celebrating graffiti as art.
Murals here might last a day or two, maybe a week. Such is the competition for legal space, the murals are painted over and over again on a regular basis.
