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Arts in London

Guide to Arts & Art Galleries in London

If you enjoy a love of the arts London is the place to be. The English capital city boasts some of the finest and historic theatres, art galleries and concert venues.

Each week new exhibitions start and with so many great places to visit and indulge yourself you will always welcome trips to London or days out enjoying art if you are a Londoner.

Art Galleries in London

"London's galleries are one of the highlights of the city for me. I love to spend a lazy afternoon enjoying the creativity that runs through them as it serves as a sensual inspiration for my life." James WJ Wilson, Forbidden London CEO

Institute of Contemporary Arts

Open Monday 12pm - 11pm, Tuesday - Saturday 12pm - 1am, Sunday 12pm - 10.30pm
Galleries open daily 12pm - 7pm (9pm on Thursdays) during exhibitions.

Entry to exhibitions, café and bar is free

The Institute of Contemporary Arts was established in 1947 by a collective of artists, poets and writers to showcase and champion contemporary culture across a wide range of art forms. Since its establishment, it has been at the centre of many of the most significant artistic and cultural developments in the past 60 years. It has also introduced numerous artists, performers, writers and other cultural figures to a wider audience, both nationally and internationally.

Today, the ICA consists of two galleries, two cinemas, a theatre, a bookshop, a bar and café and private function rooms. Its programme covers visual arts, music, cinema, talks and educational events. It provides a forum for the creative industries, providing networking opportunities and a range of organised events. The ICA Bookshop offers a wide range of books, magazines, DVDs and other merchandise both in-store and on line. The ICA's facilities, including two magnificent function rooms, are also available for private hire and events.

The Tate Modern London

Open Sunday – Thursday 10.00 - 18.00; Open Friday and Saturday 10.00 - 22.00

Last admission into exhibitions 17.15 (Friday and Saturday 21.15)

Entry is free except for major exhibitions

Tate Modern is the national gallery of international modern art. Located in London, it is one of the family of four Tate galleries which display selections from the Tate Collection. The Collection comprises the national collection of British art from the year 1500 to the present day, and of international modern art.

Created in the year 2000 from a disused power station in the heart of London, Tate Modern displays the national collection of international modern art. This is defined as art since 1900. International painting pre-1900 is found at the National Gallery, and sculpture at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Tate Modern includes modern British art where it contributes to the story of modern art, so major modern British artists may be found at the Tate Modern.

The National Gallery London

Daily 10am - 6pm; Wednesday 10am - 9pm (Closing commences 5 minutes before time stated)

Closed 24 - 26 December and New Year's Day.

Some areas of the Gallery will be closed on Monday mornings until 11am for staff training. Some rooms will also be closed on Wednesday evenings.

In April 1824 the House of Commons agreed to pay £57,000 for the picture collection of the banker John Julius Angerstein. The 38 pictures were intended to form the core of a new national collection, for the enjoyment and education of all. Until a gallery building was constructed, the pictures were displayed at Angerstein's house in Pall Mall.

Public criticism of the inadequate accommodation for the growing national collection, led to the decision to construct a purpose-built gallery. A site in Trafalgar Square was chosen, as the crossroads of London, where the collection would be accessible to the rich people travelling from West London in their carriages, and on foot to the poor of the East End.

The Gallery is widely recognised as a building of immense importance, confirmed by its Grade 1 status, and the existing building is the cumulative effort of many generations of architects.

The National Gallery was established for the benefit of all. With a commitment to free admission, a central and accessible site, and extended opening hours the Gallery has ensured that its collection can be enjoyed by the widest public possible, and not become the exclusive preserve of the privileged. The Gallery continues to pursue a vigorous and socially inclusive outreach programme, and caters to the needs of all groups in society.

The Hayward Gallery London

Open daily 10am - 6pm, late nights Friday until 10pm.

The Hayward was opened by Her Majesty The Queen in 1968. It is an outstanding example of sixties brutalist architecture and is one of the few remaining buildings of this style. It was designed by a group of young architects, including Dennis Crompton, Warren Chalk and Ron Herron. The Hayward is named after the late Sir Isaac Hayward, the former leader of the London County Council.

The National Portrait Gallery London

Open daily 10am - 6pm; Late night opening Thursday and Friday until 9pm

Last admission to paying exhibitions is 1 hour before the Gallery closes; closing commences 10 minutes prior to the stated time.

The National Portrait Gallery houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was the first portrait gallery in the world when it opened in 1856. The gallery moved in 1896 to its current site at St Martin's Place, off Trafalgar Square, and adjoining the National Gallery London at the side. It has been expanded twice since then. The National Portrait Gallery also has various satellite outstations located elsewhere in the UK, mostly for aristocratic portraits. It is unconnected to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, with which its remit overlaps. The gallery is a Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The gallery houses portraits of historically important and famous British people, selected on the basis of the significance of the sitter. The collection includes photographs and caricatures as well as paintings, drawings and sculpture. The National Portrait Gallery also houses the Chandos portrait, arguably the most famous portrait of William Shakespeare as well as a potrait of Sir Henry Unton, who looks just like Matty's Uncle Drocky.

Not all of the portraits are exceptional artistically, although there are self-portraits by William Hogarth, Sir Joshua Reynolds and other British artists of note. Some, such as the group portrait of the participants in the Somerset House Conference of 1604, are important historical documents in their own right. Often the curiosity value is greater than the artistic worth of a work, as in the case of the anamorphic portrait of Edward VI by William Scrots, Patrick Branwell Brontë's painting of his sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne, or a sculpture of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in medieval costume. Portraits of living figures were allowed from 1969. In addition to its permanent galleries of historical portraits, the National Portrait Gallery exhibits a rapidly changing collection of contemporary work, stages exhibitions of portrait art by individual artists and hosts the annual BP Portrait Prize competition.

London Arts

Central London has many great Art Galleries particularly in Soho, Mayfair and the areas near Oxford Street: