London is undoubtedly a capital of the arts and at any given time, there are dozens of special exhibitions on display around the city in addition to a lengthy list of established galleries and museums that call the UK capital their home. Local Londoners and visiting tourists are spoilt for choice with art and as luck would have it, many of the city’s most renowned galleries are free of charge.
National Gallery
Standing proudly in Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery is home to one of the greatest collections of Western European paintings in the world, and offers free admission 361 days out of the year. Not surprisingly, over 4.5 million visitors from all around the world come to see the collection here; the second highest figure in London. The gallery’s most famous painting is undoubtedly ‘Sunflowers’, by Vincent van Gogh. You’ll find masterworks here from the 13th to the early 20th century. Among the other notable painters on permanent display at the National Gallery are Jan van Eyck, Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Bellini, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer and Claude Monet.
National Portrait Gallery
Located adjacent to the National Gallery is the National Portrait Gallery. Founded in 1856, its primary focus is to display portraits of the nation’s great men and women. The gallery enjoys a primary collection consisting of over 11,000 portraits and also houses 220,000 photographs. Thousands of portraits in the form of paintings, drawings and sculptures are on display here and you’ll find paintings and drawings of centuries-old royalty like Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, to celebrated modern-day actor Ian McKellen. The gallery also hosts travelling portrait exhibitions featuring individuals and cultures from outside the UK.
Tate Britain
Tate Britain welcomes over 1.5 million visitors a year and focuses mainly on historic British artwork starting from 1500 to the present day. It has a large collection of paintings from J.M.W. Turner, the celebrated British landscape painter and water colourist. “Snow, Storm, Steam – Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth” is perhaps his most famous piece on display at the gallery. Other notable works available to be seen at Tate Modern include the serene “Ophelia” by John Everett Millais and the surreal “Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boils” by William Blake.
Tate Modern
Compared to the other galleries on the list, Tate Modern is by far the youngest and was founded in 2000 to house exceptional modern and contemporary art pieces from all around the world. The pieces on display at Tate Modern shift frequently, but have featured the likes of Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso. There are excellent examples of abstract art and abstract impressionism from the latter half of the 20th century here. Tate Modern also commissions its own work, including the thought-provoking “Sunflower Seeds” by Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei.
Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery describes itself as a forum for contemporary art and has acted as a springboard for up and coming artists. Curators at the gallery focus on both local and international artists who have never had exhibitions in the UK and are unknown to the commercial world. Occasionally these artists go on to have their works displayed in numerous other galleries after their run at Saatchi. The gallery boasts an eclectic and ever-changing collection of paintings, photographs, sculptures and installations, with styles ranging from surreal to pop art.
Few cities can compete with London’s artistic flare. The UK capital is appreciative of the arts and holds an impressive collection of masterworks between its free galleries and museums, ever popular with school students, those studying for university courses and art lovers from all over the world. The city’s numerous art exhibits are one of its best highlights and should not be missed on your next trip to London.
