This city is full of galleries, over 2,000 to be exact, with Mayfair being the fine art district (home to Saatchi Yates and Malborough) and South Bank offering a slice of contemporary installations. While the first painting of the city itself was a view of Southwark in c1630, the oldest space is the Dulwich Picture Gallery, designed by British architect Sir John Sloane (who played a part in designing the Bank of England) in 1817.
Our fascination with the creative expressions of others runs deep through history, and seeing thought-provoking pieces is both a fun date activity and a solo adventure in equal measure, which is why we’ve curated a guide to the best art galleries London has to offer.
Tate Modern
Instantly recognisable from the onset, Tate Modern resides in a former Bankside Power Station and became a home to art from 2000 onwards after Swiss architects Herzog and De Meuron transformed the building in 1994, and again in 2009. Its Turbine Hall is 35 metres high and has played host to iconic pieces over the years like Olafur Eliasson’s The Weather Project, as well as Tate Lates (after-hours DJ sets and pop-ups).
After wandering around this cool space where Yoko Ono, Oscar Murillo and Jenny Holzer exhibitions have taken place and work from the likes of Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Barbra Kruger adorn the rooms, refresh with a bite to eat at its restaurant or riverside deli cafe, Corner.
Catch some live performances in the
Turbine Hall.
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is one of the many free art galleries in London you can visit. Located in Pimlico and boasting displays that feature 500 years of British art from the Tudors to WWII, it sits on a site that used to be a reformatory prison.
It first opened in 1897 under the name National Gallery of British Art and exists today as a stunning building refurbished by architectural firm Caruso St John. Upon entry, you’ll find an elegant marble staircase winding around, as well as arches, vaults and terrazzo floors on the lower ground. There are two rooms dedicated to the sculptor Henry Moore, and the world’s largest free display of paintings by JMW Turner can be seen here too.
The art in this beauty is sure to Turner heads.
Courtauld Gallery
If you’re a fan of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings, then you’re going to want to make a note of the Courtauld Gallery. It was co-founded by collectors and philanthropists in the 1930s and is centred around increasing people’s understanding of the role art played in history. Nestled within the historical, Grade I-listed Somerset House, the research-led, independent College of the University of London offers a variety of courses to enrol in too.
You’ll also find plenty of thought-provoking exhibitions and talks here, like Henry Moore’s Shetler drawings and work from photographer Roger Mayne. Gallery entry tickets include access to both permanent and temporary collections and range from £10 to £14.
The Courtauld Gallery is a real Somerset House gem.
National Portrait Gallery
Home to the world’s greatest collection of portraits, this central London spot attracts millions of visitors every year to see its works spanning six centuries. The National Portrait Gallery is located just shy of Charing Cross and was founded in 1856 before being hit by bombing in the Second World War, then reopening with paintings of members of the Kit Cat Club in 1945.
Visit for free and check out some of the most influential figures in history, with the likes of Katherine Parr, Queen Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare on display. The Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize runs on a regular basis too, as other exhibitions have been known to include Francis Bacon: Human Presence and the six wives of Henry VIII.
Stand face-to-face with some historical portraits.
Guildhall Art Gallery
Only a few minutes walk from Bank, Guildhall Art Gallery can be found where London’s Roman amphitheatre once was. It was built between 1411 and 1440 by John Croxton with the hope of reflecting its rulers with towering ceilings, stained glass windows and large, stone sculptures.
Over the years, it’s hosted royal birthday celebrations and the annual Lord Mayor’s Banquet since 1502. You can organise a guided tour of the works on display here, or simply wander around regal rooms yourself, casting your eyes upon John Singleton Copley’s Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, one of the largest oil paintings in Britain.
Guildhall Art Gallery: London's best-kept secret.
Serpentine Galleries
The free, contemporary Serpentine Gallery's all-year-round programme takes place across two sites (North and South), as well as the park, and the Pavillion is transformed on an annual basis to function as a café and live events space throughout the summer.
Each building has a truly unique character, with the South having been previously a tea room and the North boasting a 19th-century brick structure paired with a 21st-century extension. Examples of exhibitions at the former have included paintings by Hilma af Klint and Faith Ringgold, plus a 512-hour durational performance by Marina Abramović.
Out of all the contemporary art galleries London has to offer, this one is a stunner.
Saatchi Gallery
Opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985 and located on Kings Road, Saatchi Gallery is the spot in West London where you can take a peek at some contemporary art from emerging artists.
After moving from primarily US to British works, thanks to Damien Hirst bringing together a collection of exciting new talent for a seminal show, it became a registered charity in 2019 and has continued to support young people who’ve gone on to be the next big thing on the scene. Tickets to exhibitions are cheap, sometimes even free, and include themes from fashion photography to landscape paintings spanning 15 gallery spaces.
London art galleries? Check out Saatchi on Kings Road.
Hayward Gallery
Hayward Gallery is situated within the Southbank Centre, only a short walk from Waterloo, the National Theatre and other cultural hotspots that tie together to form a fruitful and fun day out in the city. Contemporary art is the deal here, as well as brutalist architecture.
The packed programme features a mixture of events, outdoor artwork and videos, with pop-up installations previously themed around trailblazers (Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere) and hidden stories (Haegue Yang: Leap Year). Tickets start from £19 per person or free for members, so make sure to swing by next time you’re in the area and looking for some thought-provoking inspiration, then head outside for some delicious street food afterwards from one of the Thames-side trucks or cafés.
Fantastic displays await, followed by a picturesque Thames-side stroll.
National Gallery
Looking out across Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery, home to some of the most must-see paintings in the world from artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh, not to mention the famous Whistlejacket by George Stubbs.
Entry is free (Hockney and Piero, here we come) aside from guided tours and the occasional exhibition, such as the once-in-a-century Van Gogh: Poets And Lovers. The building itself has a unique history, with its Sainsbury Wing opening on the site of a former furniture shop in 1991. It truly is one of the most well-known and central galleries in the city, where Western European paintings from the 13th to the 19th centuries adorn its walls and see millions of eyes cast upon them every year.
Hard to miss, the National Gallery is a favourite.
Barbican Art Gallery
The Barbican is an architectural masterpiece, so it only makes sense that it should run a visually stunning and thought-provoking visual arts programme, too.
A brutalist icon built on a site erased by the Blitz, it draws inspiration from a wide range of styles and is home to a large public conservatory which is perfect for wandering around after taking in some pieces. Previous exhibitions at the Barbican Art Gallery include Masculinities: Liberation through Photography, Postwar Modern: New Art in Britain and Carolee Schneemann’s Body Politics.
God, it's brutal out here (and bursting with art).
The Photographers’ Gallery
Right in the heart of Soho, you’ll find The Photographers’ Gallery which is free to explore on Fridays from 5pm. It nurtures the next generation of the art form and contains images from experts, novices, students and locals.
It was the UK’s first public gallery specifically dedicated to photography, exploring how it simultaneously connects and changes the world. Built where a former Lyon’s Tea Room was, its exhibitions have included the works of Alex Prager, Ernest Cole and Siân Davey, as well as a deep dive into culturally significant album artworks.
Snap up free entry on Fridays to this Soho-based gallery.
Dulwich Picture Gallery
What do Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Bank of England have in common? They were designed by the same regency architect, Sir John Sloane, who also happened to play a hand in designing and living in Ealing’s Pitzhanger Gallery.
The South London spot hosts some of the UK’s leading exhibitions, as well as its permanent Baroque masterpiece collection. If you venture over, you’ll discover sculptures in the gardens, and a Yoshida-inspired menu at its cafe to celebrate its collection dedicated to three generations of Japanese print-making.
A fantastic London art gallery that also happens to be the oldest.
Whitechapel Gallery
Free all year round, six days a week, Whitechapel Gallery is a hit when it comes to planning a day out in the city that won't break the bank. It was founded in 1901 to enrich the East End’s culture and is housed in a historic building with nine exhibition spaces.
The art on display here is on a global scale, with pieces from China, Brazil and the Islamic world to name a few. You can find events like Contemporary Youth Art Week, readings and talks, as well as the Max Mara Art Prize For Women. Prepare to be entertained and inspired as this significant spot doesn’t hold back when it comes to daring displays.
Head straight out of Aldgate East to discover some international pieces.
White Cube
You may have heard of White Cube from your cool, street-tech-wearing friend or maybe you’re a contemporary art enthusiast who knows where one of the world’s leading art collectives is. Either way, the London-based gallery also has spaces in Hong Kong, Seoul, Paris and New York to get excited about, as well as off-site projects (think pop-ups in the gorgeous Italian city of Venice).
The London location was founded by Jay Jopling and is purposefully artist-led; it's presented some of the first UK exhibitions from leading artists Tracey Emin, Julie Mehtretu and Luc Tuymans, and today represents artists from 33 different countries.
This modern collective will really impress your mates.
Fan of wandering around galleries? Check out our guide to a cultural date ideas in the city.
