There are many great things about London’s vibrant art world. The best? It’s free. Granted, if you want to see some of the big show-stopping exhibitions that pass through the Tates (Maps 21 & 105), British Museum (Map 4), National Gallery (Map 23) and Royal Academy (Map 2) you’ll have to pay quite a hefty sum, but overall, you can experience visual arts throughout the capital without coughing up much dough. This might be a contributing factor to London’s sprawling art scene, as it is so easy to duck in and out of the capital’s 300+ museums and galleries on a lunch break.
Of course, there are concentrations of art in locations around Piccadilly and Bond Street (check out Cork Street for its galleries, such as Messum (Map 10) and the Adam Gallery (Map 10), running parallel with Savile Row), the East End (funkier affair and an artistic hipster breeding ground—check out Vyner Street in Bethnal Green), South Kensington/Chelsea (a major culture scene as a result of the Great Exhibition of 1851) and various institutions dotted along the Thames (as seen from the Tate to Tate boat service). If your feeling really adventurous/bored pretend you’re really in the know and head to the New Cross, Peckham and Camberwell areas of South London where artists and galleries are pushing new boundaries in creativity/pretentiousness. Great art is all over the this city, so get out your Oyster Card, and get ready to cover a lot of ground.
Starting with London’s modern art, the Tate Modern (Map 105), with its massive smoke stack, has become a major London landmark. This is despite it only existing as a separate entity from the Tate Britain (Map 21) since 2000. Check out its spacious Turbine Hall, with often spectacular installations.
It’s not surprising that the Tate Modern is often the London tourist’s first stop these days, as the city has become well-known for contemporary art. Due in part to the too-cool-for-school London art scene of the 1990s, which saw the establishment of Turner Prizers Tracy Emin, Rachel Whiteread and Damien Hirst, and made a major mark under Saatchi’s guiding light. This light has faded somewhat, as the movement’s personalities have slowly sold out a little (Emin designing for Longchamp is a case and point). But certain London galleries remain as monuments to this explosion of counter-culture, and, in addition to the Saatchi Gallery (Map 46), these include the Serpentine Gallery (Map 30), Haunch of Venison (Map 10), and Victoria Miro (Map 31). Other inspiring alternatives include the Riflemaker (Map 10), South London Gallery (Map 122), Camden Arts Centre (Map 66), the White Cube at Mason’s Yard (Map 23), Hoxton Square (Map 84), and Bermondsey (Map 107).
London is a city with a lot on offer, and if you’re looking for something a bit more traditional, start with the National Gallery (Map 24) in Trafalgar Square, moving onto the National Portrait Gallery (Map 24) next door, which presents you with a who’s who of British culture past and present. Stroll up Charing Cross Road to the awesome British Museum (Map 4) with its jaw-dropping two acre roof over the Great Court (yet another example of Norman Foster’s obsession with glass and geometry). Be sure to take in the Parthenon Marbles, aka Elgin Marbles, before the Greek government makes any attempt to get them back. Then over to the not-nearly-praised-enough Wallace Collection (Map 2) behind Selfridge’s for some tea and Watteau action. A traditional art-lover’s tour of London is not over without a trip to the Royal Academy (Map 2) with its epic exhibitions and finally to the Tate Britain (Map 21), where the Pre-Raphaelites reign supreme.
Feeling a little non-conformist? London has a brilliant array of cultural institutions that offer more than just marble and canvas. From ceramics to dolls houses, kimonos to plaster casts of just about every great sculpture in the world—the V&A has it all (not to mention an awesome gift shop). Other alternatives to the mainstream include The Photographers’ Gallery (Map 13) by Leicester Square, which not only squeezes in the best photographic exhibitions in town, but also boasts the best bookshop on the subject. Odd in its own way is the Museum of London (Map 7), which walks you through the history of the city from prehistoric times to the present day. Recent London museum gems also include the newly renovated London Transport Museum (Map 24), Fashion and Textile Museum (Map 107), Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising (Map 29) and the Design Museum (Map 107), with cars and video games in case you’re stuck entertaining your nephew. Or check out one of London’s hidden glories, from the The Vault at The Hard Rock Café (Map 9) by Hyde Park, or the mind blowing Hunterian Museum (Map 14) for fans of fetuses in jars and other macabre wonders (although be warned, do not go suffering from a weak stomach). The Horniman (*snigger*) Museum is a legacy of Victorian curiosity, starring an overstuffed walrus whose taxidermist didn’t realise that walruses are supposed to have wrinkles.
The Geffreye Museum (Map 88) is a good one to check out when you’re in Shoreditch and tired of being hip. Just up Kingsland Road from Flowers (Map 91) (a good British contemporary art gallery), this museum of domestic interiors runs through the history of Britain one living room at a time. Somewhat forgotten are the weird and wonderful Sir John Soane’s Museum (Map 14), Leighton House (Map 35) and Dennis Severs’ House (Map 91)—but we’ll let you discover these gems for yourself.
So forget Pret a Manger—feed your soul in one of London’s many museums and galleries. They certainly have more to offer than one of those crappy no bread sandwiches, anyway.
