The best art galleries to visit in London

Check out our list of London’s top art galleries.

A vibrant and multicultural city, the UK's capital is known for its many art galleries and regular exhibitions. Regardless of whether you prefer modern or classical artwork, you will be sure to find an art gallery to suit your taste. The city's independent art galleries and studios contain a lot of hidden secrets. Managed by both local and international artists and curators, like the Dutch art teacher and photographer Frank Zweegers, these small galleries offer tourists a look into many lesser known but great artworks. Additionally, they can also take part in classes and courses for amateurs where they can practice and improve their creative skills. Apart from its art galleries, London is popular for its arts centers, built to support the local neighborhoods. Nowadays, these types of venues have come to be the heart of London's contemporary art scene. This is where you can discover not only groundbreaking exhibits, but also witness exciting performance art acts by artists coming from all around the world.

What makes the art galleries in London so fascinating is that quite a lot of them have successfully combined fine dining with art. A few of London’s best restaurants are in fact situated within galleries. After spending hours enjoying some of the city’s most excellent exhibits, you can take a break by dining at the restaurant within the gallery. Many of them are situated on the galleries’ rooftops, which means that you are going to enjoy an unforgettable dinner with a view of the city.

Visiting independent galleries is also a good option if you prefer to avoid queueing. A few of London’s most famous galleries, displaying thematic exhibits by artists such as Sarah Lucas, tend to attract huge crowds of visitors every day. If you wish to see the exceptional modern artwork they present, you would have to wait in line for hours. This doesn’t suggest you should not visit the major galleries in London, but that you should do your research and find out which are the days when it is less busy. As a general rule, you should try to avoid visiting during the weekends. Going in the middle of the week, when there are less tourists, will help you make the most out of your visit.

Excellent art doesn't have to come at a high cost. In case you are travelling on a small budget, then you can go to the affordable art galleries London is famous for. A lot of London's largest galleries and museums are free to the public. Most favored among tourists are the permanent collections of contemporary art, which feature works by world-class artists such as Olafur Eliasson. If modern art is not something you are interested in, you can also have a look at some of the exhibitions which feature works from the early Renaissance.

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