On Friday 14 May we met to share favourite galleries. This turned out to include lots in London and the South East plus a few that might be ones for later as they needed a trip to France.
Obviously if you are visting any of them check their arrangements for a COVID secure visit and plan your travel according to your risk levels. But here are some to explore and don’t forget that even with galleries opening up there are still lots of resources online.
The list below is this list that I noted down – apologies as I am sure I missed some
London
The Mall
https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk
A big Favourite for the diversity of its exhibitions and being easy to get to. As well as the physical gallery they have also posted their recent exhibitions online and shared demos and Artist films – go the What’s On section
Dulwich Picture Gallery
https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
It’s almost on the doorstep and has a diverse group of exhibitions so worth a visit. It seems you can still park for free in in Gallery Road if you want to avoid public transport.
Guildhall Art Gallery
A bit of a hidden gem, so rarely busy. Easy to get to, it has a great mix of Victorian Art and some excellent contemporary paintings of London. Has had several interesting special exhibitions in the past. Oh, and there is also the remains of a Roman Amphitheatre downstairs. NB between Cannon Street and the Guildhall the newly opened London Mithraneum is well worth a visit https://www.londonmithraeum.com/
Tate Modern
https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern
As you would expect there were some differing opinions on both the art and the building. Some loved it and even credited it with their conversion to Art. Some loved the building others felt the escalators were more memorable than the Art. There were also some votes for Tate Britain though it is not so easy to get to. In fact the only Tate we didn’t have an opinion on was the one in Liverpool.
The Royal Academy
https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/
Loved for similar reasons to the Mall. The diversity of the exhibitions in particular
The Courtauld
https://courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/
Due to reopen later this year. Some world-famous Art, easy to get to and just the right size to see the collection without getting overwhelmed.
The Queens Gallery
https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace
Due to reopen with a collection of masterpieces from Buckingham Palace which should be well worth seeing. It isn’t free but don’t forget you can convert your ticket to a year’s pass.
The British Museum
https://www.britishmuseum.org/
A great Print and Drawing gallery – showing both historic and contemporary art. Also liked by one member for the special exhibitions that often sounded like they would only be of interest to an Archaeologist or Classicist but have always turned out to be fascinating.
The Estorick Collection
https://www.estorickcollection.com/
One for lovers of quirky museums and galleries. You will find you know more Italian Art and Futurism than you thought and like Dulwich and the Courtauld it is a perfect size. They have had some excellent special exhibitions of people and Art you would probably otherwise never have come across.
UK Galleries
A range of galleries most of them a day trip from London and many will give you a thinly disguised excuse for fish and chips on the beach. The suggestion of a Grand Tour starting in Glasgow and working your way South through various City Art Galleries also sounded an excellent one. Obviously, it needs to come with suitable World Tour merchandise – especially a t-shirt with the relevant dates and cities.
Pallant House Gallery Chichester https://pallant.org.uk/
Kettles Yard Cambridge https://www.kettlesyard.co.uk/
Tate St Ives (another Marmite gallery) https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-st-ives
The Towner Gallery Eastbourne https://www.townereastbourne.org.uk/
Turner Contemporary (more Marmite!) https://turnercontemporary.org/
Hasting Contemporary No longer the Jerwood so sadly no permanent collection but some interesting exhibitions never the less https://www.hastingscontemporary.org/
National Galleries of Scotland. Site of a January pilgrimage to Edinburgh for the special annual exhibition of Turner watercolours https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/turner-january
France: Mostly Paris
Cezanne’s house https://www.cezanne-en-provence.com/en/
Found by Accident but recommended
And a couple for when you want to escape the crowds in the centre of Paris
Musee Marmotan https://www.marmottan.fr/en/
Another gallery that caused a conversion – this time to appreciate Monet. Lovely museum to visit and a great deal quieter than the Orangerie etc.
Musee Albert Kahn https://albert-kahn.hauts-de-seine.fr/les-collections/l-oeuvre-d-albert-kahn
You may remember a TV series about Albert Kahn’s photography and films Albert Kahn commissioned many years ago. The museum, a short walk from the end of one of the Paris metro lines, is also set in a gorgeous garden. It looks like the website may need you to practice your French but it is worth a look.