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5 & 8 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7HY, Tel: 020 7831 1772, Website: www.photonet.org.uk, Open: 11am-6pm Mon-Sat,
noon-6pm Sun, Admission free, Tube: Leicester Square,
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Established in 1971, the Photographers' Gallery is widely regarded as the city's finest independent
gallery, specialising in contemporary work from international artists such as André Kertesz,
Irving Penn and Boris Mikhailov. With a frequent programme of exhibitions throughout the year,
the gallery's displays cover the history of photography, as well as bringing new and challenging
ideas to the fore. And, with a shop stocking all manner of books and magazines on photographic theory/technique, plus an in-house eatery, the gallery makes for a rewarding visit if you're in
Soho.
Buckingham Palace, Buckingham Palace Rd, SW1A 1AA, Tel: 020 7321 2233,
Website: www.royalcollection.org.uk, Open: 10am-5:30pm daily (last admission 4:30pm), Entry is by
timed-ticket, Admission: £8.50 adults, £7.50 over 60, £4.25 under 17, Free for children
under 5, £21.50 family (2 adult, 2 children under 17), Tube: Victoria,
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Now fully refurbished, the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace houses one of the largest (albeit
rarely seen) collections of old masters paintings, including works by Michelangelo, Rembrandt and
Canaletto. The £10 million expansion programme, which has provided the gallery with much
needed new space, was successfully completed in time to open for the Queen's Golden Jubilee
celebrations in 2002. London
Pass Accepted Here.
Website: www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk,
Note: currently closed until 2008
Established by the advertising guru Charles Saatchi, the gallery housed a large collection of
British contemporary art, including works by revered artists such as Damien Hirst and Tracey
Emin.
With the aim of bringing modern art to a wider audience, the Saatchi Gallery also played host to
works from upcoming international sculptors, photographers and artists with frequently challenging
(and occasionally controversial) exhibitions.
Famously, having moved to County Hall from its previous
home at 98a Boundary Road, the Saatchi Gallery opened with a star-studded party
for over 1000 guests which featured 160 nude men and women posing (in several positions)
on the roof terrace adjacent to the London Eye.
Unfortunately, soon after the opening, relations between Charles
Saatchi and the building's landlords (Cadogan Leisure Investments) deteriorated to such an
extent that a High Court case followed, with the bitter feud ending with the gallery being
evicted from its former Greater London Council building base. Now currently in the process
of moving to a new, larger gallery at the Duke of York's headquarters in Chelsea (opening
2008).
Millbank, SW1P 4RG, Tel: 020 7887 8000, Website: www.tate.org.uk, Daily 10am-5.50pm (last
admission 5pm), Closed 24-26 Dec, Admission free, Tube: Pimlico/Vauxhall,
Show Map
Housing British art from 1500 to the present day, The Tate Britain boasts a fine collection of
permanent works which include the Turner bequest, as well as those by Constable, Gainsborough,
Gilbert and George, Hirst and Hockney.
Along with one of the best special exhibition programmes of any London gallery, the Tate Britain's
displays are now grouped thematically (meaning that contemporary works may well be juxtaposed next
to more famous paintings).
Expansion of the gallery also recently took place with the opening of the Centenary Development
(in
November 2001).
Bankside, SE1 9TG, Tel: 020 7887 8000, Website: www.tate.org.uk, Open: 10am-6pm Sun-Thu, 10am-10pm Fri and Sat, Last
admission 5pm (Fri/Sat 9pm), Closed 24-26 Dec, Admission free, Tube: Southwark,
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A "must see" visit for Londoners and tourists alike, the Tate Modern is not only the city's
biggest gallery, but a wonderful piece of architecture in its own right. Housed in
what was the Bankside Power Station, Tate Modern displays (as the name suggests) contemporary art
from the last century. With an interior remodelled by Swiss architects Herzog & de
Meuron, on
entering you're immediately struck by the sheer size of the place, with the building's vast Turbine
Hall now turned into a stunning concourse.
Displaying major works by Monet, Dalí, Picasso, Rothko, Matisse, Warhol as well as the
wonderfully inventive Gilbert & George, special exhibitions and other public events are held
throughout the year. Truly one of the world's finest modern art galleries and a visit not to be
missed.
Hertford House, Manchester Square, W1U 3BN, Tel: 020 7563 9527, Website: www.wallacecollection.org., 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, midday-5pm Sun, Closed
24-26 Dec, 1 Jan, May Day Bank Holiday, Admission free, Tube: Bond Street/Baker Street,
Show Map
Hard to believe that an elegant French style chateau can be found just around the corner from
Oxford Street - especially one with a such a fine collection of 18th-century French art. Originally
bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace, widow of Sir Richard Wallace, in 1897, exhibits include
Old Masters paintings by Rubens and Franz Hals, along with porcelain, period furniture and a superb
"not to be missed" armoury.
48 Hoxton Square, N1 6PB, Tel: 020 7930 5373, Website: www.whitecube.com, Open: 10am-6pm Tue-Sat,
Tube: Old Street,
Show Map
An important, recently enlarged gallery which boasts Gilbert & George, Gavin Turk, Damien
Hirst, Anthony Gormley and Tracey Emin among its featured artists. Now located in trendy Hoxton
near to Old Street Tube.
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