The London Art scene: Where to go apart from the touristy places
If you do a Google search of 'London Art galleries’ you get a great list of the usual suspects, and some entries which may not be familiar but are not surprising either.
Suffice to say, I bop around my town quite a fair bit (what can I say, I love long walks) and found myself walking into quite a few Art spaces which aren’t actually new, but not very renowned either. What’s interesting to note is there are a lot of places who have started to host Art even though they are not traditional Art spaces, like Kew Gardens for example which despite being a botanical garden, also exhibit installations throughout the year (they did a truly magical exhibition of Chihuly glass installations).
London’s Art scene is often introduced through its most visible institutions; the museums, the blockbuster exhibitions the places that feel essential because they are reputable. But beyond the touristic circuit, London can reveal a very different rhythm for those who wan to welcome it; it unfolds through smaller galleries, less obvious neighbourhoods and spaces intermingled across different points of History. While lists can point you towards places, they rarely explain how London’s Art world actually works once you move past the obvious.
The places below offer an alternative way to delight in Art. If you’re looking to experience London’s Art scene beyond the expected, this is a good place to begin, covering:
Sotheby’s
Christie’s
Halcyon Gallery
HOFA (House of Fine Art)
Gagosian
The Wallace Collection
Claridge’s Art Space
The Arts Club
de Gournay
London Glass Blowing
Eye of the Collector
Sotheby’s
Both Sotheby’s & Christie’s (number two on this list) no longer belong solely to bidders and specialists. Their exhibitions are open, substantial, and frequently rival smaller museums offering access to works that would otherwise circulate privately. You don’t need to buy, bid or even fit a specific profile; you simply step inside and can encounter what is shaping the market right now.
2. Christie’s
3. Halcyon Gallery
There’s a Halcyon Gallery in Harrods, but I’m referring to the Halcyon Gallery on New Bond St. There are actually a whole cluster of galleries on and around New Bond St which are worth popping into. Not to mention New Bond St itself being such a vibe to walk down; not because of the luxury shops (they help, for sure) but because of the architecture and the cluster of side roads which lead to some really beautiful and novel shops. It was actually at The Halcyon gallery I first saw digital art many years ago, and it’s a medium they continue to curate. I’m not against digital art but I have yet to see anything which I think is truly special.
4. HOFA (House of fine art)
I really like the artwork curated in this space. It’s modern, experimental and the space is big enough for you to take some time to wander through, but small enough to not get bored. It’s got the feel of a traditional Art gallery but the content of a rebellious one. It’s a fine curation of Modern Art with international footing.
5. Gagosian
In keeping with gallery hopping around London, Gagosian is a chain-esque gallery with multiple locations globally, and two in London. Aside from a great, central location, the Art exhibited is curated with discernment. It’s the perfect example of London’s niche gallery culture: intimate, quietly experimental, and the opposite of the polished blockbuster shows you’ll find in the big institutions. If you want to feel like you’ve uncovered something genuinely new, this is where you go.
6. The Wallace Collection
I first visited The Wallace Collection a while ago when they did a rather fabulous exhibition of Manolo Blahnik; where the shoes were treated as works in conversation with the museum’s legacy. Housed in a former aristocratic townhouse, it holds one of London’s most refined collections of 18th-century French painting, furniture, armour, and decorative arts assembled. It’s a place to slow down, sharpen your eye and remember that taste was once cultivated behind closed doors. What’s more, it’s a stone throw away from Marylebone Village which is a beautiful part of old London town.
7. Claridge’s Art Space
There’s a trend creeping up around town; hotels launching patisseries (The Connaught and Cake & Flowers by The Dorchester) and as mentioned above, Art spaces popping up in unexpected places. Claridge’s Art Space is an example of the latter launched by the quintessentially British luxury hotel, Claridge’s. They also have a patisserie from which you can have a coffee and a cake before heading to the space (case in point about hotels launching stand alone patisseries) and I honestly did have one of the best croissants in London here.
8. The Arts club
The Arts Club is one of the renowned private members club in London. Like with most places trying to push a unique selling point to differentiate itself, as the name suggests, this private members club focuses on artists and Art lovers. What’s exceptional is that their exhibitions are integrated into one of their Drawing Rooms so you can view the Art in context of a living space. The interior surrounding the Art certainly adds a magic touch to the experience making it immersive and uplifting. Though you do need to be a member to view the collection (or know someone who is) on occasion they open the doors to the public. Enquire online for a reservation.
9. de Gournay
de Gournay is a showroom, not an Art gallery, but I’m captivated enough by it to consider it to be one. de Gournay produce some of the finest hand painted, hand embroidered wall paper in the world (no exaggeration). They’ve done well to truly create a whole new world around their craft; it is breathtaking what you can do with artisan, luxury wallpaper. They also launched a beautiful visual book about their Art and rise in the interior industry (I’m a sucker for books on aesthetics) it also makes for a beautiful and unique coffee table book. Like most showrooms you’ll be forgiven for thinking you can’t just waltz in, but you absolutely can (and I always do :D).
10. London glassblowing studio
Probably not the first place you’d think to visit, but if you’re into aesthetics as a whole, it’s worth a trip. The London Glass Blowing studio is a small showroom filled with hand blown glass objects which you can also purchase, but the star attraction has got to be the glass blowing workshop they have at the back. You can stand and watch the craftsman in action, moulding and creating glass objects right in front of your eyes. It’s tucked away on a side road in Bermondsey which has a string of artisan shops as well as the Fashion & Textile Museum a stone throw away. What’s more, one of the participants of Netflix’s show on glass blowing Blown Away, Elliot Walker, exhibits his work here.
Glass blowing has truly been elevated into an art form, and when you see these pieces (as well as Chihuly’s) you will be able to understand why.
11. The Eye of The Collector
One of the newer Art Fairs around town, I did a whole post on The Eye of The Collector a couple of months back so won’t go into detail here. But like The Arts Club, it’s trying to differentiate itself from other Art Fairs by hosting it in a Historic residential building (a grand one of course) to view Art in context of a home. I really loved this fair; I loved the curation, it exhibited some unique pieces had a unique perspective, and it did exactly what Art should do, inspire, excite & contemplate.
More unique Art exhibitions in London
A favourite site of mine which recommends unique Art exhibitions in London is Galleries Now; here you’ll find an overview of big and small exhibitions taking place in London, which are not otherwise captured by your usual, mainstream media outlets. Enjoy!
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