Artists’ Trip to London
Featuring Top London Art Galleries and Museums!
London… one of my all-time favorite cities… the art, the history, everything you need for a perfect artist trip to London! I studied abroad in London for a month while I was in college, and I have been in love with the city ever since. We had the opportunity to check out some of the best art galleries in London.
My program was called “Art in London” and it was a partnership between my school (Grand Valley State University) and Kingston University, located just outside London. There were about 15 art students in our group – including me! This was back when I thought I wanted to be an artist, and I thought wearing scarves with t-shirts was hip. 🤣
We had some of the best art professors, Ann and Fish, with us on the trip. We were super cool back then, and called our profs by their first names or nicknames. They walked us through each museum and every gallery – both having been to London many times for the program. Ann and Fish showed us to the best of the best that London’s art scene had to offer. Check out my list of top art galleries’ and museums to create an artists‘ trip to London below:
Saatchi Gallery
First up on your artists’ trip to London is the Saatchi Gallery! For years the Saatchi Gallery has been named one of the top art galleries in London. Located just off of Kings Road in London, Charles Saatchi opened this gallery in an old paint factory in 1985, to show off his impressive personal art collection. Later, he was a promoter of Young British Artists (YBAs) and expanded the gallery. Today the Saatchi gallery has a great mix of traditional and modern art on display. Of course, all the artwork was amazing! I especially enjoyed the beautiful setting and lovely outdoor café. And the best part is, it’s free to visit!
Sara inside Saatchi Gallery 
Outside the Saatchi Gallery 
Work of art at Saatchi Gallery
Location and Contact info:
Address: Duke of York’s HQ King’s Rd, Chelsea, London, England SW3 4RY, United Kingdom
Phone Number: +442078113070
Website: https://www.saatchigallery.com/
Design Museum
Next up is one of the best art museums in London, the Design Museum! The museum features a modern design in every way, including furniture, graphics, and architecture. The amazing building used to house the Design Museum‘s collection is a work of art in itself and worth exploring. During my visit, they had some amazing instillations that guests could walk through and interact with. They often feature art like this, which I love! The Design Museum also emphasizes art that brings creative richness and that provides a means for understanding the contemporary world. You can also find great programming for families and young kids. I cannot wait to take my kiddos back here someday.
Location and Contact info
Address: 224-238 Kensington High Street London W8 6AG
Website: https://designmuseum.org/#
More info on getting to the Design Museum HERE!
Booking.com
Serpentine Galleries
The Serpentine Galleries, set just on the edge of the amazing Kensington Gardens near Hyde Park. This is the perfect next stop on your artists trip to London! First open in 1970, the gallery features contemporary art from new and veteran artists from around the world. There are actually two galleries, the Serpentine Sackler Gallery, which opened in 2013, and the original Serpentine Gallery.
In addition to the two high quality galleries, each year they hold a their architecture showcase pavilion competition. After a design is selected, a temporary pavilion is created based on the winner’s design. The pavilion is then displayed as a work of art for the summer. See the RED structure in my photos below. Drinks and food are available in the pavilion and relaxing here makes for a lovely afternoon. Make sure to leave time to explore Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park after your visit to the galleries – you won’t be disappointed!
Location and Contact info
Address: Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA
Phone: +442074026075
Website: https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/
The British Museum
Continuing down the list on your artists’ trip to London is The British Museum, one of the best art museums in London. Opening in 1759, the museum’s collection features historic artifacts and artwork from around the world. Ideas of enlightenment and curiosity of the world have always been part of the foundation and the history of The British Museum. Some of the top pieces to see include The Rosetta Stone tablet, the Mummy of Katebet, Assyrian Lion Hunt Reliefs, Easter Island Heads, Lewis Chessman, and much more! I really loved the architecture, specifically the ceiling in the museum – see my photos below. The British Museum also has a fantastic café on the second level overlooking the main lobby area – great people watching! The museum’s collection of artwork and artifacts is a must-see!
Location and Contact info
Address: Great Russell Street London WC1B 3DG
Website: https://www.britishmuseum.org/
Find more info on visiting the British Museum HERE!
National Gallery
Our next stop is the National Gallery! One of the best art galleries in London. Located just off of Trafalgar Square (worth a visit in itself!), the gallery features a massive collection of artwork spanning from the 13th century to the 1900s. Everything from the early Renaissance to Impressionism – my personal favorite. The National Gallery features some VERY famous works of art. Being an art student at the time I totally nerded out over all of these famous paintings. Check out my top list below:
Famous works of art include- Rokeby Venus by Velazquez, The Fighting Temeraire – Turner, Bather at Asnières by Seurat, Sunflowers by Van Gogh, Self Portrait at age 34 by Rembrandt, The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan Van Eyck, The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger, Bathers at La Grenouillère by Monet and soo much more.
Check out the National Galleries Virtual Tour HERE!
Outside the National Gallery
Location and Contact info:
Address: Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom
Phone: +442077472885
Website: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/
The National Portrait Gallery
Just next door is the National Portrait Gallery – a must-see on any artist’s trip to London! This remarkable collection houses portraits of many famous people throughout British and world history. Including paintings, sculptures, and photographs – over 11,000 in total!
I have a strange love for the Tudor era of British History, so when I heard that they had original portraits of Henry the VIII, Katherine of Aragon (Henry’s first wife), Ann Boleyn (Henry’s second wife) and of course his famous daughter Queen Elizabeth I, on display I knew I couldn’t miss this gallery.
Other famous people depicted in the National Portrait Gallery include Charles Darwin, Sir Issac Newton, Charles Dickens, King Charles II, William Shakespeare, and many more!
Location and Contact info
Address: St Martin’s Place, London, United Kingdom
Phone: +442073060055
Website: https://www.npg.org.uk/
Victoria and Albert Museum
Perhaps my favorite of all the art museums in London is the Victoria and Albert Museum. Named for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, this museum gives visitors a visual tour of world history through sculptures, antiquities, fashion, and more. They have a great fashion and decorative arts collection – seriously one of the best in the world.
The building itself is another fantastic work of amazing architecture both inside and out. Before you go in, make sure to take a walk around the block and check everything out. During World War II, bombs were dropped in the road near the museum and to this day you can still see where the museum was damaged.
After touring the museum, make sure to check out the outdoor courtyard and museum shop. Side note – the V&A has one of the best gallery shops I have seen. Check it out online HERE!
Location and Contact info
Address: Cromwell Road, South Kensington , London, SW7 2HB, United Kingdom
Phone: +442079422000
Website: https://www.vam.ac.uk/
Tate Modern
Continuing on your artists’ trip to London, make sure to check out the Tate Modern. The Tate Modern is one of the most popular art museums in London and sees thousands of visitors per year. Located on the Thames just across the Millennium Bridge from St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tate Modern holds one of the best collections of modern and contemporary art in the world. The main entrance area, the Turbine Hall, is a massive space roughly 5-stories high and used to display large works of art and art installations. The building was once the Bankside Power Station, which now makes a fantastic canvas to display modern art. Along with their rotating collection, the Tate Modern also houses permanent works from world-renowned artists. These include works by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse, and more.
One of my favorite things about the Tate Modern was the viewing level where visitors can see 360-degree views of London and especially the Thames. You can see some of these views in my pictures below.
Location and Contact info
Address: Bankside, London, England, SE1 9TG, United Kingdom
Phone: +442078878888
Website: https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is up next! A classic art museum in London that is a must-see. The sister museum of the Tate Modern, Tate Britain has a large collection of historical artwork dating back to the early 1500s. Opened in 1897, the museum has nearly 70,000 works of art. Some of the museums must-see artists include J.M.W Turner, William Hogarth, William Blake, Henry Moore, Richard Dadd, Angelica Kauffman, and many more. I especially admired the Turner paintings. 🙂
Side Note – both Tate museums have great programs for the kiddos – check them out HERE!
Location and Contact info
Address: Millbank, Westminster, London, England, SW1P 4RG, United Kingdom
Phone: +442078878888
Website: https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain
White Cube
White Cube is the smallest gallery on the list, but it may be the most interesting of the art galleries in London. With two locations, one in London and one in Hong Kong, White Cube features rotating exhibits from some of the most modern, up-and-coming artists in the world. The display space is literally a white cube – white walls, concrete floors, and bright lighting. This makes the perfect space to display works of modern art. During my visit, I had the opportunity to see Antony Gormley’s Test Sites, Sergej Jensen’s The Last Twenty Minutes of 2001 and Kupferstichkabinett’s Between Thought and Action.
Location and Contact info:
Address: White Cube Bermondsey- 144-152 Bermondsey Street London SE1 3TQ
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7930 5373
Address: White Cube Mason’s Yard- 25 – 26 Mason’s Yard London SW1Y 6BU
Phone: +44 (0) 207930 5373
Website: https://whitecube.com/
The Courtauld Gallery
Last on my list for your artists’ trip to London is the Courtauld Gallery, which houses the collection of the Courtauld Institute of Art. Their collection includes paintings, sculptures, and more dating from medieval to contemporary artists. They have a fantastic collection of impressionism and post-impressionism art, including some from one of my favorite artists Edgar Degas. The gallery has a rich history that is far too long for this post – read more HERE!
Please note – the gallery is currently under a major renovation, and plans to reopen in 2021. Some of their collection is located at an alternate location at Vernon Square.
Location and Contact info:
Address: Vernon Square- Penton Rise, King’s Cross, London WC1X 94W
Phone: +44 (0) 20 39477 711
Address: Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R ORN
Phone: +44 (0) 20 39477 77
Website: https://courtauld.ac.uk/gallery
Check out each location on Google Maps:
Check it out on YouTube!
Check out some of my others adventures in England HERE!
Booking.comBook your own Artists Trip to London Tour:
Private East London Art and Culture Tour
London Music and Art Tour
Private Tour: National Gallery Tour in London with Art Historian Guide
Tour: Street Art Experience in London
About the Author
Hi my name is Sara and I am the creator of WanderMoore! 🙂 I started WanderMoore in early 2020 after leaving a full-time job in the Communications/Marketing field to stay home and raise my kiddos, Mila and Liam. I wanted something fun to work on in my free time and WanderMoore has become one of my biggest passions! Thank you for reading my post! I can't wait to share more of my travel adventures with you 🙂
I loved the Victoria and Albert Museum as well! Museums are such a great way to get to know a city. I’d love to check out Design Museum and Tate Modern next time I visit!
I soo badly want to go to England! And I’m a huge museum nerd, so I’ll definitely save this post for when I finally can go!
I like visiting art galleries and museums. Since I am stuck at home currently, I will check out the virtual tours of the National Galleries.
This is such a great guide to art museums in London. I haven’t been to London but this will definitely help me plan for when I do go. The Design Museum looks really interesting. The British Museum looks like a must visit, I would love to see some of the artifacts they have there. I had no idea they had Easter Island heads anywhere other than Easter Island!
This is a great list, I’ll have to come back to this post when I plan my next trip to London! I’ve only been to the V&A and National Gallery so far. Very cool!
Wow! Love the detailing and all of the specific information! I’m a huge fan of museums, mainly the architecture if I’m honest! But, regardless, I’d love to take a gander in all of these Museums! If I ever make it to London, I’ll definitely try to check it out! Thanks for the share!
There may be noticeably a bundle to find out about this. I assume you made sure good points in options also.