Looking for art galleries in London? This guide includes 15 galleries and museums where you can see some art, from the National Gallery and Tate Modern to the famous Painted Hall. I’ve visited and reviewed every attraction and given them an honest rating: ★ is okay, ★★ is good and ★★★ is great. For my personal favourites see my Top 10 art galleries in London. To find out what’s on now, browse London art exhibitions.
Banqueting HouseUnder £15Banqueting House is not actually an art gallery, but if you’re interested in art then you can’t come miss the huge Rubens that adorns its ceiling
Courtauld GalleryUnder £15Famous for its collection of French Impressionists and works by great painters such as Cézanne, Seurat, Gauguin, Monet, Rubens and Van Gogh
Guildhall Art GalleryFreeContains paintings of famous faces and scenes from London’s history, plus the remains of London’s Roman amphitheatre in the basement
Hayward GalleryFrom £19The Hayward Gallery has temporary exhibitions by contemporary artists, sculptors and photographers. It is part of the Southbank Centre complex
King’s GalleryFrom £22Built onto the side of Buckingham Palace, the King’s Gallery shows pieces from the Royal Collection in a series of temporary exhibitions
National GalleryFreeLondon’s best gallery contains art by the world’s greatest painters like Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Renoir, Raphael, Titian, Turner and Van Gogh
National Portrait GalleryFreeThis tells the story of Britain’s history through portraits of our most famous kings, queens, politicians, artists and celebrities
Old Royal Naval CollegeFrom £19There’s only one painting at the Old Royal Naval College but it stretches across the ceiling and over the walls of the Painted Hall
Queen’s HouseFreeQueen’s House is part of the National Maritime Museum and has a collection of naval-related art. It’s also an historic piece of architecture
Royal Academy of ArtsFreeThe RA started out as an art school teaching the likes of Turner and Gainsborough, who’s works can now be seen in the John Madejski Fine Rooms
Saatchi GalleryFreeCharles Saatchi’s gallery has free exhibitions by up-and-coming artists who rarely get the chance to exhibit their work in London’s larger galleries
Tate BritainFreeTate Britain focuses solely on British art by the likes of Hockney, Bacon, Blake, Turner, Hogarth, Gainsborough, Constable and Millais
Tate ModernFreeTate Modern is one of the most popular attractions in London with artworks by Dali, Matisse, Pollock, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol
Victoria & Albert MuseumFreeThe V&A contains British paintings by Turner, Constable and Gainsborough, plus some famous studies by Raphael
Wallace CollectionFreeThis hidden gem of a gallery contains works by the likes of Rembrandt, Rubens, Reynolds, Titian, Gainsborough and Delacroix
My Top 10 art galleries in London
Top 10 art galleries in LondonI’ve put together a list of my ten favourite art galleries to help you decide which are the best ones to visit on your London holiday
Top 10 London museumsSome of London’s museums also have a great collection of artworks, like the V&A, Wallace Collection and Sir John Soane’s Museum
Upcoming art exhibitions in London
Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia & The Pacific A collaboration with the Queensland Art Gallery offering a view of the Asia Pacific region's creative landscape
Winston Churchill: The Painter at the Wallace Collection The first major retrospective of Winston Churchill's paintings, bringing together over 50 of his best works
Frida: The Making of An Icon exhibition at Tate Modern The story of how Mexican painter Frida Kahlo transformed into a cultural phenomenon and commercial icon
Painting the French Riviera at the Royal Academy of Arts An exhibition of 120 works by Impressionists and Post-Impressionists of scenes in the South of France
Light And Magic - The Birth Of Art Photography at Tate Modern Discover how the world's first international art photography movement spread across the globe from the 1880s to 1960s
East London Street Art Tour + Spray Painting Session See some graffiti in the East End and then attend a spray painting workshop