London Art

London Art

12 November, 2008
by: Spoonfed Genres

London Art History

London is the art capital of the world. From Cork Street to East London, from the Royal Academy to Tate Modern and the White Cube, nowhere else has such a diverse range of galleries or exhibitions, and so much of it is free. 

Back in the 18th century, Joshua Reynolds painted London’s great and good, while Hogarth documented its poverty. Romantic artist/poet William Blake was born in London, as was the great landscape painter Joseph Turner. In the 20th century, Walter Sickert and the Camden Town Group saw a new modern London, before Francis Bacon made it both glamorous and loathsome in equal measure.

In 1988 a young Damien Hirst organised Freeze and unleashed Tracey Emin and the rest of the YBAs upon an unsuspecting capital. The ‘90s were dominated by conceptualism and controversy, and today Sarah Maple and Laura May Lewis head up a new generation of young artists vying for our attention.

London Art Venues

Hayward Gallery
Housed in the infamous brutalist edifice that is the South Bank Centre, the Hayward does big bold exhibitions of contemporary art.
Best for: high-concept modern art

ICA
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is dedicated to exploring the notion of ‘play’ in art. It’s a relentlessly trendy place, so be sure to dress cool.
Best for: odd-ball art, lectures, movies and live music

National Gallery
The National Gallery’s collection contains over 2300 works of art from 1250 to 1900 by the likes of Botticelli, Titian, Turner, Van Eyck, Canaletto, Velásquez, Da Vinci… and it’s all free.
Best for: grand old oil paintings

Royal Academy
Although the RA’s permanent collection is more limited than one might like, their temporary exhibitions are frequently glorious affairs.
Best for: sculpture and architectural drawings

Saatchi Gallery
Opened in October 2008, Charles Saatchi’s new gallery is a massive space dedicated to contemporary art: best of all though, it’s completely free.
Best for: penniless art students

Tate Modern
Housed in an imposing former power station, Tate Modern is the largest contemporary art gallery in the world and the jewel in London’s art crown.
Best for: everyone!

London Art and Education

The incredible creativity of the London art scene is underpinned by London’s exceptional arts colleges. All of the YBAs went to Goldsmiths and it continues to turn out exciting young talent. But the major powerhouse is the University of the Arts London, which comprises Camberwell, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon. These are some of the finest places in the world in which to study art, whilst the end of year degree shows offer a great chance to spot the next big thing.

Annual London Art Events

Every October, London is swamped by the world’s biggest art dealers, journalists and investors as Frieze Art Fair lands in Regent’s Park, accompanied by a host of smaller satellite fairs. Then, in December the media go mad as the winner of the annual Turner Prize is announced. It really is non-stop in London!

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Spoonfed's Art Editor in Tom Jeffreys.

Spoonfed Genres