Guildhall Art Gallery
Discover the art collection of the City of London Corporation and visit Guildhall Yard, a tranquil and historic square in the middle of the City. The Gallery was established in 1886 as, 'a Collection of Art Treasures worthy of the capital city'. See works dating from 1670 to the present, including seventeenth century portraits, Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces and a fascinating range of paintings documenting London's dramatic history.
Step into the ruins of London's Roman Amphitheatre, in which crowds would once have gathered to watch wild animal fights, public executions and gladiatorial combats. Lost for centuries, the original circular walls were rediscovered by archaelogists working on the site of the new Guildhall Art Gallery building in 1988.
Venue Type:
Gallery, Archaeological site
Additional info
Our library is open to the public by appointment only.
The collections are mainly comprised of British works of art. Included are fascinating views of London & London life from the 16th Century to the present day, & Victorian paintings & sculpture including well-known Pre-Raphaelite works. The Gallery also houses the extensive Studio Collection of 20th-century colourist Sir Matthew Smith. There is a programme of changing exhibitions. Items not on display may generally be viewed in store by appointment.
Collection details
Archaeology, Fine Art
Key artists and exhibits
- Copley
- The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, September 1782
- The Seige of Gibraltar
- Rossetti
- La Ghirlandata
- Hunt
- The Eve of St Agnes
- Millais
- The Woodman's Daughter
- My First Sermon
- My Second Sermon
- Leighton
- The Wounded Cavalier
- Sir John Gilbert
- Alma-Tadema
- Tissot
- Too Early
- The Last Evening
- Landseer
- Constable
- Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows
- Sir Matthew Smith
- Roman London's Amphitheatre
Visscher Redrawn: 1616-2016
- 20 February — 20 November 2016 *on now
Claes Jansz. Visscher's 1616 engraving is one of the most iconic images of medieval London
a low-rise cityscape dominated by the spires and steeples of its churches. Four hundred years on, artist Robin Reynolds has recreated the 6.6ft panorama to depict the brilliant architecture of today’s metropolis.
Published in the year of Shakespeare's death, Visscher's engraving is one of the few visual records of London before much of it was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. To commemorate the landmark anniversaries of 350 years since the Fire and 400 years since Shakespeare's death, the two artworks will be displayed side-by-side at Guildhall Art Gallery.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
Website
Victorians Decoded: Art and Telegraphy ?
- 20 September 2016 — 22 January 2017 *on now
Explore the impact of telegraphy on the artistic imagination and wider social consciousness in the 19th century.
150 years ago, communication was revolutionised. The successful laying of cable along the floor of the Atlantic ocean meant that exchanges that would have taken weeks by ship, were possible within a single day.
This groundbreaking technology captivated Victorian society and how it conceived of itself in time and space. Artists responded in visual terms to the newly connected world, the hostile landscape, changed perceptions of distance, and the idea of sending/receiving messages, coding and decoding.
'Victorians Decoded: Art and Telegraphy' looks at the impact of telegraphy on the artistic imagination and wider social consciousness and features Victorian paintings, scientific apparatus and the personal notes and papers of telegraph pioneer Sir Charles Wheatstone.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
Website
Guildhall Art Gallery
Guildhall Yard
London
City of London
EC2V 5AE
England
Website
www.guildhallartgallery.cityoflondon.gov.uk
guildhall.artgallery@corpoflondon.gov.uk
Telephone
Information Line
(020) 7332 3700
Fax
(020) 7332 3342
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