London Galleries Review....

Most art galleries in London are free, so I'll mention just a few for your review. I should mention at this point that some special exhibitions do have an admission fee but there's more than enough to keep all of the family quite occupied without the added expense.

National Gallery. This is one of my favourite's located at Trafalgar Square
in the west end of London. Britain's premier art centre faces the lions, fountains and Nelson's Column with St. Martins in the Field church to the right side of the building.

This really is the place to visit, in my opinion, for top quality artwork spanning a wide spectrum of styles and of course periods. From the Early Renaissance period to the Post- Impressionists, every significant stage in the development of painting is represented in its collection, including the masterpieces.

There are some priceless collections in the National so it's best to pick up a catalogue and familiarize yourself with the layout of the place so not to miss anything really special.

The National Gallery London dominates over London's Trafalgar Square as it dominates all other's in the city in terms of world renown. Some of the finest examples of European art, ranging from 1260 to 1900, are included here among the 2300 paintings filling its halls and rooms.

I'll mention just a couple of "must see" works of art here. The North Wing (1600 - 1700) contains several glorious fleshy Rembrandts and a sexy post coital Samson and Delilah by Rubens. In the East Wing you can see paintings by John Constable. Great East Anglian scenes filled with water, trees and light. Turner's seascapes paintings are here too. Also, there's a great collection of French Impressionists, to Monet and Gogh. They are all here at the National.

Nearest Station: Charing Cross Tube / Rail

Tate Modern is located along the south bank of the River Thames. Tate Modern opened to great acclaim in 2000 and has since welcomed millions of visitors through its very impressive doors. The former Bankside Power Station, which houses the collection, represents art from 1900 to the
present day.

If you are visiting for the first time, it would be a good idea to approach the building from Blackfriars Station, crossing the Thames over the Norman Foster's 'Blade of Light' footbridge walking towards this spectacular masterpiece with the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral behind you. Londoners nicknamed the bridge the Wobbly Bridge after crowds of pedestrians felt an unexpected swaying motion on the first two days after the bridge opened.

The bridge was closed and modified, and further modifications eliminated the "wobble" entirely.

The southern end of the bridge is near the Globe Theatre, the Bankside Gallery and Tate Modern, the north end next to the City of London School below St Paul's Cathedral. The bridge alignment is such that a clear view of St Paul's south facade is presented from across the river, framed by the bridge supports, thus providing a scenic view of the cathedral.

Looking back towards the capital is an impressvie view. The former Bankside Power Station, which houses the Tate Modern, represents art from 1900 to the present day.

Nearest Station: Blackfriars Tube / Rail

National Portrait Gallery. Let's start with a little background
of the National Portrait cente in London which was founded in 1856 to collect portraits of famous British men and women, and has about 120,000 portraits from the 16th Century to the present day.

When you arrive at the National Portrait centre, review the highlights from the various collections room by room and take note of the interviews with sitters and artists. Find out more about the National Portrait Gallery London has a range of current research programmes centred around the collections. Also, you'll learn how portraits from these collections are used as resources for specific learning activities for art schools, art colleges and universities.

The aim of the National is to reflect the status of the sitter, not the artist - but where else in London could you hope to find The Beatles, Henry VIII, Sir Richard Branson and JK Rowling all hanging out together? The appeal of these works of art (opened in 1856) rests simply in its comprehensive commemoration of British history from the late 15th century to the present day through the medium of portraiture.

The sense of progression and the feeling of familiarity with many subjects are what make the National so appealing.

Nearest Station: Charing Cross Tube / Rail

The Serpentine Gallery provides a platform for contemporary artists, both British and international, with changing exhibitions. There's a permanent work comprising eight benches, a tree-plaque, and a carved stone circle by artist and poet Ian Hamilton Finlay in the grounds of the gallery, which is dedicated to the former Patron Diana, Princess of Wales in the Serpentine London.

Nearest Station: Lancaster Gate Tube

Wallace Collection offer free art classes and workshops, talks and tours. They bring alive to visitors the varied works of art on display in Hertford House - the original family home of The Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace. European paintings, miniatures and sculpture, French 18th-century furniture, Sevres and Meissen porcelain, goldsmiths' work and Oriental and European arms and armour combine to form one of the finest of art amassed by one family.

Sir Richard Wallace - the illegitimate son of the 4th Marquess of Hertford - built up the original collection left to him by his father. Several Old Master paintings, notably 'The Laughing Cavalier', works by Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Reynolds, Rubens, Gainsborough, Titian and Romney make this gallery a worthy rival of others in the city.

Nearest Station: Marble Arch Tube

Photographer's Gallery is hidden away in a small street near Leicester Square. The photographers London is one of Britain's leading centre for contemporary photography. The center has a year-round programme of fantastic free exhibitions and events. The core collection of classic and contemporary photographs is boosted by an assortment from various sources including a selection of work by emerging photographers.

The venue is compact with its defined collections lending itself to short visits and is great for filling up an hour or three in the centre of the city. The reputation of this quite small London art gallery is high, and hosting as it does the Deutsche Borse Prize, the photographer's equivalent of the Turner. So this is accessible art in every respect.

Nearest Station: Covent Garden Tube

The Royal Academy of Arts Lord Burlington's spectacular London palace is home to the Royal Academy of Arts, a set of galler-ies that houses the country's premier art school and a brilliantly curated program of exhibitions. There's always something new to enjoy at the Royal Academy. The programme of exhibitions is constantly changing and shows are presented
in some of Europe's most magnificent galleries.

Perhaps the most celebrated show of recent years was
Saatchi's 'Sensation!', but exhibitions include everything from recent fashion and photography retrospectives to much broader collections of post-18th century art, and immaculately researched explorations of historical cultures.

Nearest Station: Green Park Tube (5 minutes)

Incidentally, for your convenience I have provided an interactive London Map link here to give you an
overview of the city, this will help you locate the
various venues, just click the map book.

Leave the London Galleries to explore the rest of London