GCSE ART | COURSE GUIDE
Galleries You Could Visit
In Birmingham
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/bmag
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It might be time to get your walking shoes on if you’re planning a visit to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, because this exceptional cultural space offers a wealth of exhibits to explore. Visitors can peruse one of the largest pre-Raphaelite collections in the world, delve into the treasures found in the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found or head up to the third level for a detailed, hands-on history of the city and its people.
Ikon Gallery
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Ikon, the beating heart of contemporary art in Birmingham, spent the early days of its existence in the mid-1960s hopping all over the city. Since 1997, however, it has been settled into its permanent home in a striking neo-gothic building in Brindleyplace. Set up by a group of creatives from Birmingham School of Art, Ikon’s programmes mix the local with the international. The food isn’t bad, either – the in-house café offers British classics at reasonable prices.
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A whole lotta history runs through the veins of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. The RBSA was set up in the 1820s, receiving its royal charter in 1868 from Queen Victoria. It’s had a number of famous presidents, including William Morris and John Everett Millais, while Prince Charles is an honorary member. It moved from its opulent New Street premises to settle in Brook Street in 2000 and, while the modern building might not be quite as beautiful as its former digs, the gallery has a programme of dazzling exhibitions that make up for it.
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You might not expect one of the country’s finest collections of art to be found within a rather unassuming building on a university campus, but that speaks to the very nature of Birmingham – a city that has great things, but rarely shouts about them. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, which is free to enter, boasts an astonishing collection of paintings, fine prints, miniatures and sculptures, including works by Van Gogh, Picasso and Rembrandt.
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Located in the heart of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, Iron House is a multifaceted art space with a vision worthy of its historic industrial building. Previously a pawn shop and underground nightclub, its latest iteration was founded by a group of gallerists, event managers, marketers and property developers. Fittingly, its rooms incorporate lofty architecture, well-stocked lounge bars and a private bunker; with such a contemporary setting and tons of natural light flooding its atrium, Iron House shows off its works in style.
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On the edge of Cannon Hill Park, the Midlands Arts Centre has been at the centre of Birmingham’s arts community for decades, and once counted Mike Leigh (‘Secrets and Lies’, ‘Mr Turner’) among its resident directors. Simply put, anyone interested in the fringes of modern theatre should make the MAC one of their first ports of call, as both the main theatre and smaller Hexagon space play host to some of the most cutting-edge theatre companies working today. There’s a small outdoor arena with theatre and live music in summer and a first-floor gallery that’s filled with both touring works and commissions from Midlands artists.
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A number of the city’s empty warehouses and factories have been co-opted by creative types looking to use them for artistic purposes. That’s most obviously the case in Digbeth, where a former cabinet maker’s premises on Heath Mill Lane has been transformed into Eastside Projects. Founded in 2008 by a collective of artists that includes Gavin Wade, Ruth Claxton and architect Céline Condorelli, this vast building is the complete opposite of a cosy gallery space. It has two exhibition spaces, hosting four or five shows in each every year.
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Tucked away in Digbeth, Stryx is an artist residency, studio and exhibition space that showcases work by female talent. Founded in 2012, its prerogative is to support and develop artists while hosting both regional and national collaborations. The work on display is modern, colourful and unequivocally unique; recent exhibitions have been politicised and culturally aware, ranging from exploring the symbolism of jewellery within diasporas to contemplating consumerism through shopping bags.
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Another one for fans of Digbeth! Part of the aforementioned Minerva Works, Centrala is a gem of an independent exhibition space. Founded in 2012, the gallery has established itself as a nationally and internationally recognised centre that celebrates Central and Eastern European artists and showcases their art, culture and heritage with a contemporary twist. Split over two floors, and twinning as an event area and café, it is a cosy establishment of thoughtful work.
In Wolverhampton
https://www.theasylumartgallery.com/
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Since our Foundation, in September 2014, we have staged over 120 exhibitions showcasing a varied body of work, by artists both emerging and established. Encompassing a diverse and multi-disciplinary range of artistic practices including: Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking, Illustration, Photography, Sound, Video and Performance Art.
https://www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/visit/wolves/
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Wolverhampton Art Gallery is located in the City of Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. The building was funded and constructed by local contractor Philip Horsman, and built on land provided by the municipal authority. It opened in May 1884.
In Coventry
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Herbert Art Gallery & Museum is a museum, art gallery, records archive, learning centre, media studio and creative arts facility on Jordan Well, Coventry, England.
https://coventry-artspace.co.uk/about/
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Coventry Artspace was incorporated in 1991 and became a charity in 2009. They run arts projects and events and provide services to visual artists that live or work in the surrounding area. Their core work is to provide affordable spaces for visual artists to work and exhibit in, and opportunities for their development.
In London
https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern
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Britain's national museum of modern and contemporary art from around the world is housed in the former Bankside Power Station on the banks of the Thames. The awe-inspiring Turbine Hall runs the length of the entire building and you can see amazing work for free by artists such as Cézanne, Bonnard, Matisse, Picasso, Rothko, DalÍ, Pollock, Warhol and Bourgeois.
https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain
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Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It houses a substantial collection of the art of the United Kingdom since Tudor times, and in particular has large holdings of the works of J. M. W. Turner, who bequeathed all his own collection to the nation.
https://www.saatchigallery.com/
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has presented contemporary art exhibitions showcasing the work of emerging artists. Exhibitions which primarily drew upon the collection of Charles Saatchi, led to Saatchi Gallery becoming a recognised authority in contemporary art globally. The Gallery acquired a strong reputation for introducing artists who would later gain worldwide recognition. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity and begun a new chapter in its history.
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The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects that span over 5,000 years of human creativity. The Museum holds many of the UK's national collections and houses some of the greatest resources for the study of architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewellery, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance.
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/
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The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900.
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​Founded in 1856, the aim of the National Portrait Gallery, London is to promote through the medium of portraits the appreciation and understanding of the people who have made and are making British history and culture, and to promote the appreciation and understanding of portraiture in all media.
In Manchester
https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/
‘Gathering of strangers’ reads the neon lights above the Whitworth Art Gallery, and it’s this ethereal, sublime atmosphere that carries throughout the venue. Following a major refurbishment, and extending through its existing space into Whitworth Park itself, walls are replaced with floor-to-ceiling windows, while the café now seemingly levitates among the trees. It all helps to frame the artwork, varied and inclusive as it is.
https://manchesterartgallery.org/
Smack dab in the middle of the city sits on oasis of calm in the grand shape of Manchester’s main art gallery, housing a superb collection alongside temporary exhibitions. There’s always a stellar line-up, but recently we enjoyed a free Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, part of a nationwide project seeking to commemorate the 500th anniversary of his death.
https://thelowry.com/whats-on/
Like a huge glass and steel ship rising out of the once-derelict docks of Salford Quays, the Lowry opened in April 2000 as the Millennium Project for the Arts and has gone from strength to strength, recently announcing a £1 million private donation that has secured plans for further development. The venue – named after the great English artist L.S. Lowry, who spent much of his life in Manchester and Salford – is home to the largest collection of paintings and drawings by its namesake. The gallery spaces present a rotating collection of his art alongside the work of other artists, from Maggi Hambling to Spencer Tunick.