The best free art galleries in London: An artist's selection

It’s no secret that culture-rich London is bursting with art at most corners. From collections that span centuries to virtual exhibitions that could put a Victorian child in a coma, even the buildings that house the artworks are often masterpieces in their own right.

But as the cost of living crisis deepens, you, like many artists, may be suffering from empty wallet syndrome. And as you trudge through London’s mean streets, you may be thinking longingly about how to fill your cultural appetite.

Well, wipe off your scowl and fear not, as most major museums and commercial galleries are free, and I’ve taken the time to guide you through some of the best.

Remember, Mondays are often part of the gallery weekend as they open Tuesday to Saturday, so don't make a fool of yourself by tugging on a tightly locked door. Especially on a Monday.

Whether you like your art old, new or entirely conceptual, save your pennies for something else. A gallery postcard, perhaps? Probably the tube home.

White Cube

In art theory terms, White Cube is the ideal space to view art. It’s a literal blank canvas. Four white walls, softly lit, devoid of any distraction, where it feels a stray hair may disturb the curation or be examined as a minimalist piece. And while some stand ardently opposed to the banal aesthetic (see the White Pube), The White Cube has just opened its third London gallery which spans a whopping 58,000 feet.

Its founder, Jay Jopling, is as A-list as the artists he exhibits. Think Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley. And that’s just rattling off a few. The commercial gallery focuses on contemporary works and has been known to ambitiously transform the gallery into a giant installation - see Anselm Kiefer’s Finnegans Wake.

So, if you find yourself south of the river, head to White Cube in Bermondsey. It’s an ideal size to fill your greedy art belly without coming down with a case of Stendhal syndrome.

Tracey Emin: I followed you to the end is on at White Cube Bermondsey from 19 September - 10 November 2024

Bermondsey, SE1 | whitecube.com

The National Gallery

If you’ve only got time for one London gallery, this is it. It’s the big one. You’ll know it by the queue of over three million yearly visitors trickling onto Trafalgar Square. And yes, it really is worth it.

To quote Chappell Roan, the National Gallery is bursting with “your favourite artist’s favourite artist(s)”. Donning its walls are masterpieces from every European school of art spanning the Middle Ages to the 20th century. And where else can you see Monet’s ‘Water-Lily Pond’ alongside Seurat’s ‘Bathers’?

With free daily talks and lectures, you can learn your Rembrandts from your Renoirs. Give yourself at least 2-3 hours to do the rounds as with over 2,300 works, you may need a second trip to see it all.

Just don’t succumb to art fatigue and run out of eye juice.

Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers is on from 14 September - 19 January 2025

Westminster, WC2N | nationalgallery.org.uk

The National Portrait Gallery

A hop, skip and a jump (one minute walk) from the National Gallery and you’ve reached the National Portrait Gallery.

Its reopening, after a three-year re-vamp, sees it shed its ‘old and dusty’ ubiquitous museum metaphor with a lick of Gainsborough paint and a trio of hefty bronze doors engraved by Tracy Emin.

Inside, hang (and stand) a whopping 12,700 portraits depicting everyone from stiff-backed royals and stern self-portraits to lucrative style icons and political caricatures. Chronologically curated and constantly updated with its most recent hang just last month — Sam Smith dressed as a winged cherub, strumming a harp from the singer’s personal collection.

And if all that looking got your tummy rumbling, there’s a selection of food on offer. Make your way up to the Portrait, a rooftop restaurant, or head down to Ochre for Van Gogh’s afternoon tea or champagne happy hour, darling.

Francis Bacon: Human Presence is on from 10 October - 19 January 2025

Westminster, WC2N | npg.org.uk

South London Gallery

Peckham Road’s South London Gallery feels understated in an accessible and inviting way. A bit like how it runs a rigorous international programme but still feels local. It’s the kind of place you’d be thrilled to stumble across, but would also travel across London for.

Grown out of South London Working Men's College, the gallery dates back to 1869 and has recently expanded over the road into a Grade-II fire station. Both spaces show contemporary works and champion multidisciplinary and emerging artists.

Another string to its bow is the gallery cafe, South London Louie. Cafe by day, small-plates supper club by night. Both are popular with an artsy crowd, probably partly due to Louie’s intimate jasmine-scented garden that provides a bit of escapism from the concrete jungle that is London.

Nairy Baghramian: Jumbled Alphabet is on from 27 September - 12 January 2025

Camberwell, SE5 | southlondongallery.org

Tate Britain and Tate Modern

There are four of them. Liverpool, St Ives, Modern and Britain, and the latter two are both large, sat next to the Thames and most importantly, free.

Like any newer version, Tate Modern gets all the attention. However, Tate Britain is second only to the National Gallery. Situated next to the Houses of Parliament, Tate Britain’s circular layout offers a kind of timeline so you can walk through Britain’s history and learn your J. M. W. Turners from your Henry Moores. It’s also home to the prestigious Turner Prize which opens in September.

Tate Modern opened in 2000 out of the disused Bankside Power Station. Architecturally, it is brutalist and industrial, with the cavernous turbine hall usually sporting some monster installation. It focuses on modern and contemporary art and takes no prisoners, coming out the gates strong with heavy hitters such as Matisse, Warhol and Rothko. Entry is free but tickets are required for select exhibitions which are curated thematically rather than chronologically.

Its new and successful Tate Lates are open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays with music and drinks to accompany. These, sadly, are not free.

The Turner Prize is on at Tate Britain from 25 September - 16 February 2025

EXPRESSIONISTS: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider is on at Tate Modern until 20 October 2024

Pimlico & Southwark SW1P & SE1 | tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain & tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

Cork Street

While you’ve probably heard of most of the major galleries, London is strewn with smaller contemporary galleries at every corner that often slip under the radar.

Cork Street is a good place to start if you want to avoid the bustle and are feeling brave enough to ring a doorbell. Its hub of galleries such as Alison Jaques, Flowers and Stephen Friedman draws crowds for evening private views (which are often public, not private) and although walking through glitzy, artsy Mayfair on a budget only exemplifies the impenetrable exclusivity of the art world, you may catch an early glimpse of a work by an exciting emerging artist. So, there’s always that.

Oh, and there are free drinks. Because no one loves free booze more than the art elite.

Mayfair, W1 | corkstreetgalleries.com

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