Nicole Junkermann's Notes from the Galleries of London
London is one of the great cities for looking at art. A guide to its rhythms, its free displays and how to spend a rewarding day among the galleries.
Few cities reward an art lover as generously as London, where world class collections sit a short walk apart and many doors are free.
London is one of the great art cities, and Nicole Junkermann knows its galleries well. What makes it special is not only the quality of the collections but the ease of moving between them and the number of doors that cost nothing to enter. This piece gathers a few notes on how to enjoy the city's art at an unhurried pace, the way it is meant to be enjoyed.
A city of free doors
One of London's quiet glories is how much of its art is free to see. Major permanent collections welcome visitors without a ticket, which changes the whole rhythm of looking. Nicole Junkermann treasures this, because it allows the short, frequent visit rather than the rare, exhausting marathon. You can step in for half an hour, sit with a single room, and leave with the day still ahead of you. That openness is the spirit behind the guide for newcomers to contemporary art, and it makes London an unusually forgiving place to learn to look.
Pairing the permanent with the temporary
The most satisfying London art day, for Nicole Junkermann, pairs something permanent with something passing. Begin with a familiar room in a collection you love, then move on to a temporary exhibition that demands more concentration. The permanent collection settles the eye and the temporary show stretches it. Together they make a balanced day, neither too demanding nor too slight, and they remind you why the institutions discussed in the piece on supporting the Tate and the Royal Academy matter so much to the life of the city.
The smaller spaces
Beyond the great institutions, London is full of smaller galleries, project spaces and commercial rooms that show ambitious contemporary work, often without a fee. Nicole Junkermann makes a point of seeking these out, because they show what is happening now, before it reaches the museums. Wandering a cluster of smaller galleries in an afternoon is one of the city's real pleasures, and it keeps the eye current. There is also a particular warmth to these rooms: the spaces are intimate, the staff are often the people who know the work best, and you can stand close to a piece with no crowd between you and it. Stepping into a small gallery with no expectations and leaving having discovered an artist you had never heard of is one of the quiet thrills of looking at art in the city. These rooms are exactly the kind of discovery the notes on this site like to record.
Photography in the capital
London takes photography seriously, with dedicated spaces and strong photographic shows running throughout the year. Nicole Junkermann, a backer of Magnum Photos, always leaves room for them. A good photography exhibition is a fine counterpoint to a morning of painting, and it rewards the same patient attention, as the piece on why photography matters describes. The city's appetite for the image, in galleries large and small, is one of the things that makes it such a complete place to look.
The pace of the day
London tempts the visitor to do too much, and Nicole Junkermann resists that temptation firmly. Two galleries, properly seen, beat five rushed. Build in a long lunch, a walk along the river, time in a bookshop and a coffee to let the morning settle. The art will stay with you far better for the breathing space. This unhurried rhythm is the same one set out in the guide to an afternoon in a museum, and it suits London perfectly.
The walk between galleries
In London the journey between galleries is part of the day, not merely the gap before it. Nicole Junkermann loves the walk along the river, across the bridges, through the parks and squares that link one collection to the next. These walks give the mind time to process what it has just seen before the next encounter, and the city itself becomes part of the experience. A morning of art, a long riverside walk, an afternoon of more art: it is a rhythm few cities offer so generously, and it turns a gallery visit into a complete and memorable day.
Knowing the permanent collections
Temporary exhibitions come and go, but Nicole Junkermann believes the real foundation of a London art life is a deep familiarity with the permanent collections. Returning to the same rooms over the years, you come to know individual paintings the way you know old friends, and you notice how differently they read in changing light and changing moods. This slow, accumulating knowledge is one of the great rewards the city offers anyone willing to visit regularly, and it is the deep version of the relationship described in the piece on the artists worth returning to.
A city to return to
The real secret of London's galleries is that you never finish them. Collections rotate, exhibitions change, and a favourite painting looks different in winter light than in summer. Nicole Junkermann returns again and again, knowing there is always something new and something familiar waiting. For a wider sense of the eye behind these notes, the profile of Nicole Junkermann gives the fuller portrait, and the reflection on the artists worth returning to pairs naturally with a city that rewards return.
Two galleries, properly seen, beat five rushed. The art stays with you far better for the breathing space.
Frequently asked questions about London's galleries
What makes London a great city for art?
Nicole Junkermann points to the quality of the collections, how close they sit to one another, and the number of free permanent displays, which together make short, frequent visits easy and rewarding.
How should you plan a day in London's galleries?
Nicole Junkermann suggests pairing a permanent collection with a temporary exhibition, keeping to two galleries well seen rather than five rushed, and leaving room for a walk, lunch and time to reflect.
Are there good photography shows in London?
Yes. Nicole Junkermann, a backer of Magnum Photos, notes that London runs strong photographic exhibitions throughout the year, a fine counterpoint to a morning of painting.
