This is our list of 14 of the best galleries in Scotland
Looking for some culturally-rich activities to fill your Scottish holiday itinerary? Our list of the best galleries in Scotland has you covered. In each of these spaces, you can experience local creative talent in everything from portraiture and paintings to abstract and contemporary performance art.
The best art galleries in Edinburgh
&Gallery, Dundas Street
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White, sleek interiors featuring all-white walls and grey wooden flooring give space for the artwork to take centre stage – the only colour in the space comes from the artistic genius that lines the walls.
Solo exhibitions in contemporary art, sculpture and ceramics are what &Gallery is known for. They’re currently exhibiting Frances Priest, Joy Arden, Joan Doerr, Emily Moore, Elfyn Lewis and many more.
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Morningside Gallery, Morningside road
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Scottish contemporary art is at the heart of the Morningside Gallery, tucked away in the South West of Edinburgh boasting a colourful array of paintings and ceramics. The gallery is known for supporting local artist and new graduates, hosting exhibitions for some of the most refreshing talent in the Scottish art scene.
Emily Powell’s new art show explores the true spirit of the Hebrides
We’re big fans of both Emily Powell and Lorna Sinclair who, at the time of their respective showcases, were at the beginning of their career. Both have gone on to thrive with their colourful, bright and uplifting paintings. Where Emily strokes the brush across the canvas, Lorna will blot it with paints and paste small specs of sand, stone shards and leaves as she goes.
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The Scottish Gallery, Dundas Street
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The Scottish Gallery exhibits and sells 20th-century and modern art, ceramics and jewellery. We visited the gallery during NT Art Month and spoke to the team about their recent curation of indoor and outdoor sculpture, titled Amongst the Trees, where Andrea Geile showed off her steel structural art alongside other more delicate works by painter Sheila Anderson-Hardy, cermaicist Lara Scobie and jewellery maker Joanne Thompson.
Currently, the exhibitors include:
Beyond the Clouds by Geoff Uglow
Modern Masters Festival Edition 2024 by various artists including Barbara Balmer, Elizabeth Blackadder and Audrey Johnson
Scenes in Bronze by Professor Koji Hatakeyama
The Impartial Observer by Paul Preston
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Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Queen Street
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The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is a legendary and longstanding institute of the arts framework in Edinburgh, dating back to 1889. The architecture has been preserved throughout the decades – centuries, even – meaning it stands not only in artistic prowess but with architectural grandeur to match.
The grand, neo-gothic building was built with red sandstone and features portraiture, both traditional and modern.
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Jupiter Artland, Bonnington House
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Jupiter Artland is an award-winning contemporary sculpture garden located just outside Edinburgh.
Founded in 2009 by philanthropist art collectors Robert and Nicky Wilson, Jupiter Artland has grown into one of Scotland’s most significant arts organisations, with an international reputation for innovation and creativity – in 2016 this was recognised by a nomination for ArtFund’s Museum of the Year.
Set over 100 acres of meadow, woodland and indoor gallery spaces, Jupiter Artland is home to over 30 permanent and unique site-specific sculptures from artists Phyllida Barlow, Christian Boltanski, Charles Jencks, Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley, as well as a seasonal programme of carefully curated exhibitions and events from a plethora of artists, both emerging and established.
Jupiter Artland is open seven days a week until Sunday 29 September 2024.
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The best art galleries in Dundee
Dundee Contemporary Arts, Nethergate
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The DCA features two contemporary art galleries, a two-screen cinema, print studio, learning programme, a shop and a café-bar. This is an educational space as much as it is a recreational one – boasting many shows throughout the year, with the majority in support of local graduates from the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design at Dundee University.
Printmaking, painting, sculpting and many more workshops are held throughout the year – the perfect spot for a family day out, wandering from cinema to gallery to workshop and to café bar.
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The McManus Art Gallery & Museum, Albert Square
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This gothic Revival-style building sits opposite the legendary publishing house DC Thomson, who published the Beano comics, Commando magazine and People’s Friend magazine, too.
The McManus is a council diamond; the place where Dundee’s cultural and artistic history is celebrated. Shows run across painting, botany, sculpture, wildlife preservation and more. A truly eclectic mix can be found at the McManus.
Currently, the focus is on a collection of fine and decorative art as well as a natural history collection. Exhibitions include:
Impressed Twentieth Century Artist Prints from Dundee’s Collection
This Just In Recent additions to the collections
Castle Crafts for kids
McManus Creates for kids
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Eduardo Alessandro Studios, Broughty Ferry
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This delightful little Broughty Ferry-based gallery sits close to the ocean with a stunning collection of colourful pieces, which range from intricate glasswear and ceramics to large scale paintings and printworks.
If you’re looking to purchase some local art, this is your place.
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The best art galleries in Glasgow
ScotlandArt, Bath Street
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ScotlandArt on Bath Street holds Scotland’s largest gallery stock of original, fine artwork.
The ScotlandArt team says, “We have a wonderful collection of artworks from all over Scotland, from the Hebrides all the way to the Borders. All original, these paintings capture the Highlands and Islands, coasts, and cities in oil paint, watercolours, acrylic paint, pencil and pastels.”
The affordable artworks are available online with free worldwide delivery. Each comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Also! Three sweeping new landscapes by Paul Bennett have arrived at the space. Sky and sea meet within endless expanses in these oil paintings that celebrate the wild British coast. Don’t miss it!
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Tramway, Southside
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Tramway is a renowned international arts venue with an interdisciplinary spirit whose mission is to enrich and inspire local communities by providing ambitious, innovative and culturally relevant contemporary art and performance.
Through a dynamic year-round programme of dance, live art, engagement activity, festivals and free exhibitions, the team aims to stimulate meaningful dialogue between artists and audiences, responding to the urgent cultural, social and political issues of our time.
Currently exhibiting:
Delainia: 17071965 Unfolding is an exhibition of work by artist Delaine Le Bas (1965). Objects, environments, textiles, costumes and performances exist at the intersection of the personal and the political in this show, aligning her experiences as a Romani person
[mouthfeel] is an exhibition of new and recomposed work by Glasgow-based artist Camara Taylor, forged through new and old collaborations with 皚桐 (Ai Túng), Sharif Elsabagh and Slag Hammers
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The Modern Institute, Osborne Street
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The Modern Institute was founded in Glasgow in 1997. The gallery works with 58 internationally established and emerging artists, including Martin Boyce, Anne Collier, Urs Fischer, Luke Fowler, Jim Lambie, Nicolas Party, Simon Starling, Alberta Whittle, Cathy Wilkes and Richard Wright.
The Modern Institute hosts a yearly programme across its two spaces in Glasgow and publishes a variety of artists’ books and monographs.
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Transmission Gallery, King Street in Merchant City
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This edgy, artist-run gallery has displayed unique contemporary works by emerging artists since 1983. Set in a post-industrial space, Transmission Gallery hosts visual and performance art, music, film and theatre.
As a registered charity, Transmission Gallery is held together by a combination of state funding, voluntary labour, and the on-going construction of its community. It is constitutionally engrained that all Transmission activities and resources remain free.
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Explore some of the exhibitions currently showing at The Scottish Gallery.
Wander ‘Amongst the Trees’ at The Scottish Gallery with artist Andrea Geile
