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    Tate Britain

    4.5 (146 reviews)
    InexpensiveMuseums, Bookstores
    Closed 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Tate Britain Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Tate Britain

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    Andrew M. M.

    This is a really amazing free museum with a nice combination of modern art and older standards. Most of the older art was of Victorian era (if I am getting that correct) with a lot of paintings of royalty and rich merchants (who could afford to have their portraits done), angels, seascapes. But so much more that you could spend hours wandering around. The focus is on British artists with a large collection JMW Turner's work. I found a lot of his work to be expensive, dramatic, and kind of repetitive. He painted a lot of seascapes, which are very impressive. There is an entire room filled with his unfinished works. There was an entire interesting collection of modern art, including sculptures, which was also fascinating. One of them included a collection of plastic lawn chairs with leather motorcycle gang jackets over them. We had to be reminded not to sit in the chairs. There was one sculpture, I really didn't understand, though, it was an older broken toilet with a red light on the inside and 2 walnuts with a cigar in the middle, attach to the toilet lid by metal wires. There were really well done curated notes for each painting, which made them much more interesting when you read some of the history behind the painting, but there is so much that you have to pick and choose. John Singer Sargent's "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose"--a painting of two children lighting paper lanterns at dusk in a garden filled with blooming flowers was a beautiful painting as well as Edward Burra's 1930s "The Snack Bar", which I found so interesting to read about and look at.

    Henry Moore
    Susan C.

    John Singer Sargent's "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose"--a painting of two children lighting paper lanterns at dusk in a garden filled with blooming flowers--has been a personal favorite of mine since college, so when I realized this painting was at the Tate Britain I knew I had to make a stop here on this trip. Arriving on a Friday afternoon around 4pm, it was rather rushed to walk thru the whole gallery by 5:45pm when they started to clear out the exhibition halls. Good news was that it was fairly clear and uncrowded with most visitors trickling out slowly between 4-6pm. Wonderful that this museum along with many others in London are free with donations encouraged, a terrific social effort to make art easily accessible to the public. A casual viewer could easily spend 1-1.5 hours here, if you want to take a bit more time to read the descriptions, admire the art, then 2-3 hours is doable. Among the other artworks here, "Ophelia" by Sir John Everett Millais is very well known as are the works of JMW Turner, James Tisot's "Holyday", and many others. I personally appreciated William Stott's "Le Pasteur" depicting two girls waiting for a ferry at dusk, something about the quality of light and anticipation created a calm tension in the painting that felt palpable. A number of Henry Moore's modern sculptures with their monolithic human torsos or undulating Matisse-like curves really drew me in too. All in all a worthwhile afternoon spent enjoying art!

    Art
    David S.

    At first I thought that this museum was simply going to be just modern art, much like the Tate Modern, but it turns out that this museum is focused specifically on British Art, though I sort of thought that that was also the National Gallery. Well, there is a whole gamut of art works here, stretching across the centuries, right down to the modern day, with some really interesting things, such as a coil of rope on the floor. Yeah, it's pretty good, and it's free as well, which is always a good thing to be honest.

    Chloe W.

    We were looking for something to do on a cold Sunday in London and decided to stop by the Tate Britain. Wow! I was shocked at how long it took me to visit this awesome museum. A great variety of art, organized by date, as well as a great limited time exhibit. We were especially excited to see John Everett Millais' 'Ophelia' and John Singer Sargent's 'Lady Macbeth'. If you are in the Westminster/Victoria area, make sure to visit the Tate Britain.

    Waterhouse's "The Lady of Shalott."
    JoAnn A.

    I've been to a few art museums in London, but had never visited this one and I'm so glad I did. It houses artworks made British artists, so in addition to modern art, here you will find some classics by Waterhouse, Gainsborough, Millhouse etc. Many museums around the world are grappling with their ties to colonialism, and the UK's museums are no exception. What I was most impressed with however, is that the Tate Britain's team seems to have reflected on the museum's historical roots to slavery, and what that means for the art it shows and how that art came into the museum. How do you reckon with the fact that the museum's founder had ties to slavery and the art he donated was linked to that? I was really impressed with the signage around much of the older art, that would call out whether the subjects depicted were slaveowners or had ties to colonialist institutions. In a few instances, there were portraits depicting BIPOC subjects and the museum added additional information about their lives. I also noticed the gift shop carried books about art diversity and intersectionality. I've never seen another art museum do this level of detail in regards to reckoning with a colonialist past, so I thought this was much-needed scholarship for our modern era. In addition, the museum also displays modern art, and there was a large exhibit for Hew Locke's The Procession, which featured figures who move through celebratory/mourning poses. The installation brings attention to the museum's founding. It was a deeply moving experience to see an exhibit by a Guyanese-British artist featuring African communities taking up space in a historically colonialist institution. Pictures don't really do it justice. When you walk around it, it feels like experiencing all the joys and sorrows of humanity. I was really impressed with Tate Britain and would recommend it!

    Wendy L.

    One of many great museums in London. Tate Britain is the original museum, Tate Modern was added on later. We saw the famous Turner exhibition. It's definitely worth the visit if you are familiar with his work. William Blake exhibition was also on display at the same time with admission fee. Like all museums in London, it's FREE!! So don't miss this opportunity to see as many as you can.

    John Berney Crome, Yarmouth Harbor - Evening. About 1816-21.
    Bruce K.

    I have been to quite a few of the museums in London and while the Tate Britain has some quality art, I can't really say that this is my favorite of them. It's not the Tate's fault - this is just art that I don't really appreciate and just don't "get." I'm sorry, Tate. Lots of really classy stuff here and the audio guide is a big help. A few Sickerts, but the collection of Turners can't be matched. If you like art, especially British art, then you'll love the Tate Britain. Note that pictures are not permitted, so if someone was going to try and take pictures, they might do well to get the audio guide device and it doesn't look nearly as obvious. Or so I heard.

    John Singer Sargent - "Ena and Betty, Daughters of Asher and Mrs Wertheimer"
    Ani M.

    This museum is a must-see for fans of JMW Turner and John Singer Sargent. Seeing their works was absolutely worth the trip. I thought the collections could have been organized better. The layout does not do justice to some of the works. But overall it is definitely worth visiting for an art lover. Admission is free.

    Lynn Z.

    Nice museum to spend an hour or two. Famous for Turner collection. For first timers, taking a free tour is recommended. Took the free tour for the weekend. It was interesting to hear the stories and history about the museum. Worth a visit.

    Inside
    Donald C.

    We went here for a late event to see "My Bed" art work. Honestly, there is so much to see here that you'll have to go more than once. I especially enjoyed the Hirst, Hockney, and Will Blake pieces. There was also an excellent exhibition on Jo Spence's work. If in London, I would say it's one of the best if not THE best of the museums in London. Oh yeah, and the "My Bed" piece was well worth it. You wouldn't think so, but it really makes you think about what art is. It's also one of those pieces that still retains it's aura, unlike so many others.

    Bianca F.

    This is a really cool museum that is definitely worth a visit if you are nearby the area. I really enjoyed the art here (hence my photos). It's free. We were only there for a hour, but could have easily spent about 4 hours inside.

    Gilbert and George!
    Dale H.

    My husband and I spent a very pleasant morning immersing ourselves in quintessential British art at The Tate Britain. There are major pieces here by some major artists. We found work by Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, Gilbert and George, Tracy Enim, and more. There is an entire wing devoted to JMW Turner that showcases some spectacular work, there is an entire room devoted to William Blake, and there are some wonderful pieces by Constable and Gainsborough here and there. The collection covers all eras. The High/Low of our visit was seeing the Anish Kapoor sculpture "Adam". The High came from trying to figure out if the jet black rectangle on the face of the sculpture was a hole or if it was a rectangular piece of material. It was really difficult to tell, even up close. The Low came when some idiot walked up to it while we were there, put both hands on either side of the space in question, then stuck his head into what we discovered to be a hole. He yelled something into it then walked away. He must have seen our confusion and decided to come explain the mystery to us. We saw this guy in a couple of other galleries running his hands all over the art; then I noticed that there weren't many guards around. Perhaps the Tate should invest in better security. Other than that, it was a very pleasant museum experience.

    Rahi Y.

    Great collections of British paintings and sculptures are on display. There are many of the JW Turner's permanently on display. The museum is free and can get crowded over weekends. The gallery itself is spacious and well lit.

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    Amazing! I made sure to see every room! And came back next day to view works by William Blake by appointment only.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Tate Britain Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Tate Britain

    Indeed, I had subjected myself to the Tate Modern some time ago and yearned for some "older" stuff to see.

    Mentioned in 33 reviews

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    Libreria - Cosy!!

    Libreria

    4.6(7 reviews)
    3.2 miBrick Lane, Shoreditch
    ££

    **Newly opened and currently open til 6pm but they are looking to expand their hours shortly. If…read moreyou're unsure about opening hours and you want to visit, I recommend firing off a tweet to @SECONDHOMELDN ** Popped in to Libreria last night for a quick reconnaissance mission. New independent bookshops aren't exactly ten a penny. It also happened to be World Book Day, I have just realised. It was meant to be. I love how it looks from the outside. Like a portal to another world. You go down Hanbury Street, think you must've missed it and then...suddenly it's there. Stylish black shopfront with a nice inviting glow. This was only a very quick visit but I like how they do things in Libreria. First, I have to note that there was a Riga RP-1 record player with Velvet Underground & Nico on the turntable so...good start. No espresso bar here. No mobiles allowed. Comfy seating and little nooks to sit down and check out a book. Tick tick tick. Sally, Libreria's director, introduced herself to me and explained how things were laid out. Very friendly and helpful. Books are largely organised alphabetically, fiction on the left and nonfic on the right. However, within that, books are clustered into themes or ideas, in order to promote interesting combinations of books nestling next to each other. Great idea. Pure A-Z is so 2015. Also, they have asked celebs to do a mini-curation of their favourite books. Shami Chakrabarti's faves are currently on display. I think the idea is to change everything round every quarter. Events are also gonna happen here. I dutifully added my email to the mailing list on the front desk. Waterstones can do one.

    A quaint independent bookstore in the eastern part of London…read more https://prashantmudgal.wordpress.com/2019/08/07/the-cost-of-living/

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    Libreria - My favorite bookshop in London

    My favorite bookshop in London

    Libreria
    Libreria

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    Foyles

    Foyles

    3.9(11 reviews)
    1.1 miSouth Bank, Southwark
    £££

    This is my local bookshop and I love it. I go all the time, even if I'm not looking for anything…read moreit's good just to walk around. Unlike the super-bookshops on the Charing Cross and Tottenham Court roads, Foyles feels more personal, and it's reflected in the service. The staff really know their stuff and yesterday when I purchased a book I got a "Have a lovely day" as I received my change, a rarely uttered phrase in the service industry outside of the United States. My favourite part about it is that the R.R.P printed on the back of all the books is what Foyles charge so you know you're not being ripped off. Because this bookshop is so close to the Royal Festival Hall and The National Theatre, it has a particularly good selection of drama and theatre books, as well as travel guides, fiction, autobiographies, children's books, reference books, stationary and coffee table books. My only complaint is that as a lover of travel guidebooks, I like them to be arranged so that they're easy to find, and in this store they file the Australia and New Zealand books in the North and South America section. Apart from that, it's well worth a visit.

    Foyle's. It's a…read moregreat, decent sized, well-laid-out bookshop on the Southbank. Staff favourites, variety, bestsellers and the off-the-beaten track books as well. Always a standards. Now, if they'd work out a deal with my alumni association, that'd be ideal.

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    Foyles - Foyles interior

    Foyles interior

    Foyles
    Foyles - Foyles exterior

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    Foyles exterior

    Waterstone's

    Waterstone's

    3.3(3 reviews)
    2.4 miAldgate
    ££££

    This branch of Waterstones - along with all of its other branches - is now closed temporarily, due…read moreto the coronavirus situation.

    This may be one of my favourite bookshops in all of London. I know it's just a bookshop and a chain…read moreat that but hear me out on this one. 1. Staff - They staff are always extremely friendly and knowledgeable. I was just there a few weeks ago and they had run out of the book I was looking for so I had to order it. The gentleman who helped me was fast, efficient and friendly. He talked to me about the author and the series I was reading with passion. Then he leapt from behind the counter with a spritely leprechaun-like prance, and rushed me across the shop to show me another book he thought I'd like. Have already ascertained that he knew his stuff when it cames to tomes, I trusted him and bought the book and its sequel on the spot. He was so enthusiastic about the characters that I had to get it. It was "Rivers of London" just in case anyone wants to pick it up. Great book! 2. Special guests - Ever since I discovered this shop I've noted the revolving door of special guest authors that stop in for book signings. Just in passing I've seen Martina Cole, Jeffery Deaver and Rick Stein. I only walk by once every other month or so, so imagine who I must have missed! They only seem to advertise these signing events with a little sandwich board outside so I know there's been more. Lucky for me I got a photo with a Bond car and a signed copy of Rick Stein's new book on Spanish recipes. 3. Size & Selection - This shop is over two floors and has a better selection for it. I usually am able to find what I need or can order it quickly if needs be. If I don't know what I want there are plenty of books to browse through or a friendly staffer to ask.

    Tate Britain - museums - Updated May 2026

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