In central London and ready to snap?
If you’re finding the bustle of Oxford Street too much, dart between the buildings on Ramillies Street and spend an hour or two in The Photographers’ Gallery.
The gallery was first opened in 1971 and was the UK’s first space dedicated entirely to the medium of photography. Now in its second home – opened in 2012 in an old textiles warehouse – it has established itself as instrumental for promoting photography as a significant art form.
Set over multiple floors, The Photographers’ Gallery offers three exhibition spaces, an education and learning studio, a café (thank the lord) and a print sales gallery which, unlike lots of public galleries, hosts free exhibitions in which the pieces can be purchased – an integral part of supporting both the gallery and its artists since its foundation.
Robinson And Fans, 1951. Photo by Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The Photographers Gallery doesn’t house a permanent collection, but instead stages a rolling programme of visiting exhibitions, as well as talks, courses and events. Currently you can see the shortlisters for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2024 (until 2nd June) alongside a larger exhibition, Bert Hardy: Photojournalism in War and Peace (until 2nd June). Hardy had quite the career, going from self-taught sports photographer to documenting combat in WWII, becoming a famed press photographer for Picture Post magazine, and capturing everyday people and families across Britain for his later social commentary work. Basically, there’s a lot here, and it’s all very precious.
Outside, meanwhile, you can check out the Soho Photography Quarter, an old alleyway that’s been revamped as a kind of free al fresco gallery space, with a changing line-up of large-scale prints hung across its walls.
Pretty flash.
NOTE: The Photographers Gallery is open daily 10am-6pm (11am Sun), with late openings till 8pm on Thursdays & Fridays. There is an admission fee of £8 (£6.50 if you book in advance online), which gives you access to all the exhibitions. Entry is free on Fridays after 5pm. To find out more, head here.
The Photographers Gallery | 16-18 Ramillies Street, Soho, W1F 7LW
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