It’s the start of a new year, and hopefully after a hectic week of Freshers’ Fair, and an even more hectic one packed full of lectures, you have a least a little bit of time left for yourself. So take a deep breath, step out and enjoy what this city has to offer you, besides copious amounts of alcohol, and a ridiculous number of clubs.
So why not try an art gallery? For those unfamiliar with London, the best place to start on the art scene is with the general exhibitions at the city’s three main art galleries; the Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the National Gallery, all conveniently located within Zone 1 of the underground.
One of the best things about these galleries is that their permanent exhibits are all free, which means that even if you’re not sure you like art you can go along, hate everything, and you still won’t have wasted any money (and time spent on art is never time wasted). An ideal day out for the average London student, living off a can of beans and Sainsbury’s value vodka (at £7 a bottle your liver just can’t say no!).
But rest assured, within these three massive galleries there is surely something for nearly everyone. For the lover of classical art, whether it be renaissance or early impressionism, the National Gallery is easily the best place to start (and the easiest to find from the LSE, being located on Trafalgar Square; follow the big column, but if you are catching the Tube, Charing Cross is the station of choice). The building itself is a neo-classical monstrosity that dominates the northern side of Trafalgar Square, and frankly dwarves the National Portrait Gallery behind it (a bizarre curio which will undoubtedly be covered at some point – watch this space!).
The majority of the collection is devoted to renaissance era paintings, usually filled with Christian symbolism, ranging from the impressive (some of the battle pieces in particular) to the downright awful (check out the portrait of the King on horseback for the most outsized horse you’ll ever see). A personal favourite in the National are the last three or so rooms containing a fine collection of Cezanne’s, Van Gogh’s (including his Sunflowers if you must insist on seeing it) and also Pissarro’s fantastic Boulevard Montmartre at Night, to name but a few.
But that really is about as cutting edge as the National Gallery gets (apart from temporary exhibitions such as last year’s one on Picasso). For a greater array of post-impressionism and a forage into cubism and early to mid-twentieth century art, the Tate Britain (located near Pimlico Tube station) would be better. While the Tate houses a collection of Turner’s that far exceeds that of the National Gallery (if the moody seascapes of this classic British artist are your thing), it also possesses a modernist collection that spans from the tortured paintings of Francis Bacon to the bizarre sculptures of Henry Moore.
The Tate Modern is undoubtedly the new kid on the block, and amongst a frequently rotating permanent exhibition, also houses several temporary exhibitions (which like temporary exhibitions in the other galleries cost money, so are best avoided unless they’re either really good or really cheap) and also an alternating (and free) sculpture exhibition in the giant turbine hall.
The building itself is a fantastic modernist monolith; the gallery effectively being housed in a disused power station, and the views across the millennium bridge to Saint Paul’s (your nearest tube stop) are breathtaking. But it is the art inside that, inevitably, steals first prize. With a broad collection that can encompass anything from the famed Spaniards Picasso and Dali, through to Young British Artists such as Damien Hirst.
Finally at the end of a long day out, there’s nothing quite like a cool pint of beer (or lager if that’s your poison). Down the Strand from the National Gallery, just of Aldwych, is the fantastic Lyceum Tavern, with cheep beer and a nice atmosphere. At the other end of the scale is the Waterfront Bar opposite the Tate Modern; expensive beer, but blessed with one of the best views in London (and the best kept pint of Staropramen). The Tate Britain seems to largely be surrounded by cafes, so nothing of interest there…
Ultimately, as a student in London, at the very least you have one year here. And it would seem a shame if in that time you didn’t at least sample one of these great institutions, it really can’t be stressed enough how free they are. So don’t be afraid, dive in and take a bite of culture, it might bore you, it might be the best thing you’ve ever done, probably neither, but it can’t kill you.
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