London Galleries
London has a great number and variety of art galleries. There are some impressive permanent collections in the city, and temporary exhibits are hosted at a variety of venues. The National Gallery and the Tate Galleries should be on everyone's must-see list. The Queens Gallery and the Picture Gallery are both located at Buckingham Palace. The National Portrait Gallery is a "Who's Who" of British History.

The Victoria and Albert Museum is the greatest decorative-arts museum in the world. One of the most popular public galleries is the Serpentine Gallery, which was generously helped by the charitable efforts of Princess Diana. Founded in 1970, the Serpentine has established an international reputation for excellence, presenting cutting edge exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. The Mall Galleries also feature temporary exhibitions of contemporary works by British artists, presented by a number of art societies.

The Gilbert Collection is a fabulous museum of decorative arts. The Wallace Collection is housed in a spectacular London town house. This national museum maintains works acquired principally in the 19th century. The Guildhall Gallery of Art covers works from the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

The Courtauld Institute Gallery has the finest collection of Impressionist paintings in Britain, as well as masterpieces by Botticelli, Tiepolo, Rubens and Goya - all housed in a beautiful 18th century building. The Royal Academy of Arts and the Barbicon Art Gallery (part of the Barbicon Centre for Arts and Conferences) both house temporary exhibits throughout the year. Smaller, but no less important, venues include Houldsworth Fine Art, Hamiltons Gallery, ICA Gallery, London Portrait Company, Animation Art Gallery, Fleming Collection and Photographer's Gallery.