Liverpool has some serious creative clout. Though internationally recognized as a pop culture powerhouse, Liverpool is also home to an extraordinarily diverse range of art galleries and has long been thought of as the art capital of the north – even as other cities are vying for the title. It’s home to the lone Tate gallery north of London, was the first city outside the capital to host the ever-contentious Turner Prize, and features the only road in the UK populated entirely by galleries, museums, and libraries. For culture-hungry visitors, Liverpool is a banquet. Here, we chart the best Liverpool art galleries, from historically renowned to contemporary.
Walker Art Gallery
Central railway stations aren’t always in the most beautiful or mannerly neighbourhoods, but Liverpool sidesteps that trope. Its main Lime Street station is surrounded by the impossibly grand historic buildings, listed monuments, and well-kept gardens of the informally-titled ‘Cultural Quarter’. This impressive opening gambit welcomes those arriving by train, leading visitors to the Walker Art Gallery, arguably the city’s most prestigious art haunt. With one of the largest classical collections outside London, this magnificent marble-decked and collonaded building hosts works by the greats; Rembrandt, Turner, Monet, and Degas among them.
It might all sound a tad stuffy for some tastes; however, recent years have seen great strides in making the collections more accessible and helping audiences view historic works through a contemporary lens. Today, you’ll find collections that explore Liverpool’s Black experience, LGBTQ+ narratives, and objects that reflect class, politics, and community history.
Address: Walker Art Gallery, William Brown Street, Liverpool L3 8EL
Tate Liverpool
A sibling of London’s Tate Modern and Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool is one of the most important contemporary art galleries in the north of England. Situated in a fantastically imposing former warehouse, it hugs the Mersey as part of the Royal Albert Dock – a popular tourist attraction in its own right. The standing collection features notable artists such as Maggi Hambling, Lubaina Himid, and Anish Kapoor, alongside a wider roster of modern art darlings and disruptors.
Consequently, while most of the four-floor building is dedicated to permanent free-to-see collections, there are also regular special and ticketed displays. Recent highlights have included a landmark Keith Haring retrospective and an exhibition of Lucien Freud portraits. Moreover, beyond the gallery spaces, Tate Liverpool features a vibrant café adorned with an audacious wall mural and boldly colored ‘bunting’ by British pop artist, Sir Peter Blake.
Address: Tate Liverpool, Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4BB
