This East End stalwart reopened in 2009 following a major redesign and expansion that saw the Grade II listed building transformed into a vibrant, holistic centre of art complete with a research centre, archives room and café. Since 1901, Whitechapel Art Gallery has built on its reputation as a pioneering contemporary institution and is well remembered for premiering the talents of exhibitions by Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Frida Kahlo among others. Expect the rolling shows to be challenging and risqué.
‘Wunderkammer’ is a neat little German word. It means a ‘room of wonder’, filled with incredible, awe-inspiring objects and trinkets. Now imagine if that wonder was replaced with something much darker: the truth of humanity’s legacy. US artist Mark Dion...
I recently visited the Whitechapel Gallery for the first time and was pleasantly surprised!
First a warning: this is not at all a large gallery: at the very most you will spend an hour here and that is if you reaaaally drag your heels and absorb everything there is to see. However, it is free and the perfect way to kill some time. The myriad of different rooms lends itself to a variety small, intimate exhibitions and the artwork is all very modern and forward thinking.
Even better, it's just off Commercial Road where there is SO much good eating, so you'll be able to reward your culture vulturing with some delish food.
Really enjoyed my visit here recently. It's small, but they have interesting exhibitions and a really lovely gift shop. It's also conveniently close to Tayyabs for a delicious Pakistani meal afterwards! I will return
One of London's 'hidden gems'. Best to go when there's a specific exhibition that you want to see rather than just wander around, mainly because it's not very big, and a 'wander' means 'a few minutes'. Great shop too.
I went to the Eduardo Paolozzi retrospective last night and it was honestly well worth a visit. Through a myriad of rooms you move through his journey as an artist and watch his work transform through the years. It's bright, colourful and fun - definitely not to be missed.
One thing I will say is that, whilst it was great to hear from the curator about the works and Paolozzi's life, the talk was given to an audience who was standing and went on for nearly 40 minutes. There was a fair bit of shuffling and overheating which was a shame as an informative 10 - 15 minutes (or equally a talk that allowed people to sit and absorb the information) would have been better received.
As below reviews suggest, the Whitechapel gallery is small, however it is also free to visit and usually has some great collections. I personally think its one of East London's gems. If you're looking for something more extensive you could always head to the Tate.
After reading great reviews I decided to visit the Whitechapel Gallery, but honestly, I was very disappointed. Despite my appreciation for photography and contemporary art, there was really little to see in the gallery and my visit lasted indeed only 10 minutes if not less. There are 4 exhibition rooms, each one dedicated to different exhibitions, but little explanations and art display. Bonus point for the fact that it is free, but honestly, I don't know if I'd actually pay to see a gallery where there are so few things.
Personally I find the Whitechapel Gallery to be a bit hit and miss, although perhaps thats just down to my own misunderstandings! The work is always very contemporary and cutting edge, sometime's theres a little and sometimes there's a lot, it really does just depend on what time of year you hit it. The annual 'London Art Book Fair' held here in Autumn is unmissable though. And my favourite thing about Whitechapel Gallery is the part they play in First Thursdays - a monthly event which connects many visual arts venues across East London.
There's always something new, different and interesting on here. Loads of up and coming artists show their work here. The space itself is really interesting, and the cafe and food are great. The art focuses on contemporary work, and the gallery's store has a great collection of art books. Whitechapel Gallery is the perfect introduction to East London and everything around it. You'll always see something that you don't expect once you walk through the doors.
The gallery is a bit of a hidden gem
located in the east-end of London. The gallery sticks out a bit with its
slightly grand exterior and contemporary interiors – a world away from the
grunge and hip surroundings of the east-end street. Inside, the gallery
exhibits some fine contemporary arts and you wonder how a gallery like this is
not in central London where it’s more widely known brother and sister galleries
are found.
The gallery is very easy to get to, located
smack bank beside Aldgate East station and only 10 minutes walk away from Tower
Bridge.
The gallery is quite small and I was able
to wander around the gallery in its entirety in just over an hour. The more
sophisticated art connoisseur could spend another hour or two inside. Despite
it’s size, there is a lot of exhibits on show and
If you enjoyed the Tate Modern and other
contemporary art galleries in central London, you’ll like it’s little sibling,
Whitechapel Gallery; and like all museums in London it’s free to enjoy.
The gallery should have a parental guidance for the Sarah Lucas exhibit. I visited the gallery with my children and walked in on a very sexually explicit exhibition, no warning until it was too late. Exhibitions such as this must carry a warning when advertised and at the point of entry. There are age restrictions for films, venues, bars, but not for explicit gallery exhibitions. Whitechapel please sort this out.
The Director of the Whitechapel, Iwona Blazwick isn't on every single 'most influential people in art' list for nothing. A visit to the Whitechapel always feels like you're at the forefront of what's happening in the contemporary art world. It's free to enter, has a terrific bookshop and is bang next door to Aldgate East tube station (a design destination in its own right). I'm very much looking forward to the Sarah Lucas exhibition in October 2013 and the Bloomberg commission is always worth a visit in its own right.