Search results
People also ask
Who designed Dulwich Picture Gallery?
Is Dulwich the world's oldest purpose-built Art Gallery?
What's new at Dulwich Picture Gallery?
How many paintings did John Dulwich have?
Join award-winning poet Robert Seatter to discuss his latest publication 'The House of Everything', about Sir John Soane, the architect of Dulwich Picture Gallery.
- Our Architecture
TimelineJS. Dulwich Picture Gallery is one of the finest...
- Home
Dulwich Picture Gallery is a vibrant cultural hub hosting...
- Our Architecture
TimelineJS. Dulwich Picture Gallery is one of the finest examples of gallery architecture in Britain. It was designed and built by the leading architect Sir John Soane (1753-1837) at the personal request of his friend Sir Francis Bourgeois, who had left a fund of £2,000 to establish a permanent home for his collection.
Dulwich Picture Gallery is the world’s first purpose-built public art gallery: it was founded in 1811 when Sir Francis Bourgeois RA bequeathed his collection of old masters “for the inspection of the public”. Today the Gallery is a vibrant cultural hub hosting some of the UK’s leading exhibitions alongside its Permanent Collection of ...
Dulwich Picture Gallery is a vibrant cultural hub hosting some of the UK’s leading exhibitions alongside its Permanent Collection of Baroque masterpieces. It also stages a wide-ranging programme of public events, practical art and community engagement.
Designed by architect Sir John Soane, Dulwich Picture Gallery houses a rich collection of Old Master paintings and a lively exhibition programme.
- Gallery Road, London, SE21 7AD
- 020 8693 5254
Nov 9, 2016 · It's an architectural marvel. Soane designed Dulwich Picture Gallery as a series of interlocking rooms, lit by overhead skylights. The skylights are designed to light the paintings beneath...
- Early Origins: The Elizabethan Actor
- The Gallery’s Founding
- Sir John Soane Designs The First Ever Public Art Gallery
- The Mausoleum
- A Design That May Look Familiar…
- My Art Highlights
- Visiting The Gallery
In 1605 Edward Alleyn, a very wealthy actor, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, purchased the manor of Dulwich. In 1619 he founded the College of God’s Gift, today known as Dulwich College. He bequeathed his art collection to the college upon his death in 1626, including many paintings of Kings and Queens of England, 26 of which still survive in the...
In 1790 two art dealers based in London called Sir Francis Bourgeois from Switzerland and his business partner Noël Desenfans from France were commissioned to create a National Collection of artworks for Poland by the King of Poland. They travelled around Europe for years collecting artworks. Unfortunately by 1795 the Kingdom of Poland had been par...
Sir John Soane, best known for designing the Bank of England in the late 18th century, due to budget constraints, designed the building in a ‘plain and substantial manner’, with a raw brick exterior. The design consists of a series of interlinked rooms. The rooms are lit by skylights, to illuminate the paintings indirectly. There are also lots of S...
Soane also included a mausoleum for the founders, Margaret, her husband and Francis Bourgeois to be buried in. This is not a feature that caught on for subsequent galleries. The idea came from the fact that after Noel died, Bourgeois had commissioned Soane to design a mausoleum in the Desenfans’ house but never received the necessary permission. In...
If you look at it from the outside, you can see that the top of the mausoleum is designed to recall an ancient funerary monument, surrounded by urns. Does the design look familiar to you? In the 1920s Giles Gilbert Scott used this very Soane-esque design as inspiration for the iconic red telephone box. Scott was, for a time, a trustee of the Sir Jo...
Here are just a few of my highlights from the collection. I naturally loved the Canaletto paintings of 18th century London. This is a view of London from the terrace of Somerset House painted in 1750. Note how many church spires can be seen over in the City and how St Paul’s Cathedral towers above all else. This is a view of the old Westminster Bri...
The gallery is a really lovely place to visit, not too big and in a beautiful location. The cafe was very nice too! They are open 10am-5pm Tuesday to Sunday. Tickets are £15 for an adult, £7.50 if you’re under 30 and free for under 18’s. The best way to get there from central London is by train, either London Bridge into North Dulwich or London Vic...
