Five Places Around the UK That Every Art Lover Should Visit
Art offers a way of self-expression and exploring our identity.
We’re taken on journey and begin to contemplate what the artist is attempting to portray and how it relates to our own lives.
It can be explored in so many ways, and the following places you can visit are bound to capture your imagination.
Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester is a city known for its rich industrial history and creativity, and you’ll find more than 25,000 pieces of fine and decorative art at the Manchester Art Gallery to marvel at.
You don’t have to travel halfway across the globe or spend a fortune to see world-famous Pre-Raphaelite paintings when they’re right on your doorstep, free of charge.
The gallery showcases British and European art from the 17th-century and Henry Tidmarsh’s drawings will transport you back in time to late 19th and early 20th-century industrial Manchester.
You’ll also spot some pieces from well renowned artist Banksy’s iconic ‘Love is in the Air’ (2000) which has become one of his most famous pieces of work.
Jaume Plensa’s The Dream sculpture, St Helens
The impressive ‘Dream’ sculpture stands at the site of the former Sutton Manor Colliery, 20 metres tall in the heart of the North West.
You’ll immediately feel inspired by the scenic views across the Cheshire and Lancashire plains, across to the mountains of Snowdonia, the Pennines, and the Peak District.
The ‘Dream’ sculpture is in the shape of a little girl’s head with her eyes closed looking as if she is in a dreamlike state.
See if you can spot some of Manchester’s landmarks like Beetham Tower and the Old Trafford football stadium.
Ex-miners and members of the local community wanted a piece of art that gave future generations hope for a brighter future to replace the former spoil heap.
Jaume Plensa’s sculptures explore connections of spirituality, the body, and collective memory.
His artwork is also featured in Canada, UAE, Japan, China, and the US.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park offers a new way to explore and enjoy art.
Straying away from the traditional gallery environment, the park displays its contemporary sculptures outside.
There are 500 acres of beautiful landscape for you to roam, with lakes and surrounding woodland, bridges, and follies.
If you love both art and nature, this place will certainly impress you – nature is beautifully merged with part of the artwork that bring the sculptures to life.
Artists featured include Damien Hirst, Jaume Plensa, Barbara Hepworth, Huma Bhabha, Leiko Ikemura and Ai Weiwei.
The sculpture park also has baby changing, pram friendly paths, and has a comfortable room in the YSP Centre for breastfeeding and baby care.
All visitors need to book tickets in advance and entry includes access to the open-air galleries, YSP grounds and parking.
Tate Liverpool
Located at Royal Albert Dock, the Tate continues to be home to some major European exhibitions of modern art.
Very fitting, considering Liverpool was named European Capital of Culture in 2008.
Lightweight, high-definition magnifiers are available in the gallery spaces for blind and visually impaired visitors.
Plus, all exhibition booklets and artwork labels are also available in large print.
The foyer, group reception room and auditorium are fitted with a hearing loop for deaf and hearing impacted visitors.
More than 600,000 visitors a year come to Tate Liverpool, and the gallery makes the experience of visiting exhibitions truly special for everyone.
Side note: Assistance dogs are welcome and entry is free.
Crosby Beach, Liverpool
You can admire Antony Gormley’s art (famously known as the artist of Angel of the North) while you relax and soak up the warm sun, swim in the sea, and play in the sand.
A hundred cast-iron, life-size figures are spread out along three kilometres of the golden sand overlooking the sea across to Wirral and North Wales hills.
The remarkable human like figures are made from casts of the artist’s own body and each positioned differently to show tension or relaxation.
Every time you visit Crosby Beach, the experience will be different.
When the tide comes, some of the figures remain visible. Whereas others end up partially buried in the sand or peer out of the sea like they’re drowning.
The promenade is wheelchair and pushchair friendly and there is free car parking at Cambridge Road, Mariners Road and Hall Road car parks.
We recommended you make the trip to the beach on a dry day with little wind. And you must stay to see the mesmerising sunset!
A new passion for art
We’re sure this list of places will draw out your inner artist.
Whether you’re interested in modern art or traditional art, want a quiet solo trip or a family-fun filled day out, these places will keep you entertained for hours.