The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group.
Located at William Brown Street, Liverpool, The Walker Art Gallery holds a stunning collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts spanning over six hundred years. Home to outstanding works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Poussin and Gainsborough, the Walker is also one of the finest art galleries in Europe.
The Walker Art Gallery’s collection dates from 1819 when the Liverpool Royal Institution acquired 37 paintings from the collection of William Roscoe, who had to sell his collection following the failure of his banking business, though it was saved from being broken up by his friends and associates.
Here you’ll also find Tudor portraits and a large collection of Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite works including Dante’s Dream by Rossetti, hanging alongside other artists such as Millais, Turner, Monet and Holman Hunt.
Don’t miss the Walker’s collection of 20th century modern and contemporary art that includes pieces by Lucien Freud, Bridget Riley and Henry Moore. The Gallery also exhibits the current and past winners of the John Moores Painting Prize, the oldest painting competition in the UK. Look out for work by David Hockney, Peter Doig, Martin Green and 2012 winner, Sarah Pickstone.
The Decorative Arts gallery contains over 500 pieces of ceramics, glass, pottery, fashion and furniture from the ancient world to the 20th century.
For families with younger children, there is Big Art for Little Artists, a specially designed gallery created for children under 8 years old. Add to this to a welcoming café with free Wifi and a gift shop stocking prints, jewellery, cards, books and other souvenirs, you have the perfect art lover’s day out.
