We are all about to dive deep into everything about art in Glasgow and our opening section will fully cover the best art galleries and museums near you.
Up next we will discuss a variety of other topics like local art supply stores, events, festivals, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures and statues, art classes, studios for rent, and the top frame shops in your area.
If you are searching for any specific section you can jump straight to it by using the table of contents on the left and we will also be sharing a Glasgow art map with all of the various venues we mention throughout the post pinned on it.
The UK is an area that we have written about many times before and you can find all of our posts there at that link.
Best Art Galleries & Museums In Glasgow
If you want to visit the best art galleries and museums in Glasgow you can go to:
The Studio Pavilion at House for an Art Lover provides free contemporary art in a public park, presenting a dynamic and diversified year-round program of exhibits, events, residencies, courses, and public interaction opportunities in the fields of art, design, and architecture.
For a studio specialist that has provided artists, makers, and creators with exciting spaces and locations to work from for over 40 years contact The Briggait who runs and maintains 20 unique buildings around the country serving as a canvas for around 1,000 creative practitioners and enterprises.
Trongate 103 is an arts and creativity center in the merchant quarter where exhibition rooms, workshops and production facilities, kinetic performances, artist studio spaces, and a cafe are all available.
The Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art is open from 10am to 5pm most days but doesn’t open until 11am on Friday or Sunday after originally beginning in 1996 in one of the city’s most prominent structures the Royal Exchange Square.
The Centre for Contemporary Arts is a local arts hub that is open from 11am to noon Tuesday through Saturday presenting a year-round range of exhibitions, events, films, music, literature, workshops, festivals and performances. The ambition to collaborate with artists, commission new projects, and offer them to the broadest possible audience is at the heart of all operations.
Expect to find a well-known worldwide arts facility with an interdisciplinary character whose purpose is to enhance and inspire communities via ambitious, inventive, and culturally relevant contemporary visual art and performance at Tramway. They strive to promote meaningful discourse between artists and audiences in your area via a vibrant year-round program of dance, live art, engagement activities, festivals, and free exhibits.
William Dennistoun started the Glasgow Art Club in 1867 and some artist members in the past have included James Guthrie and E. A. Walton however the group’s founders were first denied membership. Fra Newbery the colorful head of Glasgow School of Art and many of his predecessors were members and you can see what they have going on today from 11am to 6pm every day but Sunday when they are closed.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is open from 10am to 5pm most days and starting at 11am on Friday and Sunday as one of the premier art galleries and museums near you with one of Europe’s most extensive collections of civic art. It has 22 themed slicing galleries that house an astounding 8,000 artifacts as Kelvingrove’s magnificent collections are broad, diverse, and globally noteworthy.
Transmission was created in 1983 as an artist-run organization that serves and is served by its membership and the surrounding communities locally and abroad. Transmission is open from 11am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday and collaborates with artists on the creation of exhibits, events, exchanges, residencies, and publications.
In 1997 The Modern Institute was formed and Martin Boyce, Jim Lambie, Simon Starling, Urs Fischer, Richard Wright, Anne Collier, Cathy Wilkes, Luke Fowler, and Nicolas Party are among the 45 worldwide established and emerging artists represented by the gallery. Visit them from 10am to 6pm Monday through Friday and from noon to 5pm on Saturday.
Scotland’s oldest public museum is The Hunterian which was founded in 1807 and houses one of the greatest collections outside of the National Museums. The Hunterian is open from 10am to 5pm every day but Monday when they are closed and is one of the world’s finest university museums with its contents designated as a Collection of National Significance.
Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture, The Lighthouse, is a visitor center, exhibition space, and events facility located right off the Style Mile. The Lighthouse is open from 10:30am to 5pm Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5pm on Sunday serving as a guiding light for the countries creative industries promoting design and architecture via a lively program of exhibits and activities.
The Burrell houses an important collection of medieval art that you can see from 10am to 5pm most days and starting at 11am on Friday and Sunday including stained glass and tapestries, oak furniture, medieval weapons and armor, Islamic art, artifacts from ancient Egypt and China, Impressionist works by Degas and Cézanne, modern sculpture, and a plethora of other world artifacts, all collected by one man. The collection contains almost 8,000 pieces and includes paintings from five centuries and artworks from five millennia.
David Dale Gallery and Studios is open from noon to 6pm Thursday through Saturday and was founded in 2009 as a non-profit contemporary art space in the East End.
You can check out a non-profit arts facilitation space that is administered by a curatorial collective at 16 Nicholson Street Gallery where Isabella Shields, Nell Cardozo, and Aga Paulina Myczak supervise all organization and programming at the gallery which opened in 2016. 16NST is usually open from noon to 6pm Thursday through Sunday
organizing and hosting events, seminars, presentations, mentoring programs, and exhibitions.
Materials & Supplies Near You
These art stores in your area should have all of the materials and supplies you need:
Greyfriars Art Shop is a successor of the painters’ colormen Doig, Wilson & Wheatley and has been an independent shop since 1840 providing artists with the most comprehensive product line including oil colors, watercolours, gouache, canvases, brushes, gilding supplies, silver point materials, and raw colors.
Paint & Mortar is a locally based indie art materials business that was founded in 2016 by Jake Richardson and Andrew Kuzmak.
If you are trying to find an independent art supplies and stationery store in the West End sourcing quality artists’ materials and fine stationery from Japan, Europe and the US, since 2018 head to Drawn Art Store.
Spray Ground is the top Graffiti Shop in Scotland.
The Works is a multi-channel specialized retailer of value gifts, arts and crafts, toys, books, and stationery in the UK.
One of the creative community’s choices for art materials since 1984 bringing you the latest in art, creativity, and inspiration has been Cass Art.
Hobbycraft was founded in 1995 and has since expanded to a countrywide business with over 100 locations throughout the UK ready to assist and inspire a wide range of crafts.
Shows & Events
You definitely won’t want to miss these cultural art shows and events:
Glasgow Film Festival is one of the friendliest film festivals on the globe with a diverse schedule that celebrates every part of the world and serves as a superb platform for the finest of Scottish film making with a strong history of promoting new talent and ensuring that the best films from the yearly submissions are shown in the public program.
Aye Write is Glasgow’s annual book festival which brings writers and speakers from all over the world to the heart of Scotland.
One of the largest festivals of contemporary visual art in the country with more than 60 free exhibits and events is Glasgow International which takes place in June.
The Glasgow Contemporary Art Fair is the place to go if you want to acquire a wide variety of art as they have a goal to make original work available to purchasers of all levels from first-timers to seasoned collectors.
The Nairn Book and Arts Festival is a Scottish Highlands yearly festival of literature, art, music, theater, and cinema.
Art Dealers & Appraisers
When you want to find some new unique works or figure out the true value of something visit art dealers and appraisers near you like:
The Roger Billcliffe Gallery is Scotland’s biggest private gallery comprising five levels of an early nineteenth-century building in the city centre.
For a well-known and long-established gallery you can consider MacGregor Fine Art as the owner Iain MacGregor has guided them through many years of growth and they are now one of the largest and most eclectic galleries in your area.
Art Pistol is the type of art gallery that these modern times require and since 2011 they’ve been online and popping up all around the country until settling in the lovely cobblestone Cresswell Lane in the West End.
Castle Fine Art is the UK’s premier supplier of limited edition prints and original art offering international shipping and galleries around the country.
Walking Tours
These art walking tours can be a lot of fun on a nice day:
Every day at 2pm Walking Tours in Glasgow offers a Street Art walking tour and this mural and modern culture tour will show you the beautiful street art pieces that can be seen across town.
Within close walking distance of the city center there is a Mural Trail with a varied spectrum of art and the vast array of artwork on exhibition provides something for everyone’s taste, from conservative to radical, quirky to strange.
Sculptures & Statues
You may also be interested in taking photos of these statues and sculptures:
Equestrian Statue of the Duke of Wellington at 16 Royal Exchange Sq
Homeless Jesus Sculpture at 163 Buchanan St
Statues Citizen Firefighter at 93 Hope St
The Lobey Dosser at Woodlands Rd
Thinking of Bella at John St
Carlo Marochetti created and erected the statue of the 1st Duke of Wellington with his horse Copenhagen in 1844 and today it is located on Queen Street in front of the Gallery of Modern Art in Royal Exchange Square.
Homeless Jesus also known as Jesus the Homeless is a bronze sculpture created in 2013 by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz representing Jesus as a homeless man sleeping on a park bench.
A bronze sculpture titled Citizen Firefighter was presented in the city center on June 17, 2001 and this cool statue in your area was created by Kenny Hunter who is one of Scotland’s best sculptors and is a monument to all firefighters past and present.
Tony Morrow and Nick Gill designed and built the world’s first two-legged equestrian monument of cartoon character Lobey Dosser in 1992.
Shona Kinloch erected the sculpture Thinking of Bella in 1962.
Glasgow Art Classes
Whether you are trying to find private lessons or group classes for kids, teens, or adults the best Glasgow art schools are:
The Glasgow School of Art is globally recognized as one of Europe’s premier higher education schools for visual creative arts instruction and research.
The Glasgow Academy of Fine Art provides students near you with the finest possible instruction in conventional realistic drawing and oil painting methods at a studio in a beautiful, historic limestone building in the center of town.
Charlene Duncan and Kayleigh McCallum created the Mindful Art Classes in your area when Charlene was working with students who were experiencing stress and anxiety at school and asked for Kayleigh’s assistance in developing art sessions that may serve as coping methods for the students.
Vine & Canvas is placed in the heart of the bustling City Centre and they have 2 to 3 hour painting classes that are open to everyone, host paint parties, and even do life drawing lessons on Saturdays and should be considered a more casual place to learn than the others.
If you want to try a nice pottery and craft studio where you may choose a piece from a huge selection and paint a completely unique work of art get in touch with The Craft Pottery who also provides pottery workshops for people of all ages that can be planned to fit your schedule.
Jen Smith started Wild Gorse Pottery in 2019 and they specialize in modern stoneware for the home and table.
Studios For Rent Near You
If you are interested in renting local art studio space you might be able to do so at:
Workshop & Artists Studio Provision Scotland (WASPS) is a non-profit center that offers low-cost studios to artists, arts organizations, and creative companies. They presently host about 900 artists and 33 organizations across Scotland in 20 locations.
Close to the City Centre The Space provides affordable and accessible creative studios and artists, photographers, musicians, fashion designers, and other studio-based creatives will love it.
Framing
Some of the top places for art framing in Glasgow are:
Artists Surfaces is ideally placed for artists to come in and discuss their frame needs and study the many options available as creatives from all throughout the UK are among their clientele.
There are over 200 frames in stock and each frame is custom-made to order at a very affordable cost at Framing Workshop.
For almost three decades Hutton Fine Art has offered a totally bespoke frame service in your area and they have provided high-quality picture frame services to artists, photographers, interior designers, commercial customers, and the general public.
Picture Framer Glasgow is a proud supplier of art prints from the UK’s best artists which are delivered throughout the country while also providing a full professional framing service allowing them to frame your chosen artwork prior to shipment. They may supply a wide range of gorgeous frames in a variety of designs, colors, and materials to complement your artwork.
Mark Greer who is a graduate of Glasgow School of Art’s prestigious Fine Art Department founded Art Hire Framing in 1988 with the goal of delivering the greatest quality hand finished frames to artists, galleries, and collectors.
The local art scene near you was just covered to the best of our abilities. We listed the best galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers in town.
Anyone that made it this far probably knows a lot about art in your area. Feel free to share your own tips, or to let us know if you noticed anything incorrect in the comments.
Have fun going to the galleries, museums, buying supplies, or doing anything that has to do with art in Glasgow!
This post and all of the posts on our site are edited by Dan Soloman who has been a huge fan of art since he was a little kid. His mother was a good local artist, and she taught him the trade from a very early age. He studied art and its history in both high school and college, has worked at multiple galleries, and recently has begun creating and editing online content for this site and some other online media platforms.
