Leeds & Bradford Art Galleries, Museums, Supplies & More
If you are trying to learn about art in Leeds and Bradford you are definitely in the right place and our first section will fully cover the best art galleries and museums near you.
After that we will get into a variety of other topics like art supply stores, events, festivals, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, local sculptures and statues, art classes, studios for rent, and the top frame shops in your area.
You can jump straight to any section that interests you most by using the table of contents on the left and we are also including a Leeds and Bradford art map with all of the spots we mention throughout the post pinned on it.
Leeds Art Gallery is open from 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday and 11am to 3pm on Sunday and has a vibrant exhibition schedule with one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary British art outside of London. It features a diverse collection of well-known artists’ paintings, sculpture, works on paper, and new media as well as a vibrant exhibitions program that includes the coveted Northern Art Prize.
The Henry Moore Foundation has two locations with one in Leeds which is open from 10am to 5pm every day but Monday when they are closed and the other in Hertfordshire where it exhibits a combination of Moore’s own work as well as other sculptures. Through the Henry Moore Grants and Research programs they support a variety of sculpting initiatives and have a world-class collection of artworks that tour nationally and globally on a regular basis.
You will find a cutting-edge contemporary art center housed in the former Tetley Brewery’s beautiful art deco headquarters if you go to The Tetley from 10am to 5pm Wednesday through Sunday. Whether you visit to see the latest contemporary exhibition, participate in a workshop or event, or sample the locally sourced menu with a pint of Tetley’s you’ll be greeted with a warm Yorkshire welcome.
The Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery is open from 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday featuring cutting-edge exhibitions from the University Art Collection as well as gems from the Leeds University Library Special Collections. The art gallery is part of University Library Galleries and opened in 1970 in the heart of the campus.
You will need to take a little bit of a drive to visit York Art Gallery which is open from 10am to 5pm Wednesday through Sunday but it is well worth the effort. They put on various events and exhibitions throughout the year like their Tea Ceremony and have great collections of ceramic art along with numerous paintings in The Burton Gallery.
Every year the seasonal exhibition program at Craft Center and Design Gallery brings together the best in modern handcrafted jewelry, ceramics, limited edition prints, glass, wood, textiles, and mixed media pieces that explore certain topics. Everything on show is for sale so they are both a gallery and a shop and over 300 designers contributed to the project and you can check it all out from 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday and 11am to 3pm on Sunday.
Harewood House was established in the 18th century and is home to one of the best art collections in the United Kingdom including contemporary art displays, a rare bird garden, a farm experience, and over 100 acres of stunning gardens.
The Left Bank is a location for everyone to enjoy connection, art, concerts, seminars, and festivals.
For a studio and project space where 44 artists make up the vibrant and dynamic community visit Assembly House which is normally open from 10am to 7pm but they close at 2pm on Sunday. By providing inexpensive studio spaces, career support for early-career creators, establishing projects in and for the local community, a skills-sharing program, and funding local artists this spot in Leeds has become a cultural hub.
Leeds’ Headrow Gallery is open from 9:30am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday and is the city’s oldest art and picture frame gallery. For over a century they’ve been happily selling paintings, prints, and picture framing services to the residents of the city and nearby towns and villages.
Exhibiting at BasementArtsProject has evolved into becoming a member of a true family that lives in and around a permanent art space. For visitors to the primary show the collection frequently presents numerous interesting subsidiary stories.
Cartwright Hall is open from 10am to 4pm Tuesday through Friday and starting at 11am on weekends housing curated exhibitions and numerous art collections while also collaborating with other institutions.
World renowned photographic, film, and television collections and galleries can be found at The National Science and Media Museum from 10am to 5pm daily.
Bolling Hall provides a historical tour through the lives of the Bradford families who have lived there for over 500 years from 10am to 4pm Wednesday through Friday and starting at 11am on weekends.
Fuse Art Space includes a gallery, artist studios, a performance arena, and a shop which you can visit from 11am to 6pm Wednesday through Saturday.
Materials & Supplies Near You
These art stores in your area are good places to buy new supplies or materials:
Dinsdales sells art, craft, and graphics supplies and equipment in central Headingley while also offering simple printing, copying, binding, laminating, scanning, and faxing services.
Since 1886 Fred Aldous has been assisting people in making things and 25,000 art, craft, photography, and gift items are available online as well as in their stores.
From necessary acrylic paints and watercolour pans to paintbrushes, palettes, canvases, easels, sketchbooks, pouring media, resin, and more Hobbycraft has it all.
The Works sells over a million affordable books, toys, gifts, stationery, arts, and crafts items each week.
Her in Idle is a great place to buy a large selection of arts and craft supplies in Bradford.
Shows & Events
Some of our favorite local art shows, festivals, and events would be:
Every two years the Compass Festival brings interactive live art installations to public venues near you including retail malls, markets, museums, and city streets.
Leeds Festival is a music festival held over the August bank holiday weekend that features predominantly rock, alternative, and independent performers.
For a multi-arts and light celebration that takes over the City Centre every year check out Light Night Leeds where over 60 events across the city will showcase the area featuring magnificent light projections, dance, music, theater, and street acts.
Avon Arts Festival highlights artistic talents, creative exhibits, and cultural activities annually.
Lonely Arts Club focuses on tattoos, art galleries, acoustic concerts, and shops.
Art Dealers & Appraisers
Art dealers and appraisers near you are where you can buy new unique works or learn the value of something you already own:
Through a statewide network of over 40 galleries Whitewall Galleries provides exquisite and inventive original paintings, collectible editions, and sculptures by internationally known artists as well as the most intriguing rising talents.
Castle Fine Art is a company that specializes in fine art as the UK’s premier art store and they’ve collaborated with their collectors, employees, and local communities to find the next wave of artistic brilliance.
As a Chapel Allerton based independent contemporary art institution Smart Gallery offers a diverse selection of original paintings, limited edition prints, sculptures, and design goods by both local and worldwide creators at reasonable prices.
Walking Tours
When the weather is nice walk around outside and see unique art on one of these tours:
The Leeds Art Walk takes art aficionados on a quick tour of the month’s best exhibitions and the curator, artist, or gallery staff will give a brief overview of the exhibition at each location. Every first Wednesday of the month the Leeds Art Walk is free and accessible to the public.
From Leeds Train Station you can follow the Welcome Art Trail over Briggate and on to Mabgate where you’ll encounter work by local artists, sculptors, and illustrators as well as the highly renowned luminaries of Britain’s Art Nouveau scene as you go.
You can always find some cool art in Bradford when walking around the South Square Centre.
Sculptures & Statues
Another fun thing to do when the weather is nice could be to visit some of these statues and sculptures in your area:
Statue of Sir Robert Peel at 1 Moor View
Legs Walking at City Sq
Queen Victoria’s Statue at 229 Woodhouse Ln
Statue of the Duke of Wellington at Woodhouse Moor Pk
The Human Spirit Statue at 2 Leighton St
Black Prince Statue at City Sq
Robert Peel Statue at 103 Peel Park View, Bradford
Darren’s Creative Sculptures at #3, Sunbridgewells, Bradford
The Robert Peel Statue is a memorial dedicated to the British statesman who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the turn of the 19th Century.
On a throne the Queen Victoria’s Statue is wearing coronation robes with crown, sceptre, and an orb which is now missing and Mayor Edwin Woodhouse unveiled the statue on November 27, 1905.
The Duke of Wellington’s Statue honors one of the most successful military men in the United Kingdom.
Faith Babbington’s The Human Spirit Statue was commissioned by Nuffield Hospital in October 2002 and this sculpture depicts four naked human beings in a circle facing outwards with their backs arched and their hands raised over their heads.
Sir Thomas Brock designed the Black Prince Statue with chain mail armour, a helmet, and sword which was inspired by the effigy and accessories of the Black Prince in Canterbury Cathedral.
Leeds & Bradford Art Classes
Whether you are trying to find private lessons or group classes for kids, teens, or adults some of the best Leeds and Bradford art schools can be found at:
The University of Leeds is devoted to the study of art, design, and crafts. A 230-seat performance auditorium, industry-standard film and photography studios, improved fashion design studios, a new postgraduate study suite, and a larger specialist arts research and reference library are among the features of the building.
Throughout the year Leeds Drawing Club offers both untutored weekly life drawing sessions and fully tutored life drawing courses.
Sunken Studio is a coworking and production pottery studio in the South Bank where they manufacture pots, teach pottery classes, and provide support to their members while being Yorkshire’s largest independent ceramics center.
Firefly is a pottery studio in Horsforth where you can enjoy manufacturing pots or sculpting with clay on a potters wheel or by using hand building techniques. You can also return to finish painting your piece or if you want to get right to decorating they have a wonderful selection of pre-made ceramic pieces available for you to enjoy.
Aire Place Studios is a creative place that is mostly a LGBTQIA+ community interest company that offers exhibition opportunities as well as low-cost and no-cost workplaces.
Patrick Studios is home to around 30 artists as well as organizations such as Leeds Print Workshop and Lumen in specially created studio spaces.
For a collaborative open area in the City Centre that is not your typical work space supplier check out Duke Studios which has a company ethos of people first business second and they are a coworking space that offers a variety of offices, creative services, and facilities.
East Street Arts has been developing new work in response to and with the circumstances and people of Chapeltown since Union 105 opened delivering commissions, partner events, and working with artists to generate new work.
If you want to rent a studio in Bradford contact Fuse Art Space who we linked you to earlier and see if they have anything open currently.
Custom framing, art prints, posters, and gifts are available in store and online at On The Wall which is a specialist picture business headquartered in the City Centre.
Yorks Framing is a Chapel Allerton based picture framing, mount cutting, and photographic printing company where sports shirts, art, photographs, posters, medals, coins, tennis or squash rackets, records, CDs, ties, and other items are among things they can frame.
Artco offers custom picture framing with over 1,000 frame mouldings to choose from to make your artwork stand out. Throughout the UK they often work with hotels, breweries, advertising companies, interior designers, colleges, museums, galleries, and other organizations.
Custom picture framing is available at Street Lane Framing where pictures, paintings, photographs, sports shirts, sporting memorabilia, medals, rosettes, tapestries, mirrors, and much more are can be worked on.
Framegame was founded in 2006 by Alex Koi and has grown to become a top picture framer near you where you should expect nothing less than a high-quality framing service from a company with over 25 years of experience in the industry.
Picture This offers high quality glazing, stretching, and mounting services for prints, watercolors, and oils as well as limited edition items, photographs, and local artwork.
Personalized designed photo frames has been what Kwik Picture has excelled at for over three decades.
Well guys, we tried to cover the full art scene near you to the best of our abilities. We listed the best galleries, museums, events, shows, local supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers in the area.
If you made it all the way to the end then you probably love art as much as we do. You can let us know about any of your own tips and tricks in the comments at the end of the post, or please also mention if we got anything wrong or if anything we posted has become dated.
Have fun going to the galleries, museums, buying supplies, or doing anything that has to do with art in Leeds and Bradford!
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.
