The 9 Best Art Galleries In Soho

London’s cultural landscape is not only immense but it’s also vastly varied, with art spaces encompassing cutting-edge contemporary art, groundbreaking photography, and traditional media all across the city. Here we take a closer look at nine of the best art galleries in Soho, from white cube exhibition spaces to those specialising in street art.

1. The Photographers’ Gallery

Art Gallery, Cathedral

Photographers Gallery, London, United Kingdom. Architect ODonnell and Tuomey and ADP, 2012.

The Photographers’ Gallery has earned a spot among the best photography galleries around the globe, its exhibitions and regular events attracting undivided attention from the media and visitors for over 40 years. Housed in a beautiful converted Edwardian warehouse re-imagined by O’Donnell + Tuomey architects, this space not only hosts the annual Deutsche Börse Prize, but also organises a program of high-quality exhibitions each year. Regardless of the season, any photography enthusiast is bound to find something of interest at this London institution.

2. Anthony Reynolds Gallery

Art Gallery

Jon Thompson, Installation view: Simple Paintings, 2013

With its finger on the pulse of London’s art scene since 1985, Anthony Reynolds Gallery is an unsuspecting space with much experience and success under its belt. Its guiding premise is to collaborate with artists in the long-term, from their first shows to later, curated exhibitions at home and abroad. With exciting bi-monthly shows and a marked presence at London’s art fairs, this gallery has a fantastic intuition for talent-spotting.

3. Karsten Schubert

Art Gallery

Owned by the German art collector of the same name, Karsten Schubert has only been a Soho fixture since January 2014, but its links to the British art scene – and Young British Artists in particular – go back to the late 1980s. Nurturing talent from the United Kingdom, the gallery has enjoyed long-standing collaborations with a carefully selected group of established artists, from abstract artist Richard Holyhead to pop art painter Bridget Riley.

4. Payne Shurvell

Art Gallery

Conor Harrington, Fight Club: The Mess We Make

Although its actual exhibition space isn’t located in Soho, Payne Shurvell nonetheless continues to organise exhibitions in and around the area. House of St Barnabas is one of their temporary homes, as is the Canadian High Commission in Grosvernor Square (Mayfair), which will host Aidan McNeill’s Borders Between exhibition in autumn 2014. Opened in 2010 by two young gallerists, Payne Shurvell is bold and innovative in its approach to emerging artists: among their represented names are Andrew Curtis, who works with urban and suburban matter, and Paris-based installation and visual artist Marie-Jeanne Hoffner.

5. Lazarides

Art Gallery

Installation of legs coming out of a building in Mayfair by French Street artists JR

Located just a few steps from Soho in the Fitzrovia neighbourhood, Lazarides Gallery is the brainchild of Steve Lazarides, the patron and gallerist of London’s street artists and founder of the renowned Pictures on Walls. What he and his gallery are perhaps best known for, however, is launching Banksy’s international career and their unexpected split in 2009. However, Lazarides is still going strong and representing a carefully curated roster of urban artists, from Invader and his iconic space invader mosaics to Antony Micallef and his dark, masterful paintings. Exhibitions change on a bimonthly basis, with new artists – or surprising work by established ones – on display, which means that the shows always offer up a new perspective on the genre.

6. Sadie Coles HQ

Art Gallery

With its origins deeply rooted in the Young British Artists movement, Sadie Coles HQ is the brainchild of collector and gallerist Sadie Coles, who has been active on the UK’s art scene for decades and opened her London HQ in 1997. Her accomplished and diverse roster includes the likes of Polish painter Wilhelm Sasnal, New York-based sculptor and visual artist Urs Fischer, and German installation artist Gregor Schneider. With its finger firmly on the pulse of the international art scene, Sadie Coles HQ continues to stage several highly successful exhibitions each year. Located a few blocks away from Soho in the lush Mayfair area, it’s certainly worth the detour.

7. Pace London

Art Gallery

Pace is amongst the most established contemporary art galleries in the world, with branches in international art capitals such as New York, Beijing, Hong Kong, and London. Their roster of artists is both eclectic and iconic, stretching from Louise Nevelson to Soviet-born polymath Ilya Kabakov. The Lexington Street branch is an elegant space opened in 2011, presenting several museum-quality exhibitions each season.

8. Frith Street Gallery

Art Gallery

Starting out as a space for drawing and graphic arts in 1989, Frith Street Gallery soon began to expand its enterprise. Today, the gallery is home to an exciting group of international multimedia artists, from Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman’s video art to Massimo Bartolini’s experimental sculptures and installations. While their roster includes highly-established names such as Marlene Dumas and Cornelia Parker, Frith Street Gallery is passionate about emerging talent, and showcasing up-and-coming artists a well; a feat made all the more effective given the gallery’s frequent collaborations with independent curators.

9. Southard Reid

Art Gallery

A tiny, dedicated art space consisting of a couple of rooms in a Soho townhouse, Southard Reid is revolutionary in its bold and interactive approach to art, with pieces by various artists co-existing in harmony under the careful curatorial watch of co-owners Phillida Reid and David Southard. Several emerging artists have found their home and haven here, including New York-based Lea Cetera, whose playful works range from performance to site-specific installation, and Celia Hempton, whose most recent paintings have explored sexuality, gender and genitalia. Visit Southard Reid for a sense of authentic, living art in a natural setting that’s both ambitious in its enterprise, and inviting towards its visitors.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.