York is home to a plethora of independent art galleries, with a wide variety of styles, mediums and subjects on display to fit every art lover’s personal tastes. With constantly changing exhibitions and budding artists given the opportunity to shine, art lovers from all over can come visit and discover new inspirations to feed their passion or to build their own personal art collection.
If you are looking for some fresh, new pieces to expand your collection, or looking for inspiration from the art that is currently taking the industry by storm, here’s a list of art galleries in York you need to visit…
According to McGee
According to McGee can be found opposite York’s iconic Clifford’s Tower and is home to exciting contemporary art. Collections from artists such as Amrik Varkalis, Chris Barton and Imogen Hawgood can be viewed in the gallery or become a new addition to your own collection, with originals and print versions available to buy through their website. According to McGee also offers an opportunity for everyone to own exciting contemporary pieces with an Own Art campaign that allows customers to pay monthly installments with 0% interest fees. Young artists also have the opportunity to get creative in a £20 art camp taught by award winning teachers, with bookings open for their Christmas sessions open now.
Corner Gallery
If you are looking for a relaxed gallery with chic and stylish art made locally, Corner Gallery is the place for you. The casual gallery is set up within the home of the artist Kay Dower, who displays contemporary art for everyone to come along and view. Ceramics, paintings, limited edition prints and fine art photography can be enjoyed at the Corner Gallery, with a selection available to buy at affordable prices ranging from £18 to £895. Three different sessions are also available to attend with team building classes for businesses, private drink and draw sessions and an art squad for kids aged 7-11 and 11-14 year olds.
Castle Fine Art
Next door to the famous Betty’s Tea Rooms and only a short walk from York Minster, is where you can find the Castle Fine Art gallery. The beautiful art space is home to fine art from specialists and local artists, such as Ronnie Wood, Bob Barker and Tim Cotterill: Frogman. There is something that will suit everyone’s art tastes with a variety of original art pieces, sculptures and limited edition prints to add to your own collection. Every Friday their online Hidden Gems section is updated at 12:00 BST with the best and rarest pieces of art taken straight from the studios of featured artists. This amazing gallery will help you discover fresh and new art in a variety of styles through their talented featured artists.
Blossom Street Gallery
Found on Blossom Street is the charming Blossom Street Gallery, created to allow locals and tourists to enjoy the local art and artists outside of the Open Studios season. Current exhibitions are ‘Enchanted Forest’ created by Annie Stothert and ‘Colourforms’ created by Claire West and Fiona Lane, which can be viewed and experienced up until August 28th. Their exhibitions feature mostly artists from Yorkshire, but sometimes they venture further afield to bring notable artworks to Yorkshire. The gallery is also a design shop and gift emporium with art supplies for budding artists, innovative framings, hand-crafted gift and cards, original artworks, as well as art prints available for purchase.
The Braithwaite Gallery
Diverse artworks, with a range of styles and subjects, makes The Braithwaite Gallery a location where everyone can find a piece of art that they love. Popular artists featured at the gallery include Hannah Dale, Linda Mellin and Sam Toft. One of the founders, Mark Braithewaite, is also featured and he is a well-known local artist who creates artworks of the beautiful views from around the historic York. You can visit in store or their online shop, to browse their collections of original pieces and artwork prints that vary in price to try and accommodate to different budgets. Charity pieces are also available for purchase, with the raised funds being sent to help those suffering due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Kentmere House Gallery
Overlooking York’s Knavemire and racecourse, is the beautiful Edwardian Kentmere House Gallery. Their changing displayed artworks feature artists from all over the country including nationally known artists and upcoming local artists. Their featured artists include David Greenwood and his ‘Gentleman Jack’ inspired paintings, and Lisa Hooper with her bright printwork landscape and natural history pieces. They are dedicated to the idea that everyone should have access to original art and have a varied price range to make this possible. A deliberate policy of hanging the artworks of promising, upcoming artists next to work of nationally known artists help make art more accessible and make newcomers better known through exposure.
York Fine Arts
If you love high quality traditional and contemporary pieces of art, York Fine Arts gallery is the place for you. They have gained an international reputation for showcasing this type of art from the best artists currently creating. Their current exhibition is ‘Light of Yorkshire’ which was created by Clare Haley and is made up of beautiful oil paintings depicting the stunning Yorkshire landscapes. Clare Haley’s work is able to view up until August 21st and the original works can be brought online with prices ranging between £1,095 and £2,900.
Get there by bus! Download the First Bus App to plan your journey and buy your tickets.
Photos: According to McGee, Blossom Street Gallery, Castle Fine Art.
