Dulwich Picture Gallery

Dulwich Picture Gallery staff were rude and condescending. The gallery has a lot of rules regarding what visitors aren’t allowed to do which staff very rudely enforce, which really spoils enjoyment.

I don’t know much about art but I know what I like. The Dulwich Picture gallery is running an MC Escher exhibit (October 2015 — January 2016) and I’m a big fan of his work so made the trip. We had booked an allotted time due to the popularity of the exhibit but it was still to busy for my liking. All of his major pieces were there including Another World and the never ending stair cases pieces, I was also impressed with his self portraits.
The rest gallery has some interesting pieces but not being an art buff I wasn’t really interested after looking at the visiting exhibition. The gift shop was good and we happily spent £10 on an Escher print. The Dulwich Gallery is a good place to visit though as it is in leafy Dulwich and it is a little calmer than the central London competition.

Built as a museum, I think, not a private house.
Wonderful collection of art, lovely grounds with eating area, and a delightful park across the street to roam in.
A bit out of the way, but you can get there from Central London by public bus.

A small gallery in pretty surroundings. The building itself is lovely and the collection is interesting, if not extensive. The Ravilious exhibition that was on when we visited was not my cup of tea but I still think it’s good to have exhibitions that are a bit off the well-​trodden path. Although I picked up a kid’s activity pack (hey, young at heart) and I think it would have been pretty confusing and not very helpful for a child!
They recently put up a fake commissioned from China in the gallery and had people try to spot it. I enjoyed reading about this and it makes me think it’s worth signing up to their newsletter to catch fun things like this.
The café was a tad disappointing. We sat outside in the attractive garden, which was pleasant, but the cakes themselves were a bit meh.

Going down to Dulwich is always a lovely exercise, as its such a picturesque little place with a small high street and a massive park. The picture gallery in itself doesn’t look much from the outside, but is rather well stocked on the inside. A great mixture of old masters, plus a few more modern landscapes. Some pieces of furniture here and there, sadly all without any description whatsoever. Some of the bigger paintings are also displayed in their amazing old frames, which have their own little label, but in the whole the gallery concentrates on Old Master Paintings. They have some decent special exhibitions, which range from mainly baroque to sometimes 19^th century, but as the baroque stuff is not really my thing I’m not heading in this direction very often. Still, a very nice gallery with some exceptional artwork.

If you have never visited the Dulwich Picture Gallery you are missing a true work of art in every sense. It’s a small gallery with a fabulous collection of works from assorted artists. The staff are always courteous and knowledgeable making for a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. It’s getting quite busy at nights.

DPG is the biggest little gallery I’ve ever encountered.
Recently, I took my mother down to lovely Dulwich in order to get a gander at the portrait gallery. It certainly didn’t hurt that we went on the day of the flotilla, and seemed to be two of, maybe, a handful of museum-​goers. It was one of the few times in a museum that I could actually stand and observe unmolested a portrait of my choosing. –no jockeying for position, no standing on tippy-​toes. That all was joyous enough. The best part, however, was being around for the 3pm tour given by a most knowledgeable and enthusiastic docent, Mireille. From her our little group learned of the museum’s inception, the interesting origins of its permanent collection, and the differences between art produced in 16^th and 17^th centuries in Southern Europe and 17^th Netherlandish art. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

a good place to spend you weekend day during the summer when it is sunny and warm. The nearby park is gorgeous, the garden around the gallery very pleasant to spend some time in. You may eat your lunch at at the local cafeteria. The Gallery itself is not particularly big, rather cosy, divided into two separate areas, one devoted to the permanent exhibition, the second one occupied by a temporary collection, currently Poussin and Twombly. Still there are a number of worth seeing pieces of arts on display. Overall this is a very good option to consider when planning a day off.

Ahoy!
A recent sojourn to Dulwich brought us to the well known Picture Gallery and as this was my first visit I was quite looking forward to it. A quick spot of lunch in their café got us off to a very average start. I was a little underwhelmed with the ‘Beef and ale sausages in caramelised red onion gravy with bubble and squeak’ (Bangers and Mash to most of us). Can’t remember what the missus had but she enjoyed hers more than I did mine and at about £8 — £10 for a main meal on the lunch menu it’s certainly not cheap but perhaps average for a gallery.
So, on in to the gallery and ever closer to my main motivation for going there — the temporary exhibit of Salvatore Rosa. Knowing I loved his stuff anyway was cause for some excitement inside me but seeing a load of his stuff all together in one gallery was just amazing! That particular exhibit finished at the end of November so, I’m afraid, you missed a treat. Unless you did go and see it, if so, wasn’t it good?
As for the rest of the gallery, which isn’t particularly large, there are numerous well known European (and British) artists’ works on show but nothing from the past 100 years or so, it’s slightly older stuff, largely 17^th and 18^th century. Some of which I liked and took time to consider but on the whole there wasn’t a great deal from the permanent galleries that I found greatly interesting. Everybody’s different but I managed to see the rest of the gallery reasonably quickly despite hoping to find some really appealing art.
Just about every galleries’ gift shops are usually pretty good and this one in Dulwich is no different, I happily spent about £16 without being determined to find something to bring home with me.
The building itself along with the gardens are quite picturesque and beautiful and are worth seeing. My advice would be to wait until there is a particular temporary exhibition on show that interests you and then visit as Dulwich is not necessarily an easy place to get to and I don’t think it’s the most interesting gallery either.
Ian.

Excellent art gallery with permanent collection containing works by rembrant, gainsborough, rubens and many other 18^th century artists (and earlier) also has about 3 different temporary exhibitions a year. The gallery was designed by sir john soane (who designed the bank of england amongst many other buildings) and contains the mausoleum of the original gallery owners as a rather quirky touch. Also has shop and café — though once i’m through with the exhibitions i usually make my way to the excellent crown&greyhounds pub (10 minute walk) where i can get a decent pint of ale and an excellent dinner at a reasonable price. Also in the vicinity is the horniman museum where entry is free and the permanent exhibits include fossils, stuffed animals/​birds, a huge collection of musical instruments, an aquarium with jelly fish, seahorses and loads more and last but not least a dead mermaid! (ok its half a monkey sewn onto half a fish)

This gallery is so fantastic — small but packed with great works, active in the community and a fantastic cultural centre for Dulwich Village, with its air of regal calm. But what a shame it’s so expensive to get in!
I live locally and have only ever been in once, as have many of my friends, and I think they’d agree it’s because the high entry fee is a turnoff for repeat visits. I know that not everything can or should be free, but I wish there was a better deal for locals who’d like to be regular attendees of the special exhibitions.

This is the world’s first purpose-​built gallery and is a treasure. Small but rich it has a lovely selection of pictures, a fine café and is located in lovely dulwich, and a short walk away from the horniman. What a way to spend a day!

A day out in the village.
Other reviewers have covered the Galleries range of exhibitions, permanent galleries and events that they so brilliantly put together. So this is just to add my ‘Yah I’m a Fan’ and just to correct an odd mistake in another review. Dulwich Picture Galery is not a converted 18^th century house, far from it. It was in fact the first purpose built Art Gallery in the world. Designed by Sir John Soane (who’s WC2A 3BP museum is amazing) to house the collection of Sir Francis Bourgeois, who bequeathed his personal collection to Dulwich College. Built in 1817, the 19^th century, this amazing building set the style for galleries around the world. The building alone is worthy of a visit.
So just 15 mins from Victoria by overground and surrounded by the urban sprawl of London, Dulwich is a green oasis packed with history.

This is a tiny little gem (so shush!!! And tell no-one!)It is quite well located and has air of an era gone by. The staffs are welcoming and friendly especially towards children. I like to drop in for afternoon tea and pretend that for a little while that the whole place is all mine! (I think the men in white suits will be visiting me soon!) This is a great place for families with children of any age.

The Dulwich Pitcture House is located in one of the prettiest parts of South London– right in the middle of picturesque Dulwich village. The sumptious buiding holds an excellent permanent collection of famous 17^th and 18^th century old masters including Rubens, Gainsborough and Van Dyck.
They hold regular temporary exhibitions, workshops and events for children– recently Quentin Blake curated an exhibition called ‘What Are You Like? Self Revealing Portraits by People in the Public Eye’ which showed the work of people such as Eric Clapton, Margaret Howell, Andrew Marr and Shirley Hughes.

I was pleasantly surprised by this gallery. They have some amazing works housed in a wonderful building, it makes for a lovely afternoon out and a great alternative to the city galleries which are often overpopulated at the weekends and during exhibitions by more prominent artists.
Here we still got to see some wonderful works by the likes of Thomas Gainsborough and Flemish artists Rubens and Van Dyck at your own pace in the permanent collection. It feels rather like someone’s home, with rambling rooms and pictures displayed along warm painted walls, one above the other.
I came here for a particular exhibition that is showing until 15 February 2009: Saul Steinberg’s Illuminations (he did the famous New Yorker cover drawing of the world seen from 9^th Avenue), very inspiring work indeed. The shop has some lovely gifts for the art lover.

This was once a huge 18^th century house but is now a very well known, yet small art gallery.
If you Art like galleries then you will love the small but brilliant one in Dulwich, it’s in a beautiful surroundings. I actually didn’t plan on visiting, I hadn’t even heard of it before, but one morning I drove past it and thought to stop off as it just looked luminous. It cost me £4 to get in and saw that it was free on Fridays, it was a shame it wasn’t a Friday damn it!
It has some amazing works by Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Rubens, Poussin, and Gainsborough, among others. And if you fancy a coffee, Picture Gallery Café on the Landscape will serve you a coffee and you can choose from a selection of deserts.
I like Art and studied it at University so I definitely enjoyed it, but if Art is not your thing, I would say visit the Gallery Café, it is really nice but not that good.

The situation of Dulwich Picture Gallery is pretty idyllic. Set on a picture perfect white picketed fenced road in Dulwich village, surrounded by well kept lawns and a stylish café is this pristine art gallery. The collection including works by Raphael, Poussin and Rubens is one of the oldest in Britain, very significant in terms of the history of art and very impressive.
As well as the permanent collection, Dulwich Picture Gallery has changing, temporary exhibitions showing. The gallery and the exhibitions are without exception beautifully thought out, curated and displayed. And all this without the stresses of the crowds that you often experience in central London galleries.

Ahhh! This is such a civilised place. As someone who likes to see art wherever she can, it’s a pleasure to go somewhere where there is far less hustle and bustle. Good art that’s worth seeing at your own pace. It’s not big but big enough. I’ve seen some really good exhibitions here. The new café is really delightful with excellent cream teas, soups and lunches. Good book shop as well. Dulwich keeps it village atmosphere, it’s very pretty. There’s a Pizza Express and some charming local shops. I like to go for a walk in Dulwich Woods, part of the land belonging to Dulwich College. It’s surprising to walk somewhere where it feels so much like the countryside without leaving South London. It’s another world, compared to nearby Brixton, which I also love.

The world’s first purpose built gallery is an excellent place to spend a couple of hours of a half-​day. The permanent collection includes a substantial number of fine old masters: by Rembrant, Poussin, Rubens and many others. There are regular rotating exhibitions but the impressive permanent collection is free for students (it’s 4 pounds for adults, 3 for OAPs).
The building itself — designed by Sir John Soane — is a beautiful setting for the paintings, and there is a very pleasant modern café set in the grounds with outdoor seating in summer. The café is an ideal spot for tea or for a tasty light meal with a friend. The gallery is located in Dulwich Village, a sophisticated oasis in south London, and is opposite Dulwich Park (where some on-​street parking available).

Wenn es einen Kanditaten für die verrückteste Entstehungsgeschichte unter den europäischen Museen geben sollte, wäre Dulwich die unangefochtene Nr.1!
Im 18. Jahrhundert beauftragte der polnische König zwei reiche Kunsthändler damit, für ihn eine königliche Kunstsammlung zusammenzustellen; die beiden Unglücklichen waren der Franzose Noël Desenfans und der Schweizer Francis Bourgeois. Sie kauften auf eigene Rechnung Masssen von hochrangigen Kunstwerken — und wurden sie dann nicht mehr los, weil mittlerweile Polen durch die diversen Kriege als politische und royale Macht eliminiert worden war. Pech! Sie liessen die einmalige Sammlung aber merkwürdigerweise (obsessiv?) intakt, verbesserten sogar noch den Bestand (waren also wirklich reiche Leute, dem Anschein nach) und vermachten sie dann schließlich auch noch dem britischen Volk.
Da sie aber dem eigentlich empfangsgewohnten British Museum mißtrauten, kamen sie auf die kuriose Idee, alles dem bis dahin quasi unbekannten Dulwich College zu hinterlassen.
Dulwich kennt heute auch kaum einer. Der Süden Londons ist für Touristen lustigerweise kaum erschlossen — und das liegt ausschließlich daran, daß die verrückten Briten die Hälfte ihres öffentlichen Nahverkehrs nicht in Stadtplänen abbilden: Fast der gesamte Süden Londons wird nicht von Undergrounds sondern von British Railways versorgt (oder deren Nachfolger). Im Prinzip ist das Netz ähnlich dicht wie die Tube im Rest der Stadt, nur weiß kein Fremder hier Bescheid — der Süden sieht auf allen Plänen wie ein weißes Loch aus!
Ich hatte das Glück, in Denmark Hill zu arbeiten und wurde von gebildeten Mitarbeitern auf die Existenz dieses Museums hingewiesen. Von der East Dulwich Station muß man auch noch ein Viertelstündchen durch grüné Parks und leere Sträßchen laufen, bevor das riesige Gebäude aus dem frühen 19. Jahrhundert auftaucht.
Aufgrund der Abgelegenheit verirren sich wirklich nur wenige Besucher hierher, was einerseits angenehme Ruhe erzeugt, andererseits aber der Qualität der Kollektion nie gerecht wird, weil hier Werke hängen, die jeder Nationalgalerie würdig wären: Die Sammlung, die von der Hängung geographisch ausgerichtet ist, bietet alles was an alten Meistern zwischen 16. und 18. Jahrhundert Rang und Namen hat. Gainsborough, Reynolds, Rubens, Rembrandt, Murillo, Reni, Barbieri, Tiepolo, Bellucci und all die anderen in besten Ausführungen– hier findet sich nichts von minderer Qualität — eben eine Sammlung für einen König.