Travel bucket list idea:
Walker Art Gallery
Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom (UK)
Last updated: 26 March, 2024
Often dubbed ‘the National Gallery of the North’, the Walker boasts the largest collection of art outside London.
Housed in a grand, neoclassical building, its first-floor works range from European Art from 1300-1900, including pieces by Rembrandt, Turner, Poussin and Degas, to 20th-century works by Lucian Freud, David Hockney, and Gilbert and George.
The ground floor has a craft and design gallery, a sculpture gallery, and a special gallery dedicated to children. There is also a programme of regular temporary exhibitions. The gallery is very family-friendly, with a special family gallery is designed to introduce under-eights to the collection.
Don’t miss
David Hockney’s Peter Getting Out of Nick’s Pool was the winner of the 1967 John Moores competition and is a gallery highlight. Also look out for And when did you last see your father (1878) by William Frederick Yeames.
Break-up of the ice on the Seine is one of Monet’s most famous Impressionist pieces, painted in the winter of 1892-3. This painting, taken from a series of views, perfectly demonstrates the artist’s obsession with capturing the fleeting nature of light.
Logistics
Price: Free
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
The Walker is located in in the city centre, close to the entrance of the Queensway Tunnel. Liverpool Lime Street Station is just around the corner, with Moorfields and Liverpool Central stations also within walking distance. There’s a pay-and-display car park outside the gallery on William Brown Street.
The website has a helpful online guide to each of the galleries, explaining the type and period of artwork they house – well worth a look before you go.
These also have an online audio guide (free) to each of the must-see start exhibits – listen before you go, or while you’re standing in front of the artwork!
When to do it
The gallery is open all year round, Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Monday.
