Guildhall Art Gallery will reopen its doors on Saturday 1 August to welcome back visitors to its Victorian Gallery and Heritage Gallery.

The City of London Corporation-owned art gallery will open initially on Saturdays and Sundays (10.30am to 5pm) during August, while the lower galleries and Roman Amphitheatre will reopen at a later date, due to the difficulty in implementing social distancing measures in these spaces.

A range of safety measures have been introduced, including hand sanitiser stations; one-way routes with two-metre social distancing markers, and card and contactless payments only in the shop.

The gallery, which will be deep cleaned every day before opening, has received the ‘We’re Good to Go’ industry standard and consumer mark, led by Visit Britain / Visit England.

The Enchanted Interior, the major exhibition on the historic depiction of women in enclosed and ornate spaces, which closed after just four days for the COVID-19 lockdown, will reopen and run until 30 August.

Over 50 Victorian and contemporary artists are featured in The Enchanted Interior, including Edward Burne-Jones, Evelyn De Morgan, and Francesca Woodman, which examines the metaphor of the ‘gilded cage’.

Paintings, furniture, photography, film, decorative objects and installation cast light upon the duality of the interior - as both sanctuary and threat - and add to the argument about what has really changed for women over the last 200 years.

Pre-booked tickets – available from mid-July - are compulsory for Guildhall Art Gallery and The Enchanted Interior, and visitors are encouraged to download Smartify before they arrive to help them get the most out of their visit. Free tickets for general admission to the gallery and tickets for The Enchanted Interior can be booked online at www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/guildhallartgallery

People are also advised to plan their journeys in advance – avoiding public transport, and walking or cycling instead.

Wendy Hyde, Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee, said:

“We are delighted that visitors to Guildhall Art Gallery will, once again, be able to enjoy this wonderful and thought-provoking exhibition.

“Alive with vibrant colours, while often dark in tone, The Enchanted Interior will be a must-see during August for those who enjoy beautiful art works that engage the viewer on many levels.”

Elizabeth Scott, the City of London Corporation’s Head of Guildhall Galleries, said:

“The exhibition is a feast for the senses - from the colours in Edward Burne-Jones’s Laus Veneris and Sir George Frampton’s uncannily lifelike sculpture, Lamia, to Evelyn De Morgan’s perspective on female equality and the gradually disappearing female body in Francesca Woodman’s photographs from her Rhode Island series.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors back to this important and timely exhibition next month, and hope that they will be enchanted and enlightened in equal measure.”

The Enchanted Interior is presented at Guildhall Art Gallery, in partnership with Laing Art Gallery Newcastle, and features key works from these, and other, national collections.

The City of London Corporation is the fourth largest funder of heritage and cultural activities in the UK and invests over £100m every year.

In partnership with the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra, and Museum of London, the City Corporation is leading the development of Culture Mile between Farringdon and Moorgate, a multi-million-pound initiative to create a new cultural and creative destination for London.

As part of this, the City Corporation is providing a £197m investment in the new Museum of London, which will open in West Smithfield in 2024, and £6.8m to support the development of the proposed Centre for Music.

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

Admission and tickets:

Tickets can be booked online at cityoflondon.gov.uk/guildhallartgallery

General entry to Guildhall Art Gallery is free

Ticket prices for The Enchanted Interior are £10 for adults and £7 for concessions – and please note the following new discounts:

• City of London residents will be admitted free to the exhibition.
• Residents of Islington and Tower Hamlets will receive a 50% off discount on exhibition tickets (on showing proof of address).
• NHS, care workers, and Blue Light Card holders will also receive a 50% discount on exhibition tickets.

Elizabeth Scott, the City of London Corporation’s Head of Guildhall Galleries, and Wendy Hyde, Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee, are available for interview. Please contact Andrew Buckingham (see below) for details:

Media enquiries:

Andrew Buckingham

Media Officer (Arts and Culture), City of London Corporation

Mob: 07795 333060 / Email: Andrew.Buckingham@cityoflondon.gov.uk

About the City of London Corporation:

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally successful UK. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk 

About Guildhall Art Gallery:

Guildhall Art Gallery and London’s Roman Amphitheatre

Guildhall Yard, London EC2V 5AR – telephone 020 7332 3700

The closest tube stations are Bank, St Paul’s, and Moorgate.

Twitter @GuildhallArt

Website www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/guildhallartgallery

The historic Guildhall Art Gallery originally opened in 1886 and is home to City of London’s magnificent art collection. Particularly rich in Victorian art and ranging from Pre-Raphaelites to depictions of London’s colourful past, the Gallery offers a spectacular arena. The Gallery also owns one of the largest oil paintings in Britain, John Singleton Copley’s Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar (1783 – 1791), which is on permanent display.