Manchester Art Gallery

The Manchester Art Gallery near Piccadilly and China Town is one of the best Art Galleries I have been to so far in Manchester. It houses a wide range of artworks- paintings, sculptures, sketches, drawings etc. For all art enthusiasts this Gallery is a must visit. The tall columns of the entrance to this Gallery almost resembles the Graeco-Roman architectural style. 

It is open everyday from 10 AM to 5 PM (Except Thurs – 10 AM- 9 PM) except special holidays like Christmas and New Year.Entry is free although it would do the institute good if you would like to donate something , purchase gifts from the shop or just have a cup of coffee. All proceeds go towards the well-being and maintenence of the Gallery. 

Manchester Art Gallery Entrance 

You can discover Manchester’s rich and varied art collections. We’re famous for our Pre-Raphaelite paintings, but we have paintings, craft and design spanning six centuries , decorative objects from four millennia and a lot of contemporary artworks too.

Interior of the Gallery

Upon entering the Gallery, these two sentinels would welcome you. There is an information desk in front, from where you can get hold of a Gallery Map (Although, I am not much of a map person myself). To the right is the shop and the cafe whereas to your left are some amazing Iron Jewellery displays. According to the Museum information, duing the World Wars, the women were asked to give up their Gold and thus, they started  wearing Iron Jewellery. The staircase leads to the first floor galleries where the most treasured and cherished collections are on display.  

The Victorian Section

A general view of the Victorian Gallery. These are only some of the artworks on display. Interestingly, you find all kinds of people admiring the Gallery. The tourists top the charts, followed by those who are students of art. Some families bring their children just to visit ‘another place‘. While many from the older generation visit the place over and over again gaining an insight to all the artworks,  learning about their history, their origins and stories associated with them. Their varied perspectives are an added knowledge to acquire from the Gallery. I remember while I was shooting some photographs, an elderly man approached me and started telling me the history behind some of the paintings and their essence. He seemed to be quite a regular audience to the Gallery.

Here are some of the glimpses of the artworks that the Gallery houses. 

This is a painting that I personally liked. The blossoming of innocent love amidst the grazing fields. The little one on her lap is especially cute! 

Another beautiful painting, this one portrays the beauty of nature. But looking closely at the scene the serene nature, the lone person and the melting snow also highlights the various facets of lonliness.

Bandits attacking a carriage full of women. A courageous woman? Or a coward man? 

Another interesting painting that I found. 

Artworks on tiles

Sketches on Chinese Urns 

Sculptures 

Contemporary Arts Section

The Gallery not only boasts of an enviable collection of paintings but also of sculptures, sketches, contemporary art and others. In fact, it is so huge that half a day would go in just admiring the various galleries. There are various workshops and activities that are available for the visitors to join. The specially aided audio-visual effects in the modern art galleries make this experience all the more amazing. For further details about the Gallery you can visit their website at  http://manchesterartgallery.org/ .

Let me know which artwork is your favourite and why? Lookout for more reviews on such Galleries of Manchester 🙂 .