Overview

  • Route

    My route will take you across the city to some of my favourite exhibitions during London Gallery Weekend. [Read the full route description below]
  • My route will take you across the city to some of my favourite exhibitions during London Gallery Weekend.

     

     

    East London
    Start your East end tour at Maureen Paley’s wonderful gallery, that sits on Herald  Street. Maureen shows wonderful artists like Rebecca Warren, Wolfgang Tillmans – she has a rocking group of artists. For London Gallery Weekend she is showing Avis Newman. Then pop next door to Herald Street who are showing large scale paintings by Francis Offman; their last exhibition of Nicole Wermers was brilliant, it rocked my boat, wild exciting figures, were they skateboarding? It always feels like they are breaking new ground in Herald Street. Then jump on an electric bike, my favourite way of getting about, and head to Hales Gallery to see the beautiful Basil Beattie paintings, then a quick coffee at Jolene, who have the best coffee in town and wonderful pastries. Then to Kate Macgarry, she shows among all her beautiful artists  Goshka Macuga and the fabulous New Zealand artist Francis Upritchard. Then pop round the corner and end at Maureen's small gallery studio in Rochelle School, Maureen Paley: Studio M, where she is showing the Reverend Joyce McDonald. It feels very special and glamorous up there – maybe pop into Rochelle Canteen for a delicious lunch, best to book. If you’re exhausted you can just sit quietly in Arnold Circus and have a moment as you look at the beautiful buildings; it is the first council housing built in Europe.

     

    Central London

    Start at Sadie Coles, no actually start at Claridges with a glass of Champagne , then trot round the corner to Sadie Coles Davies Street, this is a wonderful space and Coles always has fantastic shows. Irresistible artists. Then to Gagosian for some abstract painting, probably mainly men, let's see.  

    If you’re hungry go to my favourite restaurant Ikeda, beautiful Japanese food, a big favourite in the art world. Then head over Hauser & Wirth and Pilar Corrias on Savile Row if you fancy a suit, Drakes is good. Then you could pop over to Sadies Coles on Kingly St, a massive, beautiful space, it is always exciting to see how the artist fill it, then over to Frith Street in Golden Square. A great spot near there is Kiln. You have to have the crab noodles,  the best dish in London. They don’t take bookings and the queue does move quickly.

     

    Then you must head over to Masons Yard to The White Cube and your final spot should be Coles new gallery Sadie Coles Bury Street. Then a very well deserved drink or meal at Maison Francois, they have great tables outside and a fab bar downstairs, the food is beautiful classic French. I would also buy a pair of socks in one of the brilliant men’s shops on Jermyn Street. I can never resist a bright pair of glamourous socks.

    South London
    You will definitely need an electric bike for this one so I would start with Greengrassi, then have breakfast in Charlie Boxer’s beautiful café Italo in Bonnington Square, a few minutes' cycle away. It's like another world. From there once you are on your bike down Camberwell New Road, which turns into Peckham Road,  you’re on your own tour of galleries, from Sim Smith and Zerui in Camberwell, via the South London Gallery, to Peckham, which has  galleries like Hannah Barry and Bosse and Baum. Keep going down and you're in New Cross, and then Deptford, where Xxijra Hii and South Parade are among the young spaces underneath the arches.  Your reward of dinner after so much cycling could then be at Marcella, a beautiful Italian with simple, good food.