100 best paintings in London: full list

Leading artists, gallery owners, curators and critics pick the best paintings to be seen in the capital

Friday 25 May 2018

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email WhatsApp

Advertising

So many paintings, so little time. With London home to art gallery after world-class art gallery, picking a painting to go visit can be tricky. So howsabout starting with this list of 'The 100 best paintings in London', drawn up from over 600 nominees.

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

🙌
Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!

100-81

100. 'A Wall in Naples' - Thomas Jones

WHEN? 1782
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Study of Cirrus Clouds'

99. 'Marguerite Kelsey' - Meredith Frampton

WHEN? 1928
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Modern
I LIKE IT See also 'Self-Portrait'

Advertising

98. 'Monument' - Philip Guston

WHEN? 1976
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'The Visit'

97. 'Peace: Burial at Sea' - JMW Turner

WHEN? 1842
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Britain
I LIKE IT See also 'The Fighting Temeraire'

Advertising

96. 'Self-Portrait as a Young Man' - Stanley Spencer

WHEN? 1914
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'The Menin Road'

95. 'Six Mile Bottom' - Frank Stella

WHEN? 1960
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Modern
I LIKE IT See also 'I Love the Whole World'

Advertising

94. 'The Beach at Trouville' - Claude Monet

WHEN? 1870
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Combing the Hair'

93. 'A Cornfield by Moonlight with the Evening Star' - Samuel Palmer

WHEN? 1830
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? British Museum
I LIKE IT See also 'The Ghost of a Flea'

Advertising

92. 'Cupid Complaining to Venus' - Lucas Cranach

WHEN? 1525
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'An Allegory with Venus and Cupid'

91. 'Electric Chair' - Andy Warhol

WHEN? 1964
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'The Citizen'

Advertising

90. 'Fall' - Bridget Riley

WHEN? 1963
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'Six Mile Bottom'

89. 'Melanie and me Swimming' - Michael Andrews

WHEN? 1978-1979
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Britain
I LIKE IT See also 'Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy'

Advertising

88. 'Self-Portrait at the Age of 63' - Rembrandt van Rijn

WHEN? 1669
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Self-Portrait with Two Circles'

87. 'Swinging' - Wassily Kandinsky

WHEN? 1925
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Modern
I LIKE IT See also 'The Three Dancers'

Advertising

86. 'The Card Players' - Paul Cézanne

WHEN? 1892
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Courtauld Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Mont Sainte-Victoire with a Large Pine'

85. 'Doge Leonardo Loredan' - Giovanni Bellini

WHEN? 1501
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Madonna of the Meadow'

Advertising

84. 'Madonna of the Meadow' - Giovanni Bellini

WHEN? 1500
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Doge Leonardo Loredan'

83. 'Mary Countess of Howe' - Gainsborough

WHEN? 1764
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Kenwood House
I LIKE IT See also 'Mr and Mrs Andrews'

Advertising

82. 'Study of Cirrus Clouds' - John Constable

WHEN? 1822
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? V&A
I LIKE IT See also 'Rain, Steam and Speed'

81. 'Surprised' - Henri Rousseau

WHEN? 1891
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Three Dancers'

See 80-61

80-61

80. 'The Interior of the Grote Kerk at Haarlem' - Pieter Saenredam

WHEN? 1636-7
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Laughing Cavalier'

79. 'The Wilton Diptych' - Unknown artist

WHEN? 1395
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Baptism of Christ'

Advertising

78. 'Diana and Actaeon' - Titian

WHEN? 1556
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Death of Actaeon'

77. 'Female Nude' - Amedeo Modigliani

WHEN? Circa 1916
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Courtauld Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Nude Girl'

Advertising

76. 'Girl at a Window' - Rembrandt van Rijn

WHEN? 1645
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Dulwich Picture Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Portrait of Margharete de Geer'

75. 'Self-Portrait' - Christian Schad

WHEN? 1927
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Modern
I LIKE IT See also 'Marguerite Kelsey'

Advertising

74. 'The Great Day of His Wrath' - John Martin

WHEN? 1851-3
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'The Fighting Temeraire'

73. 'A Woman Bathing in a Stream' - Rembrandt van Rijn

WHEN? 1654
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Girl at a Window'

Advertising

72. 'A Bigger Splash' - David Hockney

WHEN? 1967
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Britain
I LIKE IT See also 'Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy'

71. 'Mr and Mrs Andrews' - Thomas Gainsborough

WHEN? 1750
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Mary Countess of Howe'

Advertising

70. 'Portrait of Margharete de Geer' - Rembrandt van Rijn

WHEN? 1661
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Self-Portrait with Two Circles'

69. 'Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting' - Artemisia Gentileschi

WHEN? 1638
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Royal Collection and is currently on show in the Cumberland Art Gallery at Hampton Court Palace.
I LIKE IT See also 'Salome receives the Head of John the Baptist'

Advertising

68. 'The Lady with a Fan' - Diego Velázquez

WHEN? c1640
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Wallace Collection
I LIKE IT See also 'The Rokeby Venus'

67. 'The Upper Room' - Chris Ofili

WHEN? 1999
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This installation is currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britainto see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'No Woman, No Cry'

Advertising

66. 'The Visit' - Willem de Kooning

WHEN? 1966-1967
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'Monument'

65. 'The Annunciation' - Crivelli

WHEN? 1486
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Madonna of the Meadow'

Advertising

64. 'The Execution of Maximilion' - Edouard Manet

WHEN? 1867
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère'

63. 'The Triumph of David' - Nicholas Poussin

WHEN? 1631
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Dulwich Picture Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Supper at Emmaus'

Advertising

62. 'Cage 1-6' - Gerhard Richter

WHEN? 2006
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'The Four Seasons'

61. 'I Love the Whole World' - Agnes Martin

WHEN? 2000
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? You can see this painting at Tate Modern in the Agnes Martin retrospective (Jun 3 - Oct 13).
I LIKE IT See also 'Six Mile Bottom'

See 60-41

60-41

60. 'The Menin Road' - Paul Nash

WHEN? 1919
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Imperial War Museum
I LIKE IT See also 'Gassed'

59. 'The Mud Bath' - David Bomberg

WHEN? 1914
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Britain
I LIKE IT See also 'The Menin Road'

Advertising

58. 'After Lunch' - Patrick Caulfield

WHEN? 1975
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'A Bigger Splash'

57. 'Christ Mocked (The Crowning with Thorns)' - Hieronymus Bosch

WHEN? 1490
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Arnolfini Portrait'

Advertising

56. 'No Woman, No Cry' - Chris Ofili

WHEN? 1998
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'The Upper Room'

55. 'Rain, Steam and Speed' - JMW Turner

WHEN? 1844
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Fighting Temeraire'

Advertising

54. 'The Fig-Leaf' - Francis Picabia

WHEN? 1922
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Modern
I LIKE IT See also 'The Three Dancers'

53. 'Abstract Painting No 5' - Ad Reinhardt

WHEN? 1962
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'The Seagram Murals'

Advertising

52. 'Gassed' - John Singer Sargent

WHEN? 1919
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Imperial War Museum
I LIKE IT See also 'The Menin Road'

51. 'Girl with a White Dog' - Lucian Freud

WHEN? 1950
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Britain
I LIKE IT See also 'Triptych – August 1972'

Advertising

50. 'Laughing Cavalier' - Frans Hals

WHEN? 1624
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Wallace Collection
I LIKE IT See also 'Girl at a Window'

49. 'Mystic transportation' - René Daniëls

WHEN? 1987
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'Cage 1-6'

Advertising

48. 'Self-Portrait' - Gwen John

WHEN? 1902
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Britain
I LIKE IT See also 'Nude Girl'

47. 'The Three Dancers' - Pablo Picasso

WHEN? 1925
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Modern
I LIKE IT See also 'Weeping Woman'

Advertising

46. 'Nude Girl' - Gwen John

WHEN? 1909-10
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Britain
I LIKE IT See also 'Self-Portrait'

45. 'Salome receives the Head of John the Baptist' - Caravaggio

WHEN? 1607
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Supper at Emmaus'

Advertising

44. 'Mummy Portrait of a Woman' - Unknown artist

WHEN? –
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? British Museum
I LIKE IT See also 'Portrait of Margharete de Geer'

43. 'The Fighting Temeraire' - JMW Turner

WHEN? 1839
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Peace: Burial at Sea'

Advertising

42. 'The Ghost of a Flea' - William Blake

WHEN? 1819
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Britain
I LIKE IT See also 'A Cornfield by Moonlight with the Evening Star'

41. 'An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump' - Joseph Wright of Derby

WHEN? 1768
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Mr and Mrs Andrews'

See 40-21

40-21

40. 'Echo Lake' - Peter Doig

39. 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' - Dorothea Tanning

WHEN? 1943
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Modern
I LIKE IT See also 'Weeping Woman'

Advertising

38. 'Nocturne Blue and Gold: Old Battersea Bridge' - James Abbott McNeill Whistler

WHEN? 1872
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'Gassed'

37. 'The Burlington House Cartoon' - Leonardo da Vinci

WHEN? 1499
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Annunciation'

Advertising

36. 'The Snail' - Henri Matisse

WHEN? 1953
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'Weeping Woman'

35. 'A Cup of Water and a Rose' - Francisco de Zurburán

WHEN? 1630
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Water-Seller of Seville'

Advertising

34. 'Combing the Hair' - Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas

WHEN? 1896
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Beach at Trouville'

33. 'A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal' - Johannes Vermeer

WHEN? 1670
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Guitar Player'

Advertising

32. 'Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy' - David Hockney

WHEN? 1970
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Britain
I LIKE IT See also 'Melanie and me Swimming'

31. 'A Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling' - Hans Holbein the Younger

WHEN? 1526
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Ambassadors'

Advertising

30. 'An Allegory with Venus and Cupid' - Bronzino

WHEN? 1545
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Cupid Complaining to Venus'

29. 'IKB 79' - Yves Klein

WHEN? 1959
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'Abstract Painting No 5'

Advertising

28. 'Weeping Woman' - Pablo Picasso

WHEN? 1937
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'The Three Dancers'

27. 'Mont Sainte-Victoire with a Large Pine' - Paul Cézanne

WHEN? 1887
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Courtauld Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Card Players'

Advertising

26. 'The Death of Actaeon' - Titian

WHEN? 1559
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Diana and Actaeon'

25. 'The Citizen' - Richard Hamilton

WHEN? 1993
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'Electric Chair'

Advertising

24. 'Bacchus and Ariadne' - Titian

WHEN? 1520
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Death of Actaeon'

23. 'The Nativity' - Piero della Francesca

WHEN? 1470
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Baptism of Christ'

Advertising

22. 'The Rokeby Venus' - Diego Velázquez

WHEN? 1647
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Water-Seller of Seville'

21. 'The Fairy-Feller's Masterstroke' - Richard Dadd

WHEN? 1855
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'Ophelia'

See 20-1

20-1

20. 'Ophelia' - John Everett Millais

WHEN? 1851
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Britain
I LIKE IT See also 'The Fairy-Feller's Masterstroke'

19. 'The Swing' - Jean-Honoré Fragonard

WHEN? 1767
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Wallace Collection
I LIKE IT See also 'Mary Countess of Howe'

Advertising

18. 'Whistlejacket' - George Stubbs

WHEN? 1762
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump'

17. 'Ski Jacket' - Peter Doig

WHEN? 1994
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? This painting is part of the Tate collection but currently not on display. Check Tate Modern or Tate Britain to see when it will next be on show.
I LIKE IT See also 'Echo Lake'

Advertising

16. 'A Rake's Progress' - William Hogarth

WHEN? 1733
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Sir John Soane's Museum
I LIKE IT See also 'Mr and Mrs Andrews'

15. 'The Four Seasons' - Cy Twombly

Advertising

14. 'The Guitar Player' - Johannes Vermeer

WHEN? 1672
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Kenwood House
I LIKE IT See also 'A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal'

13. 'Bathers at Asnières' - Georges Seurat

WHEN? 1884
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Mont Sainte-Victoire with a Large Pine'

Advertising

12. 'Triptych – August 1972' by Francis Bacon

WHEN? 1972
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Britain
I LIKE IT See also 'Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion'

11. 'The Water-Seller of Seville' - Diego Velázquez

WHEN? 1618
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Apsley House
I LIKE IT See also 'The Rokeby Venus'

Advertising

10. 'The Ambassadors' - Hans Holbein the Younger

WHEN? 1533
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'A Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling'

9. 'The Arnolfini Portrait' - Jan Van Eyck

WHEN? 1434
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Christ Mocked (The Crowning with Thorns)'

Advertising

8. 'Battle of San Romano' - Uccello

WHEN? 1438-1440
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Arnolfini Portrait'

7. 'Nevermore' - Paul Gauguin

WHEN? 1897
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Courtauld Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Card Players'

Advertising

6. 'The Supper at Emmaus' - Caravaggio

WHEN? 1601
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'Salome receives the Head of John the Baptist'

5. 'The Baptism of Christ' - Piero della Francesca

WHEN? 1450
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? National Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Nativity'

Advertising

4. 'Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion' - Francis Bacon

WHEN? 1944
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Britain
I LIKE IT See also 'Triptych – August 1972'

3. 'The Seagram Murals' - Mark Rothko

WHEN? 1958
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Tate Modern
I LIKE IT See also 'Abstract Painting No 5'

Advertising

2. 'Self-Portrait with Two Circles' - Rembrandt van Rijn

WHEN? 1665
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Kenwood House
I LIKE IT See also 'Self-Portrait at the Age of 63'

1. 'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère' - Edouard Manet

WHEN? 1882
WHERE CAN I SEE IT? Courtauld Gallery
I LIKE IT See also 'The Execution of Maximilion'

See our 100 best paintings by venue

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

🙌
Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

🙌
Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!