Manchester Art Gallery

The Manchester Art Gallery is a public art museum featuring works of local and international significance. The collection of over 25,000 artefacts spans 3 connected buildings that are architectural marvels in themselves. Along with fine arts, the gallery features over 13,000 decorative arts objects from around the world.

Over 500,000 people visit the Manchester Art Gallery each year, making it one of Manchester’s most popular attractions. With its diverse collection of paintings, drawings, miniatures and decorative arts like enamels, glass, metalwork, furniture and dolls' houses, the museum offers something for just about everyone. Most visitors spend about 30 minutes to an hour touring the museum.

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Highlights of the Manchester Art Gallery

The Manchester Art Gallery has many masterpieces of global artwork. One of the strongest elements of the collection is the Victorian art, particularly of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The gallery also has extensive works from the French impressionist Pierre Adolphe Valette and the personal collection of Thomas Coglan Horsfall.

The gallery is renowned for its decorative arts collection as well. The oldest piece in the collection is an Egyptian canopic jar from 1100 BC, but you’ll also see a vast collection of Victorian decorative arts. Other unique pieces include arms and armour, wallpaper, ceramics, enamels and glassworks.

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Good to know when visiting the Manchester Art Gallery

The Manchester Art Gallery is free to all, but you must have a ticket to gain access to the museum. You can also book guided tours with knowledgeable guides that cover the collection’s highlights and unique history. The gallery is easily reached using the railway or bus lines or by walking and cycling.

You’ll find many other museums and attractions near the Manchester Art Gallery. The Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, a Chinese cultural museum, and the Science and Industry Museum, a museum with fascinating science exhibits in a historic 1830 railway, are close by.

Location: Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3JL, UK

Open: Wednesday–Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm, (closed Monday–Tuesday)

Phone: +44 (0)1612 358888

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