My parents and I were excited about seeing the Monet exhibition. On the tube ride over, I imagined myself walking through the grandiose halls of London's Royal Academy of Arts, quietly observing the serene colours of the famous impressionist. My daydream proved overly optimistic: Despite having a timed-entry ticket, we stood in line in the rain for 15 minutes, and when we finally got inside we could only glimpse the paintings over 10 other people's shoulders. In the gallery, we were not lovers of art, we were sheep – being herded along to the gift shop.
London is famous for its galleries. Institutions from Tate Modern to the National Portrait Gallery house impressive collections and typically offer general admission for free. They also tend to put on shows that pique intellectual curiosity and stir cultural excitement. Many Londoners will flock to the new David Hockney or the recent Caravaggio exhibit faster than they will to the cinema for an Oscar-nominated film. Throw in hordes of tourists from around the world, and suddenly these hallowed halls decorated in masterpieces become a crowded frenzy on par with an amusement park. But quiet and tranquil gallery experiences can still be found in Britain's capital city, so long as you know where to look.
Such secret galleries exist off the beaten track and in plain sight. One of them is the Photographers' Gallery, housed on three floors off a little lane near Oxford Street. It's Britain's first public gallery dedicated entirely to contemporary photographic work. At the moment, it is showcasing the evocative and humanistic work of the late Roger Mayne, and starting in mid-June will dedicate its entire space to American photographer Gregory Crewdson. As a bonus, the gallery has a great café with healthy offerings including quinoa salads and gluten-free desserts.
Just down the road at the historic Selfridges department store is a surreal, large-scale photo exhibition on British "show birds" by Luke Stephenson. Enjoy the quirky photographs while you shop and munch on delicious macaroons.
Pop-up galleries and exhibitions such as this one redefine our understanding of public spaces, showing that anywhere can be a place to admire art.
Keep an eye out for Deptford X, which runs every fall: It's a fringe arts festival in southeast London that turns shops all along the street into separate gallery rooms. Walk into a café and find a video art display or go to the park and find an outdoor installation.
Deptford X turns shops all along the street into separate gallery rooms.
Lucy Dawkins/Deptford X
Close to Trafalgar Square is the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). Known as a hub of subversive and radical modern art, the ICA also has a wonderful cinema that shows the latest offerings, from experimental films to award-winners.
Another hidden gem is a 15-minute walk from the ICA: Two Temple Place. If you're lucky enough to be in London from January through April, visit the exquisite neo-gothic mansion-turned-gallery for its annual art exhibition. The mansion, long known as Astor House (after William Waldorf Astor, a founder of New York's Waldorf Astoria), can also be toured.
Whitechapel Gallery is famous for being the only British gallery to display Picasso’s 1937 masterpiece, Guernica.
Guy Montagu-Pollock
For those who want to be ahead of the curve, across town in East London is Whitechapel Gallery. Famous for being the only British gallery to display Picasso's 1937 masterpiece, Guernica, the place is known for being on the cutting edge of modern art, showcasing wonderful emerging talent.
If you can't get a ticket to the current Hockney show at Tate Britain, just remember that the Whitechapel Gallery was one of the first places to display Hockney's work in the 1970s. Its exhibitions tend to display household names before they become household names.
In South London you'll find the wonderful Dulwich Picture Gallery. There you can enjoy a collection of baroque and old master paintings while afterward exploring the charming and quaint neighbourhood of Dulwich.
South London’s Dulwich Picture Gallery features a collection of baroque and old master paintings.
On show until early June is a retrospective (co-curated by former Globe and Mail art critic Sarah Milroy) of the work of artist Vanessa Bell, sister of Virginia Woolf and a fellow member of the Bloomsbury Group.
If you're only passing through London for a short time and won't be able to visit any galleries, keep in mind that London – particularly the East End – is home to some wonderful street art.
Along Brick Lane you can admire the works of Banksy and other artists; witness space invaders etched onto crumbling old factories, sketched ferrets on dilapidated walls older than a century and other colourful murals.
Street Art London offers wonderful walking tours to illuminate the art we too often shrug off as mere graffiti.
Found across London, street art suggests that in a place full of galleries, perhaps the most secret gallery is the city itself.
If you go
Deptford X
Details have yet to be announced for the 2017 program. Visit deptfordx.org for updates.
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Current exhibits include Legacy: Photographs by Vanessa Bell and Patti Smith, which explores the connection between Bell, a prominent member of the Bloomsbury Group, and the modern rock legend. Runs until June 4.
Gallery Road, Southwark; dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
Institute of Contemporary Arts
On now is Frans Masereel: The City. The work, by the Belgian graphic and expressionist artist, consists of 100 woodcut prints and is considered a forerunner of the modern graphic novel. Runs until July 2.
The Mall, St. James's, London; ica.art
The Photographers' Gallery
View works by the four photographers shortlisted for the annual Deutsche Borse Photography Foundation Prize. Runs until June 11.
16-18 Ramillies St., Soho, London; thephotographersgallery.org.uk
Selfridges
Luke Stephenson's In Fine Feather Exhibition aims to celebrate 'the fragile beauty of the natural world.' Runs until June 5.
400 Oxford St., Marylebone, London; selfridges.com