London's Outdoor Art

Outdoor Art in London

Spend your time outside appreciating London's art. You'll discover historical statues, contemporary sculpture, murals, installations and more.

You can even buy art outside every Sunday at the Bayswater Road Artist's Gallery – the art is displayed on the park railings.

The 4th Plinth

Want to see some controversial modern art? Check out the 4th Plinth.

There are 4 plinths near the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. The first 3 have statues of George IV and 2 generals. The 4th was supposed to be home to a statue of a nice horse, but the money ran out in the 1840s and the plinth was left empty for over 150 years.

Since 1999, the 4th Plinth has become a display space for specially commissioned art. Recently, the plinth has been home to Thomas Schütte's Model for a Hotel 2007. It's very striking and made of red, yellow and blue glass.

You can also vote for the next piece for the 4th plinth on the 4th plinth website.

Banksy in London

Guerilla artist Banksy has taken London by storm with his street art.

Cropping up unexpectedly on walls around London, he stencils pictures of people and animals engaged in rather unexpected behaviour. You'll need to look twice to see if you really have just seen a cat building an elaborate bird trap.

Some of the art makes a hard-hitting political point, other works are extremely funny; often they are both. Banksy also creates public sculpture with the same imagination.

You'll find a list of the locations for some of Banksy's works here.

Art in London's Canary Wharf

You'll love exploring public art in Canary Wharf.

The shops and offices are surrounded by loads of little quirky spaces full of statues and greenery. It's a modern area with cultural charm. Don't miss the tree made of traffic lights.

Check out this list of Canary Wharf's art, including information on the artists.

Art Installations in Spitalfields 

Spitalfields is another area of London with a passion for public art. The Spitalfields Public Art Programme supports a changing exhibition.

The art in Spitalfields reflects the history of the area. Jane Hoodless's recent installations are of fantasy historical residents, such as weavers and tailors from the past.

Come and see what's on display right now!

Architecture in London

London's buildings are amazing. They range from cutting edge contemporary to beautiful examples of historic design.

It's not just the famous buildings on London's skyline that are worth looking at. Stop and look up at the tops of buildings as you potter about London, and you're sure to see something unexpected up there, like statues, domes, historic plaques and other fancy decorations as well as the ubiquitous pigeon.