The Courtauld Gallery

The Courtauld Institute of art is conveniently located on the Strand as part of Somerset House. The art gallery is much smaller and more intimate than the National Gallery, meaning it is less daunting in terms of scale. You can easily get round in an hour or two. The standard of art on show is second to none regarding the impressionists, and also there is excellent 16th/17th century art on show with a lot of the big names. It really wasnt busy when I went on a Saturday but for the L5 pound entry fee it is well worthwhile.

I personally considered the Gaugin pieces on show to be even better than those in the National Gallery.

Overall a really enjoyable visit.

The Courtauld Gallery is a nice place with beautiful art in nice surroundings. The French and Italian pieces are a must see. We visited lastweek during the special Renoir exhibition. At first my main interest was only to see the famous Manet piece but there is so much more to see. Not as exciting as the National Gallery but it is a must on your to do list whilst in London.

These galleries, largely nineteenth and twentieth century paintings, are set up for art student study -- which meant that I saw beautiful things and I learned a lot. I can now tell the difference between Manet and Monet (I turn out to be a Monet person), and I sat for 15 minutes and studied the differences between silver teapots made early and late in the eighteenth century. A very welcoming place, with a great little cafe serving imaginative lunches.