Walker Art Gallery

Over het museum

The Walker Art Gallery stands on William Brown Street in Liverpool's cultural quarter and is often described as the national gallery of the north of England. Its roots lie in the early nineteenth century, when the Liverpool Royal Institution bought a group of paintings from the banker and collector William Roscoe and later showed them in a purpose-built gallery. In 1851 the town council added the collection of the Liverpool Academy of Arts, and after its first Autumn Exhibition in 1871 it began buying works for the city.

The present building in a grand neo-classical style was designed by the local architects Cornelius Sherlock and H. H. Vale and opened on 6 September 1877. It was named after the brewer and former mayor Sir Andrew Barclay Walker, who paid for it. Extensions followed in 1884 and 1933. During the Second World War the Ministry of Food used the building and the collection was moved away for safety; the gallery reopened in 1951 after rebuilding. In 1986 it became part of the national museums on Merseyside, now National Museums Liverpool, and a major refurbishment was completed in 2002.

The collection covers European art from about 1300 to the present day. It is especially strong in Italian and Netherlandish painting, in Pre-Raphaelite and Victorian art, and in sculpture and decorative art. The gallery also hosts the John Moores Painting Prize, a contemporary painting competition first held in 1957 and now run every two years, and it has a dedicated gallery for young children.

Hoogtepunten

• Dante's Dream by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
• Pre-Raphaelite paintings by Rossetti, Millais and other artists
• Paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, Turner and Stubbs
• Impressionist works by Monet and Degas
• Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool by David Hockney
• Big Art for Little Artists, a children's gallery

Vaste collectie

• Paintings from the 13th century to today – European paintings from the Renaissance to modern art, with major works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Turner, Stubbs and the Pre-Raphaelites.
• Sculpture – Sculpture from the 18th century to the First World War, from neo-classicism to the British New Sculpture movement.
• Decorative art – British and European decorative art from about 1300 to the present day.

Opgericht

1877

Beheerder

National Museums Liverpool

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

De toegang is gratis.

Admission to the gallery is free and donations are welcome. Special exhibitions and events may have an extra charge, and exhibitions are free for National Museums Liverpool members. Schools and large groups need to book.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie

A lift serves the first floor. There is an accessible toilet on the ground floor; there is no Changing Places toilet in the gallery, and the nearest ones are in Liverpool Central Library and World Museum. Three wheelchairs (one self-propelled) can be borrowed at the information desk, and seats and folding seats are available. A limited number of Blue Badge spaces are on William Brown Street outside the gallery; they are owned by the city council and cannot be reserved, and the road surface is cobbled. All screens have subtitles and some have British Sign Language. Large print guides are available for temporary exhibitions, and audio described collections are available online. Trained guide, hearing and assistance animals are welcome if they are supervised and kept with the visitor; other assistance animals should be discussed with the museum seven days before the visit. Drinking bowls are available at the information desk. A visual story is available for visitors with autism and additional needs, and relaxed sessions are held from time to time.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Verschoonruimte

The Big Art for Little Artists children's gallery is open in timed slots between 10:15 and 16:45. Families can follow a digital trail on a phone or tablet and look for the dogs in the Pre-Raphaelite paintings in Room 6. Baby changing is on the first floor, buggies can be left on the ground floor, and the café has a children's menu, highchairs and will warm bottles. Breastfeeding is supported.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The gallery is close to the entrance to the Queensway Tunnel.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel
• Kluisjes

Café and shop on the ground floor. Paid lockers and a buggy park are on the ground floor; large bags and umbrellas are not allowed in the galleries. There is no picnic area inside, but St John's Gardens opposite is suitable.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Zakelijke evenementen

Venue hire is run by Hosted By National Museums Liverpool (venuehire@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk), which lists the Walker among its event venues.

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