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Art UK Connecting you to art 🖼️
Art UK is an art education charity and digital space that connects everyone with the UK's public art collection.

Art UK is a cultural education charity. We enable global audiences to learn about the UK’s national art collection. Our website is the showcase for art in every UK public collection and is a collaboration between over 3,200 British institutions. The art you see on Art UK is for everyone – for enjoyment, learning and research. These artworks are in museums, universities, town halls, hospitals and other civic buildings across the country. As 80% of this art is not on public view, Art UK allows you to see art that you would not normally be able to visit. Art UK is free for all to enjoy. It is through the generosity of a wide range of public and private funders that we are able to make this possible.

17/10/2026

Murals in focus! 🖌️

Students from Cuthbertson Primary School visit SWG3 and JEKS ONE’s Mary Barbour mural to explore the theme of portraiture and discover the inspiration, materials and techniques used to create large-scale murals.

This is one of a series of films made in collaboration with young people about murals across the UK. Watch the full film on YouTube and find more great learning resources on our website.

👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ucpZL5g9pg&feature=youtu.be

Made possible with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to The National Lottery players.

After being interned on the Isle of Man during the Second World War, artist Kurt Schwitters moved to Ambleside in 1945, ...
16/10/2026

After being interned on the Isle of Man during the Second World War, artist Kurt Schwitters moved to Ambleside in 1945, where the Lake District provided a period of respite after an extremely turbulent time in his life.

He continued to paint and make collages, finding inspiration in the landscapes, buildings and people around him.

Read more about Schwitters' experiences and artistic response to these changing circumstances in a recent story by Suzannah Binns, volunteer at The Armitt : Museum, Gallery, Library 👉 https://artuk.org/discover/stories/kurt-schwitters-internment-on-the-isle-of-man-and-respite-in-the-lake-district

1) 'Wood on Wood'

2) 'Fairfield, Ambleside'

3) 'The Old Mill, Ambleside'

4) ‘View from Peggy Hill, towards Loughrigg’

By Kurt Schwitters (1887–1948) 📷 The Armitt Museum and Library

15/10/2026

🎨 What stories can a painting tell about everyday life? 

Scottish artist Gordon Stewart Cameron (1916–1994) was known for capturing the world around him. His colourful painting, 'The Edge of the City' from 1980 invites us to pause and look a little closer. 

Now on display as part of Breathing Space, an exhibition in partnership with , the painting is one of many artworks encouraging visitors to slow down and take a moment to reflect. Margaret McCormick, Collection and Exhibitions Lead at Art in Healthcare also talks about how art can be a welcome distraction in healthcare settings.
 
📍 Park Gallery, Callendar House 
📅 Until 18 October 2026 
🎟️ Free entry 
_ 

‘The Edge of the City’ by Gordon Stewart Cameron (1916–1994). © the artist’s estate. 
 
‘The Bus Stop and the Monkey Puzzle’ by Gordon Stewart Cameron (1916–1994). © the artist’s estate. 
 
‘The Visitors’ by Gordon Stewart Cameron (1916–1994). © the artist’s estate. 
 
‘Green Tea and Fuji-San’ by Elspeth Lamb (b.1951) RSA. © the artist. 

‘Study of Fruit I’ by Hannah Mooney (b.1995). © the artist. 
 
‘Hold On’ by Millie Laing-Tate (b.1994). © the artist. 
 
‘Portrait of the Poet’ by Steven Campbell (1953–2007). © the artist’s estate. 
 
All images courtesy of Art in Healthcare. 
 
 

Thanks to our supporters and match funding, last year’s Big Give Christmas Challenge raised £75,464 to help more people ...
15/10/2026

Thanks to our supporters and match funding, last year’s Big Give Christmas Challenge raised £75,464 to help more people connect with art and creativity 🎉

The funds are now growing ArtConnects, our programme which uses creative activities and digital volunteering to reduce isolation, build skills and connect people with art in their communities.

We'll be participating in the Big Give Christmas Challenge again this year, taking place between 1st and 8th December. We'll share more about the campaign soon.

Register your interest to be the first to know when the campaign launches 👉 https://artuk.beaconforms.com/form/d033ff7f

It’s just possible that you’ve heard that the Bayeux Tapestry is currently in London, in the British Museum’s blockbuste...
14/10/2026

It’s just possible that you’ve heard that the Bayeux Tapestry is currently in London, in the British Museum’s blockbuster exhibition.

Whether or not you’re planning to see it, you’ve probably got a mental picture of this iconic piece of embroidery. But do you know what William the Conqueror looked like?

As it’s the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings on 14th October, we’ve taken a look at some of the depictions of the Norman ruler.

From portraits showing William with a full flowing beard to the clean shaven figure depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, artists have offered different interpretations.

Discover more in this new story 👉 https://artuk.org/discover/stories/what-did-william-the-conqueror-look-like

1) 'William the Conqueror (1027/1028–1087) c.1580', British (English) School 📷 English Heritage Battle Abbey, Historic England Archive

2) 'William of Normandy and Harold Godwinson' 📷 public domain, Wikimedia Commons

3) 'William the Conqueror' by Henry Holland (1745–1806) 📷 Ashmolean Museum

14/10/2026

Hercules? Honey, you mean HUNKules.

We’ve teamed up with Jack Shoulder, author of new book Hotties in Art to discover some of the hotties you can find on Art UK 😍

Learn more about this sculpture 'The Farnese Hercules'

Discover more Hotties in Art on our website with Jack's new story 'Hotties in art: a look at some of the hottest men in art history' 👉 https://artuk.org/discover/stories/hotties-in-art-a-look-at-some-of-the-hottest-men-in-art-history

'The Farnese Hercules' by Lysippos (active c.370 BC–c.300 BC) and Glycon (c.AD 200–c.AD 250?) (after) 📷 Royal Academy of Arts

14/10/2026

Hercules? Honey, you mean HUNKules.

We’ve teamed up with , author of new book Hotties in Art to discover some of the hotties you can find on Art UK 😍

Discover more about this sculpture ‘The Farnese Hercules’

Hotties in Art is out now, published by 📖

👉 Discover more Hotties in Art on our website with Jack’s new story ‘Hotties in art: a look at some of the hottest men in art history’

–
‘The Farnese Hercules’ by Lysippos (active c.370 BC–c.300 BC) and Glycon (c.AD 200–c.AD 250?) (after) 📷

13/10/2026

Why did English artist John Constable copy a Dutch landscape? 🤔

The first episode in the third series of our podcast, Your Art, Unlocked is out now! 🔓

In this episode, author, curator and art historian visits to uncover why the English artist John Constable copied a moody Dutch landscape by Jacob van Ruisdael.

Join Nicola as she gets to grips with not one but two windmills, and hear from Jennifer Scott, the director of Dulwich Picture Gallery, about the subtle differences between these seemingly identical works. Painter Kate Giles also offers a contemporary perspective on how artists are influenced by those who have gone before.

Your Art, Unlocked is produced by Art UK and supported by .

🎧 Listen and follow each week wherever you get your podcasts.

–
‘Landscape with Windmills near Haarlem (after Jacob van Ruisdael)’ by John Constable (1776–1837) 📷 By permission of Dulwich Picture Gallery

13/10/2026

Why did English artist John Constable copy a Dutch landscape? 🤔

The first episode in the third series of our podcast, Your Art, Unlocked is out now! Listen and follow each week wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://rss.com/podcasts/artuk/

In this episode, author, curator and art historian Nicola Moorby visits Dulwich Picture Gallery to uncover why the English artist John Constable copied a moody Dutch landscape by Jacob van Ruisdael.

Join Nicola as she gets to grips with not one but two windmills, and hear from Jennifer Scott, the director of Dulwich Picture Gallery, about the subtle differences between these seemingly identical works. Painter Kate Giles also offers a contemporary perspective on how artists are influenced by those who have gone before.

Your Art, Unlocked is produced by Art UK and supported by Bloomberg Connects.

'Landscape with Windmills near Haarlem (after Jacob van Ruisdael)' by John Constable (1776–1837) 📷 By permission of Dulwich Picture Gallery

12/10/2026

Take a moment to pause and connect with art.  

'Breathing Space' brings together a selection of artworks from the collection, inviting visitors to discover new perspectives, find moments of joy and explore the positive role art can play in our health and wellbeing. 

Visit the Park Gallery at Callendar House and give yourself a little breathing space. 

📍 Park Gallery, Callendar House, Falkirk
📅 Until 18 October 2026 
🎟️ Free entry 

_ 
 
'Portrait of the Poet' by Steven Campbell (1953–2007). © the artist’s estate. 
 
'The Big Man and the Flattened Female' by Sam Ainsley RSA (b. 1950). © the artist. 
 
'Hold On' by Millie Laing-Tate (b.1994). © the artist. 
 
'Mirage' by Ade Adesina RSA (b.1980). © the artist.  
 
'Decline' by Ade Adesina RSA (b.1980). © the artist.
 
'Buachaille Etive Mor' by Kirstie Behrens. © the artist. 
 
📷 Art in Healthcare. 
 

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