Bankside Gallery
Bankside Gallery is the home of two of Britain's most distinguished art societies: the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) and the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE). Located on the South Bank of the Thames in London, the gallery is dedicated exclusively to the display and promotion of works on paper — watercolours, drawings, and original prints — making it a specialist venue unlike the broader national galleries nearby. It occupies a prominent position at 48 Hopton Street, immediately adjacent to Tate Modern and just steps from the river, and is considered an essential destination for anyone with a serious interest in the traditional and contemporary practice of works on paper. The gallery runs a lively programme of changing exhibitions throughout the year, including open exhibitions where members of the public can submit work, solo and group shows by fellows of the two societies, and sales exhibitions that allow visitors to purchase original art directly. Admission to exhibitions is often free, making it one of the more accessible fine art venues in London.
The Royal Watercolour Society was founded in 1804 as the Society of Painters in Water Colours, making it one of the oldest art societies in the world devoted to a single medium. It was formed partly in response to the Royal Academy's tendency to undervalue or poorly hang works in watercolour relative to oil paintings. The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, known originally as the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, was founded in 1880 during a great revival of interest in original printmaking as a fine art in its own right. Both societies have counted among their members and associates some of the most celebrated names in British art history, including J.M.W. Turner, John Sell Cotman, Thomas Girtin, David Cox, and in printmaking, Francis Seymour Haden and Frank Short. Bankside Gallery itself, as a physical institution at this location, dates from the 1980s when the two societies united their exhibition activities on the South Bank, establishing what has become a cherished and enduring hub for works on paper in London.
Physically, Bankside Gallery is a compact but beautifully designed space. The interior is clean and white-walled, with good natural and artificial lighting that does justice to the delicate tonal qualities of watercolours and the subtlety of etchings and lithographs. The scale of the rooms is intimate rather than grand, encouraging visitors to linger close to the works and appreciate fine detail in a way that larger national institutions rarely permit. The atmosphere is quiet and contemplative — it tends not to attract the large crowds that surge through Tate Modern, which is directly next door, and on a weekday afternoon it is possible to have an entire room almost to oneself. The staff are typically knowledgeable and approachable, happy to discuss the works on display or the history of the two societies.
The surroundings of Bankside Gallery are among the most culturally rich in London. It sits within the Bankside cultural quarter, a stretch of the South Bank that includes Tate Modern in the converted Bankside Power Station, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre a short walk to the west, and the Millennium Bridge connecting directly to the north bank and St Paul's Cathedral. The Thames path runs immediately in front of the gallery's general vicinity, offering iconic views across the river. Borough Market, one of London's oldest and best-loved food markets, is within easy walking distance to the east. The area has a layered history — Bankside was for centuries outside the jurisdiction of the City of London, and became a district of theatres, bear-baiting arenas, and brothels in the Elizabethan era before its later industrial and then cultural transformation.
The nearest London Underground stations are Southwark on the Jubilee line and Blackfriars on the District and Circle lines, both within comfortable walking distance of around five to ten minutes. The Millennium Bridge foot crossing from the City side of the river is a particularly pleasant approach on a clear day. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, with Monday closures typical, though hours can vary by exhibition so checking the gallery's website before visiting is advisable. There is no permanent collection as such — the programme is entirely exhibition-based — so the experience changes significantly depending on when you visit. During the RWS and RE open exhibitions, the walls are densely hung with work across a wide range of styles and prices, creating a lively marketplace atmosphere alongside the aesthetic one.
One of the more charming and unusual aspects of Bankside Gallery is its dual identity as both a public gallery and the working headquarters of two royal societies with centuries of accumulated tradition. Fellows of the RWS and RE are elected by their peers through a rigorous process, and the societies maintain archives, hold lectures, and run education programmes. The gallery shop sells specialist art materials, prints, and publications, catering to practising artists as much as to collectors and casual visitors. It remains one of the few places in London where you can walk in off the street, spend an hour looking at beautifully crafted works on paper, and walk out having bought an original work by a living artist for a relatively modest sum — a quietly radical proposition in a city where art is so often priced out of reach.