Freud Museum

Sigmund Freud, the famous Austrian neurologist, moved to London after fleeing his home and practice in Vienna to escape the Nazis in 1938. After briefly living at 39 Elsworthy Road he moved to 20 Maresfield Gardens, where the Freud Museum is located.

Freud maintained a practice in the house on Maresfield Gardens and it was here that he completed his book Moses and Monotheism. After Sigmund Freud’s death in 1939, his daughter Anna continued to live in the house and the museum was opened in July 1986.

This is one of three Freud Museums. The others include one at the house where he was born in Příbor in the Czech Republic and another in Vienna.

What to see at the Freud Museum

The museum is in the house where Sigmund Freud spent the last year of his life.

On the ground floor, you can see the dining room, hall, library and his study and there is an exhibition space on the first floor where you can watch a video of and see exhibits on Freud’s life.

When the Freuds moved to London, they brought their furniture and personal effects from Vienna. This means that visitors to the museum are able to see Freud’s famous psychoanalytic couch that graced his practice in Vienna as well as his collection of books and his personal art collection, which includes a portrait of Freud painted by Salvador Dalí.

Temporary exhibitions at the Freud Museum

In addition to its permanent collection, the Freud Museum also hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions. Current and upcoming exhibitions include:

Freud and Latin America
The Freud and Latin America exhibition (until 14 July 2024) explores Latin America’s affinity for psychoanalysis, focusing on Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru. Through diverse media like letters, photographs and artworks, the exhibition delves into the connections between Freud’s life and Latin America, shedding light on influential figures like Honorio Delgado and Gastão Pereira da Silva. The exhibit, in English, Spanish and Portuguese, also showcases works by artists such as Jose Borges, Santiago Borja and Grete Stern.

Visiting the Freud Museum

The Freud Museum is located in a large house on a residential street in Hampstead. It is only a five-minute walk from Finchley Road tube station, a ten-minute walk from Swiss Cottage tube station and a ten-minute walk to Finchley Road & Frognal train station (for overground trains). Bus routes 13, 113, 187, 268, C11 and D stop nearby on Finchley Road.

You can get free entry with a London Pass and you can get half-price admission with the National Art Pass.

It is a small museum and you should be able to see everything in around 30 minutes although those with an interest in psychology (and visitors who pay extra for the audio tour) could spend an hour here.