The Victoria Art Gallery is an art museum that was opened in 1900 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee. The gallery focuses on paintings by British artists from around 1700 to the present day.
What to see at the Victoria Art Gallery
The gallery is housed inside a Grade II* listed building and it houses a collection of around 1,500 works including decorative arts such as glassware and sculptures; however, the Victoria Art Gallery’s primary focus is on British oil paintings from the late 17th century to the present day. Artwork on display includes works by Thomas Gainsborough, Thomas Jones Barker and Walter Sickert.
Temporary exhibitions at the Victoria Art Gallery
In addition to its permanent collection, the Victoria Art Gallery hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions, which change every 6–12 weeks.
Current and planned exhibitions include:
The Lost Spells: Listening to a Landscape of Voices
This exhibition (until 5 October 2025) features Jackie Morris’s artworks and Robert Macfarlane’s poems from The Lost Spells. It explores Britain’s natural world through over 100 illustrations and accompanying spell poems. Families can discover a badger sett and miniature forest, follow a trail and add leaves to a storytelling tree. Visitors can also listen to spoken word pieces, wildlife sounds and create nature-inspired music on an interactive screen.
Sue Wales: Capturing the Light
Bath-based artist Sue Wales works in oils, creating landscapes, interiors, still lifes and portraits. Her paintings explore how light changes a scene, from winter lamplight to shifting sunlight entering a home. This selling exhibition (until 12 October 2025) highlights her interest in the effects of colour and light across different settings and moments.
Visiting the Victoria Art Gallery
Victoria Art Gallery is in the city centre close to the western entrance to Pulteney Bridge. Most points of interest in Bath are no more than a 10-minute walk away and Bath Abbey, the Roman Baths and Sally Lunn’s are all less than a five-minute walk from here.
Admission to the art gallery costs £10, which is rather expensive for a gallery in a small regional city. However, this includes admission to temporary exhibitions and entry is half price if you have a valid National Art Pass.
The gallery is wheelchair accessible and wheelchair users should enter through the accessible entrance on Bridge Street.
Free Wi-Fi wireless internet access is available in the upper gallery.
Allow 1–2 hours to visit the gallery.
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