York Castle Museum

Welcome to York Art Gallery

York Art Gallery combines a distinguished history of displaying fine paintings and ceramics with a modern-day welcome to all through a busy calendar of exhibitions, events and outreach work.

The Burton Gallery

Paintings are displayed in six areas over the two floors of the gallery and are divided into themes such as people and places.

They span more than 600 years and range from 14^th century Italian panels and 17^th century Dutch masterpieces to Victorian narrative paintings and 20^th century works by LS Lowry and David Hockney.

Click here for more information about our permanent displays in the South Gallery and Burton Gallery.

The main ground floor gallery is used to house special exhibitions. These change every few months and can be anything from a touring exhibition from the National Portrait Gallery to a celebration of our own ceramics collection.

Highlights from the gallery's outstanding collection of 20^th century ceramics also feature in special exhibitions in our Gallery of Pots.

Click here for more information about our special exhibitions programme.

Having fun in The Studio

The Studio, close to the main entrance, is used for family activities, community work and education sessions.

The building which houses the gallery opened its doors to the public in 1879 for the second Yorkshire Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition, inspired by the Great Exhibition in London of 1851. In 1892 it became the City Art Gallery.

The gallery looks out over Exhibition Square, also created in 1879, and beyond to the city walls and York Minster. The centrepiece of the square is a statue of York artist William Etty which was erected in 1911.