Dulwich Picture Gallery

Dulwich Picture Gallery is the oldest public art gallery in England. It was opened to the public in 1817. There is an extensive collection of paintings from the sixteenth century to the present day. You can see paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Canaletto and Gainsborough, among others. Next to painting, the second collection is made of antique furniture, the core of which is exhibits handed over to the gallery by Margaret Desenfans in the early 19th century.

Dulwich Picture Gallery is housed in a building designed by Sir John Soane. It consists of interconnected rooms, lit by natural light thanks to the use of large skylights in the ceiling. Soane's design was innovative at the time also due to the unusual facade of the building. Instead of using the then popular stucco portico, the architect opted for a solid, raw brick. Contemporary architect Philip Johnson stated that on the occasion of this project, "Soane taught us how to display paintings."