Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art

Most interesting museum of Italian paintings, drawings and sculptures of the early years of the 20th up to after the second World War thanks to the passionate collecting work of Eric and his wife Salome Estorick. Nice place. Warm welcoming. A place to visit absolutely.

Posting a few images from a recent visit to the Estorick collection in Highbury to see the fabulous new Sean Scully exhibition there. I’m always a little drawn to his work, so it was a real treat to see this small but beautifully curated show, contrasting a lively selection of prints, drawings and painting by Scully opposite a wall of works by Giorgio Morandi, who along with Euan Uglow has always struck me as a real artist’s artist. Well worth a visit if you’re in the area!

A wonderful and inspiring place to visit! Temporary shows of ever inspiring work, with a permanent collection upstairs. A little cafe with sweet treats to recharge you and you can sit outside or inside when the sun shines. And a neat little bookshop. And lockers, and toilets and friendly staff. A great place!

We had lunch in the coffee shop and visited the latest exhibition of Claudio Parmiggiani. They have a lovely book shop and permanent exhibitions upstairs and two rooms downstairs for temporary exhibitions. Nice to have a small museum in Islington.

£8 to enter. Short walk from Highbury & Islington underground. Cafe and gallery shop also on site. Small garden area to sit in at the cafe if it’s a warm day. Nice building and very clean. The only thing that didn’t really do it for me was the art. I can’t claim to be knowledgeable or particularly interested in art so I view any galleries with a layman’s eye and I found the work uninspiring. Mostly early 20th century Italian artists on display. Pretty niche but some of the descriptions of how culture was impacted by Italian politics of the era was worth a read. The top galleries seemed like better work than those displayed on the lower floors. I wouldn’t return to this gallery but if it’s your thing then try this place out.

Tucked away in the backstreets of Canonbury, the Estorick Collection has been an important part of London’s art scene since its opening in 1998. Currently, the ground floor hosts guest exhibitions, while the permanent Collection resides on the upper levels. Renowned internationally, the Collection features a core of Futurist works along with figurative art and sculpture from the late 19th to mid-20th century. Housed in a beautifully restored Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse, the Collection also offers a bookshop and a café serving Italian-style refreshments, with options for alfresco dining. Guest exhibitions are showcased in Galleries One and Two on the ground floor. It's an excellent choice if you prefer small art galleries or you're a fan of Italian art. There are quite a few stairs to climb.

I had so much fun here! The temporary exhibition on Licini is informative and moving. There are six galleries and the paintings are rotated, so not all of the paintings from the collection are displayed at once. It’s a nice dose of art which is stimulating and not tiring. Makes it worth returning. The labels present information in a very captivating and in-depth way. My respect goes to the curators. I greatly enjoyed the coffee shop and the book shop. The prices in the book shop are surprisingly low. The gallery building and the garden are really pretty. Also, the bench designs go pretty hard and have no reason to be this good.

Always worth a visit, such a gem of a gallery. Impressive exhibition about the Ukrainian artist Archipenko, who influenced other artists from his chosen Parisian workplace. Great interaction especially with the Italian artists of the futurism movement. Beautifully curated juxtaposition of his works and others taking encouragement from his modern ideas. Sculptures seem still modern today but beautiful, too, not shocking anymore as at the time of their conception. Lovely restaurant with courtyard and great bookshop with postcards and gift ideas.