Penzance Art Galleries and Museums
West Cornwall has welcomed some of the marquee name of the visual arts in the past century or so. Norman Garstin, Stanhope Forbes, Barbara Hepworth, Bernard Leach and Kurt Jackson have all been bewitched variously by our shores, moors and fishing culture.
You’ll discover scores of boutique Penzance art galleries, with window displays bringing splashes of colour to our streets, as well as showcase venues housing works by Victorian legends and the leading lights of contemporary visual arts. Further afield, there’s plenty to discover in St Ives, Newlyn and St Just.
It’s not just visual arts on offer, either – our museums delve into some fascinating aspects of Cornish history.
Penlee House Gallery and Museum
Morrab Road,
Penzance
TR18 4HE
Taking pride of place among Penzance art galleries, Penlee House is a fine Victorian building constructed in 1865 for the Branwell family. The park surrounding it was opened as a Second World War memorial garden, while the house became a museum.
Today, museum exhibits sit alongside an impressive art collection with works by members of the famous Newlyn School. One of the gallery’s most famous paintings is “The Rain it Raineth Every Day” by Norman Garstin, which depicts waves and rain whipping across walkers on Penzance Promenade
You can also grab a cup of team and slice of cake at the Orangery Cafe, at Penlee House.
The Exchange
Princes Street,
Penzance TR18 2N
Easily identified by its uber-modern glass façade, this former telephone exchange has been transformed into a modern art gallery. Featuring contemporary visual art and community collaboration, it’s a lively and dynamic venue that also holds regular supper clubs, short duration shows and events.
Cornwall Contemporary
Parade Street,
Penzance TR18 4BU
Set over three floors of exhibition space, Cornwall Contemporary features work with a local focus, by nationally and internationally renowned artists. Exhibitions change on a monthly basis, with regular artists including Neil Pinkett, Daphne McClure, Emma Dunbar and Ken Spooner.
Lighthouse Gallery
Causewayhead,
Penzance TR18 2SS
Adorned with the work of artists like Benjamin Warner, John Piper and Catherine Hyde, the Lighthouse Gallery combines commercial and exhibition space. Works include paintings, ceramics and sculpture, with a focus on contemporary artists, both leading and emerging.
Redwing
Market Jew Street,
Penzance TR18 2HT
A not-for-profit social enterprise, Redwing champions artists that exist outside the mainstream art world. Run entirely by volunteers, the gallery includes exhibition and performance spaces (live music features here too), as well as a vegan and vegetarian café and affordable art studios.
Newlyn Art Gallery
New Road,
Newlyn TR18 5PZ
While located in historic Newlyn, this sister gallery to The Exchange is distinctly forward-looking. Visit to see work by local, national and international artists, as well as a full calendar of exhibitions and events. In The Picture Room you can buy affordable works by recognised artists, with profits supporting exhibition and education activities.
Newlyn Art School
The Old Board School, Chywoone Hill, Newlyn, Penzance TR18 5AW
Penzance’s neighbour Newlyn has a rich heritage and connection with art – the Newlyn School colony of artists formed in the 1880s putting this part of the world truly on the map.
That connection with art continues today with the Newlyn School of Art, which provides inspiring art courses and landscape painting holidays taught by over 30 of the most respected artists working in Cornwall today.
The art school is housed in the beautiful Victorian school building in the “artist’s quarter” of Newlyn and is a must for creatives at all levels. Short courses, mentoring weekends, evening classes and painting holidays means there’s something to suit everyone all year round.
Jackson Art Foundation
Situated in the centre of St Just, The Jackson Foundation is housed within a massive ex-industrial building and hosts an annual programme of quality contemporary exhibitions.
This exciting world-class art gallery is home to Kurt Jackson’s varied and eclectic range of artistic expression, spanning painting, poetry, sculpture, installation and film. It’s also free to enter.
Only eight miles from Penzance.
Tate St Ives
Inspiring art and breath-taking scenery meet at Tate St Ives. The iconic gallery on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean showcases some of the best-loved British artworks of the 20th century, alongside an ever-changing programme of exhibitions
The onsite shop and café overlooking the sea is a great place to visit for coffee, lunch, afternoon tea or a glass of wine
Joint tickets give visitors to Tate St Ives access to the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden (see below).
Only eight miles from Penzance.
Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Gardens
Artist and sculptor Barbara Hepworth first came to live in Cornwall in 1939, working in Trewyn studios. This is now home to the Barbara Hepworth Museum and is preserved as it was when she lived and worked there.
The Museum and Sculpture Garden includes over 30 works in wood, stone, plaster and bronze and offers a remarkable insight into one of Britain’s most important 20th century artists.
Joint tickets offer visitors to Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden free access to the Tate St Ives (see above).
Only eight miles from Penzance.
The Leach Pottery
Founded in 1920 by Bernard Leach and Shoju Hamada, the Leach Pottery is among the most respected and influential potteries in the world. In fact, many consider this pottery the birthplace of British studio pottery.
Art lovers can visit the Leach Pottery Studio, including its museum, gallery and shop all year round.
Or they can get stuck in! The Leach Pottery runs courses and classes throughout the year. From pottery taster sessions to specialist courses, there’s something for all skill levels from novice to experienced.
Only eight miles from Penzance.
PK Porthcurno
PK Porthcurno is a museum celebrating the history and science that made world communications possible, at the site where the first undersea telegraph cables were brought ashore over 150 years ago. The PK Porthcurno experience explores that history and the science of fibre optics, revealing how today’s digital communications are changing the world forever.
Only 6 miles from Penzance.