Art Galleries in Essex
If you’re looking for Art Galleries in Essex you’ve come to the right place. Here’s our listing – do contact us if there’s one you think should be on the list!
Art Exchange
University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ
“We show international, contemporary art by established and emerging artists, historic figures who continue to inspire, and group shows relevant to current debate. Our artist-in-residence programme allows us to commission new works that respond to the world around us.”
2025/2026 : “Art Exchange will not be re-opening this academic year; our arts and cultural services team will instead be focusing on delivering a programme of events and workshops in other spaces.”
website
The Beecroft Art Gallery
Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6EX.
Open Wed-Sun 11am-5pm
The gallery relocated to the old Central Library on Victoria Avenue in 2014. It sits next to the old old Central Library, which now houses Southend Museum. Visit both for a great afternoon out.
Current and forthcoming exhibitions :
* Dressed for Business: The Gloria Levin Collection of Hardy Amies Couture. (20.9.25 to 20.9.26)
* Alan Sorrell ‘Nubia’. (From 1.2.26)
* Colchester Art Society at 80. (7th March 2026 to 17th May 2026) A celebration, honouring eight decades of art, ideas and north Essex creativity
* Heidi Wigmore – State of Her. (30th May 2026 to 23rd August 2026.) Showcases three decades of Heidi Wigmore’s studio practice.
ESSEX DAYS OUT : Read our article about our visit.
Chappel Galleries
Colchester Road, Chappel, CO6 2DE
Open Wed-Sun 10am to 5pm
One of the few galleries with a working artist as a proprietor. Drawn from the 20th & 21st century, Chappel Galleries sells work by professional artists, many with national reputations, also bringing to the attention of their public some who are younger or less well known.
Current exhibition :
Paintings by Władysław Mirecki and Andrew Pringle. Opening Saturday 11th April. Continuing Sunday 3rd May, 2026
ESSEX DAYS OUT : Visit the Chapel Galleries and pop into the nearby Swan Inn for lunch, the food there is great!
Firstsite
Lewis Gardens, High Street, Colchester, CO1 1JH
Firstsite is a visual arts gallery in Colchester. Their mission is to make contemporary art relevant to everyone. It won Museum of the year in 2021. Closed on Mondays.
Current and forthcoming exhibitions :
* Tim Noble & Sue Webster: Love and Hate at Firstsite. (9.11.23 to 27.9.26)
* Colchester Art Society at 80 (17.1.26 to 12.4.26)
* Sue Webster: Birth of an Icon. Defaced leather jackets, memorabilia, self-portraits, video, and installation – journey through a raw, and personal exploration of art, identity, and growing up different. (31.1.26 to 10.5.26)
* Rebecca Riess: Lossless. Saturday 14th March 2026 to Sunday 7th June 2026. How do we cope with the noise of the modern world? Rebecca Riess invites you to explore this question through a bold and immersive series of otherworldly large-scale sculptures and installations.
ESSEX DAYS OUT : We’ve been impressed with a number of their exhibitions over the years : the Anthony Gormley clay figures, Grayson Perry : The Life of Julie Cope, and
The Fry Art Gallery
Castle Street, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB10 1BD. Open April – October, limited opening hours.
The gallery is home to a collection of paintings, prints, illustrations, wallpapers and decorative designs by artists of the 20th century and the present day who have local connections and have made a significant contribution to their field. There are works by artists who lived in the Great Bardfield area during the 20th century.
Current and future exhibitions :
* Fry’s Popular Delights. 5th April 2026 to 25th October 2026 The 2026 season sees the Main Gallery transformed into an exuberant treasure trove of popular art by guest Curator Mark Hearld and the Keeper of the Fry Collection, Colin Wilkin.
* Michelle Thompson – Papercuts: 30 Years of Collage & Illustration. 5 April 2026 to 28th June 2026. For the first half of the 2026 season in the Gibson Room, the Fry Art Gallery is delighted to host for the first time local artist and illustrator Michelle Thompson MA (RCA), whose eye-catching collage work has been seen across national media…
ESSEX DAYS OUT : The gallery is next to Bridge End Gardens, which is well worth a visit. Saffron Walden town centre is lovely, and Audley End House & Gardens are nearby, so make a day of it!
Gibberd Gallery
Civic Centre, The Water Gardens, Harlow CM20 1WG. Open Mon-Fri 9am to 4:45pm. Some special Saturday openings.
Run by The Harlow Art Trust which is committed to the town’s beautification and cultural heritage in Harlow and Essex, the garden features a large number of sculptures. They run a number of events throughout the year, including a beer festival.
Best of luck working out what’s on at the gallery at the moment, the website is iffy and links to a much bigger site of events across Harlow.
Hayletts Gallery
Oakwood House, 2 High Street, Maldon, Essex, CM9 5PJ
Specialises in finding and promoting the best East Anglian artists and also deals in Modern British and Contemporary Fine Art Original Prints. With nine exhibitions a year they show a cross section of watercolours, oils, gouaches, photographs, all forms of original prints alongside ceramics, sculpture and glass.
The Minories
74 High Street, Colchester (although it’s more logically at the top of East Hill!)
Located in Colchester’s Cultural Quarter. Open Wed-Sun 10am to 4pm. A range of interesting exhibitions throughout the year, and just round the corner from Firstsite, so you can get double bubble on your art and visit both.
Current and forthcoming exhibitions :
* The Arborealists at Staverton Park (4.3.26 to 3.5.26) An artist’s interpretation of poems by Sylvia Plath and T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland.
* Out of Line: Banksy and the Art of Dissent. Saturday 10th October 2026 to Sunday 28th February 2027. A landmark exhibition of street art, featuring 28 original artworks by Banksy, alongside significant pieces by more than twenty leading figures from the global street art and urban contemporary art movement.
Sir Alfred Munnings Art Museum
Castle House, Dedham CO7 6AZ. Re-opens after the winter break, on 1st April 2026.
Castle House is home to a wonderful collection of Sir Alfred Munnings paintings – there are many of his beautiful horse paintings but also many other works of his (he was initially an illustrator). The grounds of the house are very attractive and there is also a pleasant tearoom. Not cheap, but well worth at least one visit (we’ve made several over the years).
ESSEX DAYS OUT : Read our article, with photos, about our visit to the ‘Alfred Munnings : the Art of the Poster exhibition. The museum is close to the Dedham Art & Craft Centre if you want another reason to visit Dedham, and there are two pubs (The Sun Inn and The Marlborough) which do great food, as does The Dedham Boatyard. There is a Wilkin & Son cafe, a few small shops, a beautiful church with a John Constable, and lots of lovely buildings to admire.
Current and forthcoming exhibitions :
Pictures from Private Collections. 1st April to 25th October 2026. The special exhibition charting the museum’s history culminates with twenty paintings from Private Collections, many rarely seen in public. These paintings not only demonstrate the versatility of Sir Alfred Munnings as an artist but highlight the continued popularity of his work amongst art collectors today.
The Naze Tower
The Naze, Old Hall Lane, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex CO14 8LE. Open April-Oct 10am – 5pm every day.
A unique setting for an art gallery! Seasonal exhibitions.
ESSEX DAYS OUT : read our article about our visit.
The Saffron Walden Gallery
77a High Street Saffron Walden Essex CB10 1DZ. Open Tue-Sat 10am-5:30pm
Sadly the gallery is no longer open, and is online only.
Sentinel Gallery
Chapel Road, Wivenhoe, CO7 9DX 01206 827490
A gallery in the heart of Wivenhoe, offering a diverse selection of artworks with a regularly changing exhibition program.
ESSEX DAYS OUT : keep an eye open for the two Wivenhoe Art Trails which run each year. They will be on our Art Shows and Art Trails listing.