Bloomsbury's hidden art: uncovered

Going off the beaten art track

Bloomsbury’s a part of central London that feels very much on the beaten track — home to the British Museum and the Charles Dickens Museum, along with its wellknown and rich cultural history, having been the home of the Bloomsbury Group — a group of writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists that included writer Virginia Woolf, economist John Maynard Keynes and painter Vanessa Bell.

But there are a lot of hidden art gems dotted around the area that you may not be aware of. I’ve collected some of my favourites here — next time you’re in the area, why not add one (or more) of these into your plans…

Kick your shoes off at The Perimeter

Image courtesy The Perimeter

The Perimeter is a contemporary art gallery that’s easily missed, tucked away on Brownlow Mews, just behind Charles Dickens Museum. It’s free to visit and you have to book an appointment and ring a bell when you turn up, but don’t let that put you off as it’s only to manage the capacity.

It’s designed like a home space, so you have to don some shoe covers or kick off your shoes and use the slippers provided - I always opt for the latter, when else will you get to roam around a gallery in a pair of slippers?

It’s hosted some fantastic contemporary art exhibitions including the work of Shuvinai Ashoona, which we covered in a previous post, and at the time of writing is showing a great film about the laws of physics in cartoons by Andy Holden. But the building and experience alone means it’s always worth a visit.

Below the paywall:

• Cake and contemporary art

• London’s most compact art gallery?

• A bit of al fresco art

• Horse-ing around