Laing Art Gallery

Apologies for the appalling title but needs must. The Cézanne bit will be explained later, the seasoning bit will be explained now. I use a seasoning reference because the Laing Art Gallery (LAG) is all about balance. Sometimes it gets it right, sometimes it gets it wrong, but overall the taste is okay. The reason for this being that the “gallery” as it calls itself often seems unsure as to whether it is a gallery or a museum. Now, whilst this can make the visit interesting, particularly when taking kids, it can detract from the impact of some of the displays. This works both ways; the display cabinets that clutter almost all of the ...

The Laing Art gallery is easily one of the best galleries I have visited. It has a fabulous display of art on Tyneside, with models of northern people from all ages, photos, videos and even a model of the fabulous Tyne Bridge! It was recently home to the Lindisfarne Gospels exhibition, and also has exhibitions from local artists, as well as international exhibitions. It is inexpensive to visit,(the gallery is free and a nominal fee is charged for special exhibitions) and the staff are very friendly and helpful. The cafe is clean, the waitresses helpful and on the walls are beautiful paintings, and there are also cases of sculptures and artifacts. I recently took a friend ...