Contemporary art

Reaching for the Moon

As a new lunar sculpture goes on show at the Royal Observatory, we speak to artist Luke Jerram about the influences behind 'Mirror Moon'
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Women artists in the Queen's House

Discover some of the contemporary works and historic pieces taking pride of place at the Queen's House
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Highlights of the Queen's House refresh

What to look out for in the inspiring new take on the Queen’s House’s displays in 2026

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Contemporary art

Discover how artists today are engaging with and responding to Royal Museums Greenwich's collections

Look inside: The Many Invincible Ones by Sharon Walters

Find out about the artworks in Sharon Walters’ display, now on show in the Queen’s House

Artist Sharon Walters on creating The Many Invincible Ones display in the Queen's House

Artist Sharon Walters’ new display, 'The Many Invincible Ones', centres the humanity of those impacted by colonial violence through artworks themed around reconnection, reflection and rest 

Introducing new contemporary art at the Queen's House for 2026

Victoria Lane, Senior Curator of Art and Identity, explores highlights from some of the contemporary artworks that have gone on show

Reaching for the Moon

Luke Jerram reveals the inspiration behind Mirror Moon, a large-scale artwork created for the Royal Observatory

Migration and art: introducing the new Queen's House display 'Crossings'

As a new collection of artworks reflecting on migrant experiences opens at the Queen's House, curator Tim May explores the role of physical and invisible borders in the story of migration

Mapping uncharted histories: the 19th century woman who developed London’s map trade

Artist Remiiya Badru’s new display in the Queen’s House tells the story of maritime publisher, Penelope Steel

Blurring boundaries: the art of Maisie Broadhead

Past or present, photographs or paintings? Artist Maisie Maud Broadhead challenges the viewer’s perceptions in two works now on display in the Queen’s House

Capturing connections – Kingdom of this World: Triptych

Artist Leah Gordon reveals the influences behind Kingdom of this World: Triptych, a series of photographic portraits on display in the Queen’s House

From mapmakers to mariners: searching for women's histories at the National Maritime Museum

I couldn't wait to explore the ship model collection as part of my Museum Fellowship.
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Architecture

Find out more about Greenwich and London's most spectacular buildings

History of the Queen's House

The centre of Greenwich for hundreds of years, the beautiful Queen's House has also been at the heart of royal life

Inspiring architecture at the Queen's House

Refined, stylish, revolutionary – the white cube of the Queen's House influenced centuries of British architecture

Inigo Jones and the Queen's House

Discover how England’s first Classical building was created

Musing on a mollusc: Brunel’s inspiration for the Thames Tunnel

The year 2019 marked the 150th anniversary of the opening in 1869 of the East London railway line, completed in 1843 with the help of pioneering technology invented by Marc Isambard Brunel

Art for all, art for free

Whilst cataloguing a collection of papers from the early 19th century, we came across an intriguing note.

The Queen's House - centre of town for 400 years

Discover how the building of the House had a dramatic effect on the history of Greenwich

Who was Andrea Palladio?

How one of Italy's greatest and most-imitated architects influenced the design of the elegant Queen's House

Christopher Wren

Best known for designing St. Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Wren's two loves of astronomy and architecture were combined when he worked on the Royal Observatory Greenwich
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Portraits

Appearance and reality, status and symbolism - find stories of artists and their sitters

Writing a museum label with 'Gendering the Museum'

Dr Kit Heyam explains the process behind writing the first co-curated label in the Queen's House for a painting of James I

Women artists in the Queen's House

Discover some of the contemporary works and historic pieces taking pride of place at the Queen's House

The Sailor

Sophie Warburton explores the story behind a portrait in Royal Museums Greenwich's collection and their connection with the sitter.

A history of naval portraiture in six artworks

Curator Katherine Gazzard charts the evolution of this complex and creative genre

Moving masterpieces: behind the scenes at the Queen's House

How do galleries move and hang artworks? Follow what happens as curators, conservators and art handlers prepare for an exciting new display at the Queen's House

The search for the lost Wren

A quest to uncover the identity of a female naval officer in the collection

The art of rivalry: Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds

The two leading portrait painters of the 18th century weren't just competing for commissions. They each held fundamentally different beliefs about art

Seeing Ourselves podcast

How does it feel to see 'yourself’ represented – or misrepresented – in museum spaces?

Royal portraits in Royal Museums Greenwich’s collection

Come face to face with Kings and Queens, and discover 500 years of royal portraits at the Queen's House in Greenwich
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What’s on

Find art and culture events in Greenwich.

Workshops | Art and culture

From object to art craft workshops
Join our community of makers at The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre
First Saturday of every month | 10.30am-12.30pm
Free
Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre
Events and festivals | Museum Lates

Cutty Sark concert: Chuck Ragan
Don't miss your chance to see Chuck Ragan perform an intimate acoustic show underneath the famous tea clipper
Tuesday 26 January 2027 | 7-10pm
Adults: £30 | Members: £27
Cutty Sark
Seascapes and landscapes

Follow how artists throughout history have depicted our maritime world, and learn more about scenes in Royal Museums Greenwich's collection

Reframing the Pacific in the Queen’s House

Curators Katherine Gazzard and Hannah Cusworth highlight the steps involved in redeveloping a room in the Queen's House

A playful painting with a pressing problem: help preserve 'The Paddle Steamer "Rob Roy" Aground’

Learn more about this comic scene with a surprising back story – and discover how your support helps care for the national collection.

Turner's 'The Battle of Trafalgar': a maligned masterpiece?

J.M.W. Turner's vast naval scene is a treasure of the Royal Museums Greenwich collection, but why was it so controversial when it was unveiled in 1824?

Moving masterpieces: behind the scenes at the Queen's House

How do galleries move and hang artworks? Follow what happens as curators, conservators and art handlers prepare for an exciting new display at the Queen's House

A Sea of Drawings: the art of the Van de Veldes

Why do artists draw, and what can their sketches teach us about their skills and techniques? Take a closer look with the unique Van de Velde drawings collection

The artistic legacy of the Van de Veldes

How the founders of British marine painting inspired generations of artists, including J.M.W. Turner

A Van de Velde drawing lesson

Notes, inscriptions and observations fill many of the Van de Velde drawings. What can they tell us about their artistic process?

Sketching at sea: Van de Velde the war artist

Daring, dedication and an eye for detail – how Van de Velde the Elder risked his life to record naval battles as they happened

Drawing paper and materials

What did the Van de Veldes use to create their detailed ship portraits and maritime sketches?
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Decorative arts

Artemisia Gentileschi at the Queen's House

A painting by Artemisia Gentileschi recently rediscovered in the Royal Collection is now on loan at the Queen's House. Allison Goudie reveals Artemisia's Greenwich connections – and why the Queen's House is a fitting place to see the painting

The story behind... The Keeper of All The Secrets

Artist Jacqueline Bishop speaks to historian Stella Dadzie about the influences behind her ceramic artwork, now on display in the Queen’s House

Beneath the blue: Alberta Whittle on the making of Feeling Blue

Artist Alberta Whittle shares the inspiration behind Feeling Blue, a tapestry created in collaboration with Dovecot Studios

Knotted histories: addressing Britain's colonial legacy through crochet

Meet Sarah Hawke, the artist behind a new crochet kanga on display at the National Maritime Museum

The conservation process: the Solebay tapestry

What does it take to conserve a 300-year-old tapestry? Conservator Zenzie Tinker offers a glimpse into this complex process

What is a tapestry?

Find out more about the ancient craft of tapestry weaving

The history of the Solebay tapestry

Discover the story behind the largest tapestry in Royal Museums Greenwich’s collection

Asabikeshiinh Aeris by Rowan Mersh joins the Queen's House collection

Royal Museums Greenwich is delighted to acquire ‘Asabikeshiinh Aeris’ by artist Rowan Mersh. The work will go on display as part of the contemporary art collection at the Queen's House.

Beneath the Earth's surface: using X-rays to find out how globes were made

Table globes are truly beautiful objects, with historic representations of the Earth and stars captured in intricate detail. But take a look beneath the surface and the marvels get more mysterious...
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Photography

Inside the megaship: on board one of the world's biggest container ships

What is it like to sail on one of the giants of global trade? Artist and researcher Zoe Childerley journeyed aboard HMM Southampton to find out

Niki Gorick: Behind the lens

The London-based photographer shares the stories of her images of the city’s docklands, now on display at Cutty Sark

Pasifika Now

Young photographers from across the Pacific reveal contemporary life, heritage and identity through their own eyes

Life on board a container ship – in pictures

Artist Zoe Childerley is embarking on a project with the National Maritime Museum to bring experiences of modern seafarers to light. How did she find her first voyage on board a container ship?

'Out with the camera, my senses are heightened' – behind the lens with Paul Haworth

Discover the vibrant nocturnal world of East Anglian astrophotographer Paul Haworth, shortlisted in 2024's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition

Capturing history: Jack Lowe and the RNLI 

How one photographer’s quest to visit every lifeboat station shines a light on our maritime heritage

Seeing the sound of a black hole: the story of Black Echo

How do you picture something that is invisible and inaudible to humans? Artist and photographer John White has the answer

Behind the lens with Monika Deviat

Dancer, educator, heavy metal fan and astrophotographer, discover more about the Aurorae winner of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023

Secrets of the glass plate: The Edward Augustus Inglefield photograph collection

Assistant Curator Alex Grover gives a brief insight into his ongoing research into this small but significant collection of polar photographs
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See great art in Greenwich

Visit the Queen's House, see special exhibitions and events, and find books about art and culture in our online shop

An art lover's guide to the Queen’s House
Royal portraits, seascapes and cutting-edge sculptures are just some of the masterpieces to see  
The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I
See the iconic painting of the Tudor queen, one of the treasures of Royal Museums Greenwich
Royal portraits in Royal Museums Greenwich’s collection
Come face to face with Kings and Queens, and discover 500 years of royal portraits at the Queen's House in Greenwich
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The Art of Naval Portraiture
£30.00
From elite officers to ordinary sailors, the portrayal of naval personnel has been a significant branch of British art for over 500 years...
Buy now
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Astronomy Photographer of the Year Photography Book: Collection 14
£30.00 £18.00
Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Collection 14 is a stunning gift for admirers of astrophotography. The ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025 competition's official publication, this spectacular astronomy photography book showcases the most awe-inspiring space photography, taken from locations across the globe...
Buy now
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Spotlight Series: The Keeper of All The Secrets: Ceramic Art, Botanicals and the Caribbean Market Woman
£12.00 £6.00
At the centre of The Keeper of All The Secrets is an important acquisition from artist and writer Jacqueline Bishop, a tea service that is the stage for conversations around empire, enslavement and female resistance...
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Help keep art accessible to all

Royal Museums Greenwich is a charity, and we rely on your support to care for our collections and help everyone enjoy great art for free. Donate today and help shape the Museum's future.
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