For centuries, Greenwich has been a hub for culture and creativity. When the Queen’s House was built in the 17th century, it was at the cutting edge of architecture and design. 

Our world-renowned collection is ever evolving, spanning marine art and royal portraits to contemporary textiles and sculpture.  

Our history of artistic innovation continues to burn bright. Uncover the creatives and wider stories connected to our sites and collections.

Maritime art

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?
Artwork in focus

Reframing Black history: Joseph Ijoyemi and the Atlantic Worlds gallery

From resilience to resistance, two new paintings in the Atlantic Worlds gallery at the National Maritime Museum celebrate the history of pre-colonial Africa
Contemporary art

Discover the contemporary art at Royal Museums Greenwich

Porcelain plates adorned with images of women and flowers

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
Painting of a young, 21st-century woman pictured in a pose and costume that echoes a Vermeer painting in an interior reminiscent of a 17th-century artist’s studio,

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
Artist EM Parry works on the 'Queering Piracy' artwork for Pirates at the National Maritime Museum, sewing 'tattoos' into a silicon body

Crafting identity: the making of Queering Piracy

Queering Piracy is a contemporary artwork that explores how some LGBTQ+ communities have adopted and embraced pirate history and symbolism
Illustration of pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao at sunrise holding a sword with her back to another pirate

The art of piracy: imagining the world of Zheng Yi Sao

A series of illustrations by Livia Giorgina Carpineto brings the world of notorious pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao to life
Black and white woodcut style illustration of pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read standing on the deck of a ship holding a sword and a lantern, which emits orange beams

The art of piracy: a fresh perspective on Bonny and Read

A new artwork by Linnea Maertens questions what we think we know about notorious female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. See it on display in Pirates at the National Maritime Museum
Artist Joseph Ijoyemi stands in front of a colourful painting depicting a queen against a backdrop of colourful triangles

Reframing Black history: Joseph Ijoyemi and the Atlantic Worlds gallery

From resilience to resistance, two new paintings in the Atlantic Worlds gallery at the National Maritime Museum celebrate the history of pre-colonial Africa
A model of a ship filled with colourful cardboard zigzag makers

Unfolding the past: Elgin Cleckley and the Atlantic Worlds gallery

Through colour and cardboard, a contemporary artwork at the National Maritime Museum shifts perspectives on the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans
Alberta Whittle smiles at the camera with a blue coloured tapestry called Feeling Blue on a loom in the background

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
Solar printed image of the Sun, against an orange background the Sun appears as a yellow ring with flares coming off of it

The making of SunSelfie - Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023

Learn how Wioletta Katarzyna Kulig made her self-portrait print of the Sun, shortlisted in 2023's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition
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