A study, carried out for the City of London, investigated the physical and emotional effects a midday visit to the Guildhall Art Gallery had on a selection of high-flying City workers. After just 40 minutes’ viewing the Guildhall’s collection, participants reported a 45% reduction in their perceived stress levels and an effective 32% drop in levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

 

So Better Bankside invites your employees to discover some of Bankside’s hidden art galleries during their lunch break. 

The Menier Gallery, housed in the old Menier Chocolate Factory, offers a dramatic space in which to view and exhibit works of art and design. The Gallery is managed by Paintings in Hospitals (PiH), a registered charity which lends contemporary works of art to hospitals with the aim to improve the environment of hospitals and other healthcare establishments. Paintings in Hospitals relies on grants and donations to continue its work and is grateful for the support provided by the general public, so please leave a donation when you visit.  

Forthcoming exhibition: 'Dorian Aroyo: Texts and Icons' -  Papal edicts and now defunct acts of parliament are effaced with gilded portrait masks of Aroyo's gay heroes and heroines, past and present. (5 – 17 Feb)

The Novas Gallery on Southwark Bridge Road showcases and celebrates the work of Novas’ customers – people experiencing homelessness or exclusion through a broad range of arts areas. Profits made from the sale of artwork from the gallery will be split between the artist and Novas, where monies will be reinvested into Novas’ services to increase access to education, work and training initiatives for homeless and other excluded individuals.
Forthcoming exhibition: 'No Gorgios' - an exhibition of Romany Gypsies and Travellers in pursuit of the truth behind the headlines. (28 Feb – 24 Mar; closed Mondays)

Home to the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, Bankside Gallery runs an exciting programme of exhibitions featuring watercolours and prints.  All artworks are for sale at affordable prices so take your lunch as an opportunity to find works of art to adorn your walls at home.

Forthcoming exhibition: '21st Century Watercolour' -  a passionate celebration of watercolour as a vibrant medium for the 21st Century. (16 Feb – 11 Mar) 

 

The Eyestorm Gallery offers a relaxed environment in which to browse a large and comprehensive selection of affordable contemporary prints, photography and original art by many of the world's most celebrated artists. 

Enjoy lunch at Jerwood Space, a beautifully refurbished Victorian building. To get to its stylish Café 171, which serves modern canteen-style food, a modern stylish café serving modern canteen-style food housed in a beautifully refurbished Victorian building, you walk through the Gallery, showing a year-round programme of the best of contemporary visual arts.

Or Just Relax

Purdy Hicks Gallery showcases works of internationally recognised contemporary artists in an impressive display space.

Forthcoming exhibition: 'Ralph Fleck: Giverny' - Ralph Fleck's response to Monet's garden at Giverny: something to be found wherever there are water lilies - a certain light, a cloud, a shadow and the fact that the world is upside down. (12 Jan - 10 Feb)