With the arrival of new exhibitions this spring, the art galleries formerly known as the Queen’s Galleries in London and Edinburgh will be reopening as the King’s Galleries.
Both the London and Edinburgh galleries showcase changing exhibitions of works of art from the Royal Collection, the objective is to broaden public engagement and access to one of the largest and most important art collections in the world. They’ve welcomed a staggering almost five million visitors since opening in 2002.
To continue the organisation’s charitable aim to provide a collection that as many people as possible is able to access, the Royal Collection Trust is launching a new scheme of £1 tickets for exhibitions at The King’s Galleries in 2024, available to those receiving Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance.
The £1 tickets include standard admission for three upcoming exhibitions coming to the King’s Galleries in 2024, two of which will be in the gallery’s London location in Buckingham Palace with the other in Edinburgh. Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography is the closest upcoming exhibition from May 17 to October 6, the exhibition will be unveiling royal portraiture from the 1920s to the present day in a retrospective of the artistic medium that has played a vital role in shaping the public’s perception of the Royal Family.
The works on show will demonstrate how the Royal Family has harnessed the power of photography to project both the grandeur and tradition of monarchy and at times an unprecedented sense of intimacy and relatability. Using the works of some of the most influential royal photographers, from Cecil Beaton and Dorothy Wilding to Annie Leibovitz and Rankin, there will be an exploration of photography’s changing art form and a consideration of the cultural, artistic, and technological shifts demonstrated through portraiture.
Along with photographs, there will also be archival documents and unreleased proofs that will shed light on the behind-the-scenes process of commissioning, selecting and retouching royal portraits along with never-before-seen correspondence with members of the Royal Family and their staff.
From November 1 2024 to March 9 2025, Drawing the Italian Renaissance will be on at the King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace. The Royal Collection holds one of the world’s great collections of Italian drawings. Bringing together around 160 of these works by more than 80 artists, the exhibition will explore how drawing became central to every stage of the creative process.
The works on display will differ vastly in subject, ranging from compositions such as Michelangelo‘s Virgin and Child with the Young St John and Raphael‘s first design for his Disputa fresco, to secular decoration and designs for metalwork, including a table fountain by Leonardo da Vinci. These will be exhibited alongside work from lesser-known artists from the Renaissance period, many of which may never have been exhibited in a gallery before.
Style & Society: Dressing The Georgians will be on from March 22 to September 22 in Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse after a successful run in London and will be the first exhibition to open at The King’s Gallery in Edinburgh following its 18-month closure for essential maintenance work.
Alongside the offer of £1 tickets for those on Universal Credit and other benefits, The King’s Galleries will continue to offer a range of concessionary rates, while visitors who purchase standard tickets directly from Royal Collection Trust can convert them into a 1-Year Pass, allowing people to return to the galleries and visit as many times as they’d like in 12 months.
To find out more about the £1 ticket offer for those on Universal Credit and other benefits, head here.
Find the King’s Galleries in Buckingham Palace, SW1A 1AA.