City Guide

Museums, art galleries and exhibitions in Cornwall

Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, cherry blossom, Photo: Ian Kingsnorth 2016
Photo: Ian Kingsnorth 2016
HomeExploreCity GuidesMuseums, art galleries and exhibitions in Cornwall

Looking for museums and art galleries in Cornwall?

There’s plenty of art and culture to be found here, from the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden to Tate St Ives and the Newlyn Art Gallery.

Start planning the perfect day in Cornwall by finding the right art gallery or museum for you.

Must-see museums in Cornwall

Places to visit in Cornwall with your National Art Pass
Museum

Penlee House Gallery & Museum

Penzance
South West
Free entry
Museum

Wheal Martyn Clay Works

St Austell
South West
50% off entry
Museum

Royal Cornwall Museum

Truro
South West
Free entry
Museum

Dingles Fairground Museum

Lifton
South West
Free entry
Museum

Barbara Hepworth Museum & Scul...

St Ives
South West
50% off entry
Museum

National Maritime Museum Cornw...

Falmouth
South West
Museum

Pendennis Castle

Falmouth
South West
Free entry
Museum

Tate St Ives

Art Fund Museum of the Year
Find out more
2018 winner
St Ives
South West
See all museums
Yinka Shonibare CBE, End of Empire, 2016. Co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW and Turner Contemporary, Margate. Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Photographer: Stephen White & Co
© Yinka Shonibare CBE

Popular exhibitions in Cornwall

Visit these exhibitions in Cornwall with your National Art Pass

Exhibition

Yinka Shonibare CBE RA: End of...

12 October 2023 - 23 June 2024
The Box, Plymouth
Plymouth
Exhibition

Planet Ocean

16 March 2024 - 23 February 2025
The Box, Plymouth
Plymouth
Exhibition

Beyond the Page: South Asian M...

17 February - 2 June 2024
The Box, Plymouth
Plymouth
Exhibition

The Exceptional Harold Harvey

1 May - 28 September 2024
Penlee House Gallery & Museum
Penzance
Opening soon
Free entry
See all exhibitions

Get inspired

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Pendennis Castle, aerial view
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Hew Locke and Joy Gregory at Gregory's London studio, 2021
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In 1774 Josiah Wedgwood wrote to Thomas Bentley, a business partner at Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, proposing the creation of a collection that would save the company's works for posterity. The resulting collection was unique in its scope and depth, using ceramics, manuscripts, fine art, manufacturing equipment and more to tell the story of Britain's greatest porcelain manufacturer and the family that founded it.Today the collection is formed of more than 8,000 historical pieces, as well as 80,000 manuscripts, pattern books, works of art and photographs chronicling 250 years of Wedgwood pottery and the developments in taste, politics, society, science and art that shaped it. The ceramics in the collection range from Josiah's early experiments in jasper through to modern pieces. Highlights include Josiah Wedgwood's own first edition of the iconic jasper Portland Vase, and five plates from the 'Green Frog Service', a magnificent dinner set commissioned by Catherine the Great in 1773 for her palace at Kekerekeksinen.As well as pottery and personalia, the collection includes a number of fine works by artists with connections to Wedgwood, from John Flaxman to Peter Blake. Portraits of the Wedgwood family by George Stubbs, Joshua Reynolds and John Singer Sargent are among the collection's most precious works.
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7 wild works of art acquired with Art Fund support

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Unmissable cultural attractions in Cornwall

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The Narcissus Hall at Leighton House Museum
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Find inspiration at these artists' houses and studios

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15 Sep 2020
National Maritime Museum Cornwall
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Ten great days out for summer

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