Where to See Outsider Art in the UK
Public collections, galleries, supported studios and environments across the UK where you can see outsider and self-taught art.
By The Outsider Artist editors, Editorial team, Website Studio
Updated
· Last reviewed · 3 min read
In short
- The Whitworth in Manchester holds the UK's largest public collection of outsider art: the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection, with more than 1,150 works by around 130 artists.
- Bethlem Museum of the Mind in Beckenham, south London, cares for almost 1,000 works by people who were patients at Bethlem and the Maudsley.
- Wellcome Collection in London holds Edward Adamson's paintings and drawings from his art studios at Netherne Hospital.
- Pallant House Gallery in Chichester founded the charity Outside In in 2006 and regularly shows self-taught artists.
- Ron's Place in Birkenhead is England's first listed outsider art environment; visits are by arrangement.
Where is the biggest collection of outsider art in the UK?
The Whitworth, part of the University of Manchester, holds the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection. Built up by Victor Musgrave and Monika Kinley between 1979 and 2010, it was given to the Whitworth in 2010 with help from the Contemporary Art Society. It has more than 1,150 works by around 130 artists, including Madge Gill, Scottie Wilson, Judith Scott and Carlo Zinelli. It is the largest collection of its kind in a UK public gallery.
Not all of it is on display at once. The Whitworth shows works in changing exhibitions, and you can browse the collection online before you go. The gallery is on Oxford Road, Manchester, in Whitworth Park.
Where can you see art by psychiatric patients?
The Bethlem Museum of the Mind is in an Art Deco building in the grounds of Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham, south London. It opened in 2015, and its art collection consists mainly of work by artists who were at some time patients at Bethlem, together with collections gathered by doctors at Bethlem and the Maudsley. The building also houses the Bethlem Gallery, which shows contemporary artists with experience of mental ill health. Both are free.
Wellcome Collection on Euston Road, London, holds the paintings and drawings of the Adamson Collection, made in Edward Adamson's art studios at Netherne Hospital, Surrey, from 1946. They can be seen through its library and in exhibitions. See art from the asylum.
Where can you see contemporary self-taught artists?
- Pallant House Gallery, Chichester. A leading gallery of modern British art that founded the charity Outside In in 2006 and has hosted self-taught artists' exhibitions, including Nick Blinko's solo show in 2011.
- Outside In. A national charity, independent since 2017, that runs exhibitions and an online gallery of artists who face barriers to the art world.
- The Gallery of Everything, London. London's first commercial gallery dedicated to artists beyond the cultural mainstream, opened in 2016 on Chiltern Street, Marylebone, by James Brett, founder of the Museum of Everything.
- Supported studios such as Project Ability in Glasgow, ActionSpace in London, Venture Arts in Manchester and Submit to Love in east London hold regular exhibitions and open studios. See supported studios.
Where can you see the British pioneers?
- Madge Gill: the Whitworth, and exhibitions drawn from Newham Council's large archive of her work. See Madge Gill.
- Scottie Wilson: the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Tate and the Whitworth. See Scottie Wilson.
- Alfred Wallis, the naïve painter: Tate St Ives and Kettle's Yard, Cambridge.
Collections rotate, so check what is on show before you travel.
Which outsider art environments can you visit in the UK?
- Ron's Place, Birkenhead. Listed Grade II in 2024 and cared for by a community land trust. Visits by arrangement or on open days only. See Ron's Place.
- Brighton Flint Grotto. Visible from Brighton beach near the fishing quarter. It is a working plot, so look but do not climb.
- The Cement Menagerie. John Fairnington's concrete animals, moved from Northumberland to Ayton Castle in the Scottish Borders. Check opening arrangements first.
See visionary environments in Britain for more.
Is there a museum of outsider art in the UK?
Not yet. Victor Musgrave hoped his collection would found one after the 1979 Hayward exhibition, and campaigners have argued for one since. For now the Whitworth's collection, the Bethlem Museum of the Mind and Wellcome Collection come closest, alongside temporary exhibitions at public galleries. Writers such as Outside In's founder Marc Steene have noted that the UK has been slower than Europe and the US to give outsider art a permanent home.
How can you find exhibitions?
- Browse our where to see directory and journal.
- Follow the Whitworth, Pallant House, Outside In and the supported studios for exhibition news.
- Read Raw Vision, the UK-based international magazine of outsider art, published quarterly since 1989.
Where to go next
Planning a trip abroad? Read outsider art museums in Europe and the US.
Questions and answers
Where can I see outsider art in the UK?
The largest public collection is the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection at the Whitworth in Manchester. You can also visit Bethlem Museum of the Mind in Beckenham, Wellcome Collection in London, Pallant House Gallery in Chichester and, by arrangement, Ron's Place in Birkenhead. Full guide.
Sources and further reading
- The Whitworth Collections: Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection
- Contemporary Art Society: The Whitworth, University of Manchester
- Art UK: Bethlem Museum of the Mind
- Wellcome Collection: Identified works created in Adamson's studios
- CVAN South East: Network member focus, Outside In
- Art Basel: The Gallery of Everything
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