Gallery · Schoolhill, city centre
Aberdeen Art Gallery
The city's main art gallery, a granite building on Schoolhill that pairs a Victorian core with a modern rooftop extension.
- Location
- Schoolhill, in the city centre, a short walk from Union Street and beside Robert Gordon's College
- Area
- City centre
- Event style
- Changing exhibitions, permanent collections, talks, family activities and concerts in the adjoining Cowdray Hall
- Where to base yourself
- City centre or Rosemount — both are within walking distance
What kind of place is it?
Aberdeen Art Gallery is the city's principal public gallery and one of the first places many visitors walk to once they have dropped their bags. The collection ranges across several centuries of Scottish, British and European art, with paintings, sculpture, decorative arts and applied crafts. Work by artists connected with the North-East sits alongside better-known names, so a visit doubles as a quiet introduction to the region itself.
Exhibitions change through the year, and the gallery programme usually includes talks, family sessions and events tied to current shows. The neighbouring Cowdray Hall, part of the same granite complex, is used for concerts and gatherings, and the Remembrance Hall within the building holds the city's war memorial.
A short history
The gallery opened in 1885 in a building designed by the Aberdeen architect Alexander Marshall Mackenzie, and it was extended in the decades that followed. A major redevelopment closed the building for several years and it reopened in 2019. The most visible change is the copper-clad rooftop addition, which brought new exhibition space and terraces looking out over the city's rooftops towards Union Terrace Gardens and His Majesty's Theatre.
Inside, the central court with its polished floor and columns remains the heart of the building. It is worth pausing there before choosing which galleries to explore, as the layout runs over several levels.
Visitor information
- Getting there: it is a few minutes on foot from Union Street, the bus and rail stations are around fifteen minutes' walk away, and most city-centre stays put it within easy reach.
- Time to allow: an unhurried visit takes one to two hours; longer if a temporary exhibition catches your eye.
- Before you go: opening days, any charges for special exhibitions and event bookings are published by the gallery — check its own website rather than relying on older guides.
- Accessibility: the redeveloped building has step-free routes between floors; contact the gallery directly if you need specific arrangements.
How it fits your trip
The gallery makes a good first stop on a rainy afternoon and pairs naturally with a walk to Marischal College and the Castlegate, or with an evening performance across the road at His Majesty's Theatre. If you are staying in the West End, the walk in along Union Street or Skene Street takes around twenty to thirty minutes.