Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Bristol


You're in for a few surprises at this classic old Edwardian museum. Look out for the Paint-Pot Angel by world-famous street artist Banksy in the entrance hall; a funerary statue with an upturned pink paint pot on her head, she's designed to challenge our expectations of museum exhibits and the value of art. It's also a reminder of the artist's hugely popular 2009 exhibition here. Just above sits the Bristol Boxkite, a prototype propeller-powered biplane, which dangles from the ceiling.

Other displays encompass everything from dinosaurs and Asian antiques to Assyrian reliefs. The art sections are particularly strong: especially paintings by Pissarro, Lucas Cranach, Giovanni Bellini, Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Bristol attractions

1. Cabot Tower

0.16 MILES

Set in the small park of Brandon Hill, this 32m ornate red-brick tower was built between 1896 and 1898 to commemorate John Cabot's pioneering voyage in…

2. Georgian House

0.17 MILES

Once the home of the wealthy slave plantation owner and sugar merchant John Pinney, this 18th-century house provides an insight into aristocratic life in…

3. Red Lodge

0.23 MILES

Built in 1590 and remodelled in 1730, this red-brick house showcases a mix of Elizabethan, Georgian and Victorian architecture and decor. The highlight is…

4. Well Hung Lover

0.26 MILES

One of Banksy's best loved pieces of street art features an apparently two-timing wife, an angry husband and a naked man dangling from a window. That it…

5. Castles Stencil

0.34 MILES

Hidden away down the side of the Central Library, hunt out the 2011 Banksy stencil that states 'you don't need planning permission to build castles in the…

6. Bristol Cathedral

0.36 MILES

Originally founded as a 12th-century monastery church, Bristol Cathedral was heavily remodelled during the 19th century. It's one of Britain's best…

7. We the Curious

0.43 MILES

Bristol's interactive science museum is a playful, hands-on space where 300 'exhibits' fly the flag for curiosity, scientific collaboration and creativity…

8. Bristol Aquarium

0.45 MILES

The underwater habitats you'll encounter here include a Bay of Rays, Coral Sea, Shark Tank and an Amazon River Zone. The underwater viewing tunnel adds…