Wales - South Wales

Museum Highlights

The first floor of National Museum Cardiff is home to Wales’s national art collections. These include the world-renowned Impressionist collection with works by Monet, Cézanne, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh and Rodin.

The collections are divided into 4 main areas:

Historic Art Galleries – British and European art between 1500-1870, including works from the Italian Renaissance, Dutch and Flemish masters, British legends such as Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough and the Welsh-born Richard Wilson and Thomas Jones, Pre-Raphaelite works from Victorian Britain and British landscape art.

Impressionist and Modern Art Galleries – the most popular galleries of the museum. Discover the ‘Realists’ such as Millet and Daumier and landscape painters such as Corot. Next are the best-loved works - the Impressionists - the collection of which is among the best in Britain in terms of number and significance. Artists on show include Renoir, Monet and Pissarro. This era ends with Post-Impressionists like Cézanne and Surrealists such as Magritte and Graham Sutherland. Displays aren’t limited to paintings however, with a collection of sculpture to see, including British ‘New Sculpture’ pieces by Alfred Gilbert, Sir William Goscombe John, and others by Rodin, Degas and Dalou.

Contemporary Art Galleries – a regularly changing programme of contemporary art. Displays in these galleries are usually selected from the museum’s extensive collection of art since the 1950s. This is the largest space in Wales dedicated to the display of contemporary art and it plays host to the international art competition Artes Mundi held alternate years in Cardiff.

Applied Art Galleries – The Museum is home to one of the world’s major ceramics collections, as well as outstanding historic and contemporary silver. Highlights include glass by Maurice Marinot, Chinese porcelain exported to Europe during the 18th century and items of Chinese jade. A vast collection of Welsh pottery and porcelain is also on display from Swansea, Llanelli and Nantgarw, as well as work in ceramics by Pablo Picasso and many contemporary makers.

Temporary Exhibitions – there is a busy programme of temporary art exhibitions all year round. Check the website for details museum.wales.

The natural science collections on the ground floor follow two main themes:

Evolution of Wales Galleries – Experience the evolution of Wales from the Big Bang to the end of the last Ice Age, when our modern landscape was moulded. The journey through space and time is told using film, sound, light and amazing specimens. You can see real meteorites, a piece of moon rock, spectacular fossils including a stunning reconstruction of South Wales 200 million years ago showing impressive dinosaur skeletons and footprints.

Natural History Galleries - Discover the diverse natural history of Wales on this expedition from the seashore to the woodland and beyond. Enjoy the spectacular gallery scene based on Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire, one of the most important seabird colonies in north-west Europe and discover springtime in our Welsh oak woodland. Marvel at the enormous Basking Shark over 20 ft. long, the impressive Humpback Whale skeleton at 29 ft. long and the largest Leatherback Turtle ever recorded in the world at 9 ft. 5½ inches long, all found around the Welsh coastline.

Essential Group Visit Info:

• FREE ENTRY
• Open all year, Tuesdays-Sundays and some Bank Holiday Mondays, 10am-5pm
• Coach drop off point directly outside the museum entrance.
• Nearest coach parking less than 500 metres away
• 10% discount for pre-booked group visitors in the museum shop, coffee shop and restaurant (minimum spend £5pp)
• Free refreshments for coach driver
• Storage lockers
• Wheelchair access throughout museum and lifts to all areas. Portable seating available on request
• Guided tours available with British sign language interpreter if booked well in advance
• Ideally, allow 2 hours for your visit
• An easy 5-10 minute walk from Cardiff Castle, Millennium Stadium, city centre shops and hotels, central bus and train stations.