Royal West of England Academy (RWA) bristol

Lovely free exhibitions and cafe. Also some world class paid exhibitions throughout the year

I visit this place often. They put on regular exhibitions of contemporary art, historic works and retrospectives. I can recommend the current Togetherness and In Partnership exhibitions, particularly Barbara Hepworth's piece and Laura Knight's paintings. There is also a retrospective exhibition by local artist, Robert Hurdle which I can highly recommend. I love his views of Bristol waterways. They also offer training through the nearby drawing school.

Good excellent service. Well laid out and maintained galleries. Helpful staff.

The annual exhibition is full of interesting work. I suggest taking three hours: one to look at all the work but not in detail; one to enjoy the cafe with its well thought out menu; one to look at selected works in details.

Lovely gallery, on a very human scale! Two good exhibitions, including etching, painting and drawing Bristol by local artist and teacher, and In Pairs, a fine exhibition of nine couples who helped shape British modern art. What an absolute treat to see these little gems side by side and alongside other contemporary artists.! A lovely way to spend a couple of cool hours on a scorching Saturday morning!

Have been in Bristol for a while and luckily someone recommended visiting! The current exhibitions are worth the visit and all staff are incredibly helpful providing useful information. And no better way to finish the visit than having a nice coffee in the charming cafe.

In the footsteps of the Royal Academy, London - very avant guard! D.