Daily, 10.00–17.00 (Fridays: 20.30)
The British Museum
Great Russell Street,
London WC1B 3DG
The 4 tube stations closest to the Museum are:
The British Museum first opened its doors in 1759. It was created through an Act of Parliament in 1753. At first, people had to apply for tickets to visit it. Therefore, it was only well-connected visitors who could visit the museum. But in 1830, the opening hours of the museum got extended and the museum became gradually more open and accessible to all.
We can say that the museum was created thanks to the physician and naturalist Sir Hans Sloane who was a passionate collector of printed books and manuscripts but also of natural history specimens and antiquities. Because he didn't want his collection to be scattered, he bequeathed it to King George II, for the nation. Then, the Act of Parliament establishing the museum was approved by the King so the collection of Sir Hans Sloane could be kept in a safe place.
Since then, the collection of the museum has been growing considerably. Today, even though the museum no longer houses collections of natural history and of books and manuscripts, it still holds eight million objects and curators still continue to acquire objects today.
Here are the departments that are available to you in the museum :
The first exhibition on Hiroshige to be held at the British Museum, and the first on the artist in London for more than a quarter of a century, this is a visually stunning portrait of a country about to change forever.
The exhibition features prints, drawings, illustrated books and paintings from the British Museum collection, as well as a significant gift and loan of prints from Alan Medaugh, a major US collector of Hiroshige's work, and other important loans. As well as exploring Hiroshige's incredible body of work, this show considers his global legacy, which spans from Japan's Edo period (1615–1868) through to Vincent van Gogh and contemporary artists such as Julian Opie.
Reaching back more than 2,000 years, this new exhibition explores the origins of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist sacred art in the ancient and powerful nature spirits of India, and the spread of this art beyond the subcontinent.
One of the first major exhibitions in the world to look at the early devotional art of India from a multi-faith, contemporary and global perspective, it will highlight the inspiration behind now-familiar depictions of the deities and enlightened teachers of these world religions – and how they were shared across the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia and along the Silk Roads to East Asia.
For more events, check this page.