Serpentine Gallery

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The Gallery (left), next to the large dome which was the 2006 temporary pavilion

The Gallery (right), with the 2007 "spinning top" temporary pavilion

The Serpentine Gallery is an art gallery in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, central London, which focuses on modern and contemporary art.

Serpentine Gallery is one of London's best-loved galleries for modern and contemporary art. Its exhibition, architecture, education and public programmes attract approximately 750,000 visitors a year and admission is free.

Established in 1970 and housed in a classical 1934 tea pavilion, it takes its name from the nearby Serpentine Lake.

Notable artists who have been exhibited there include Man Ray, Henry Moore, Andy Warhol, Bridget Riley, Allan McCollum, Damien Hirst, and Jeff Koons.

On the ground at the gallery's entrance is a permanent work by Ian Hamilton Finlay in collaboration with Peter Coates, dedicated to Diana, Princess of Wales, the Serpentine's former patron.

In 2006 Serpentine Gallery premiered a major exhibition of contemporary Chinese Art. Titled China Power Station: Part One, the exhibition was housed in Battersea Power Station in South London, offering a rare glimpse for the public of the interior of a well known landmark.

The gallery was set up by the Arts Council of Great Britain and for its first years was only open on a limited basis during the summer months. In 1991, Julia Peyton Jones OBE was appointed as Director and under her the gallery was extensively refurbished. In 2006 the curator Hans Ulrich Obrist was appointed as Co-Director Exhibitions and Programmes, and Director International Projects.

[edit] Pavilion

The Serpentine Gallery annually commissions international architects of world-wide acclaim to design a pavilion on the gallery’s lawn that provides a unique showcase for contemporary architectural practice. The pavilion is host to a special programme of film screenings, talks, the BBC proms and café.

Since 2000 each summer the gallery has commissioned a temporary pavilion by leading architects including: