Also the
name given to the
art Gallery in
Kensington Gardens:
Serpentine Gallery
Kensington Gardens
London W2 3XA.
It was transformed into a gallery from a 1934 tea pavilion by The Arts Council of England in 1970. It is still funded by the London Arts Board and Westminster City Council, along with corporate sponsorship, charitable organisations and individual donations, but benefited from £4 million overhaul in February 1998 through National Lottery cash.
It is small, but often has very interesting and unusual exhibits - particularly those of an innovative, interactive nature. Being set in the park, and with a cafe nearby, it's a lovely place to go in Central London on a hot day.
Attracting over 400,000 visitors a year, it's best to avoid peak times if you can.
It's open between 10am and 6pm every day, entrance is free and it has a small book and gift shop.
The next exhibition to open at the gallery (as of September 2000) will be the first major solo London show for 1997 Turner Prize winner Gillian Wearing.
Phone number: 020 7298 1515
Website
www.serpentinegallery.org
Getting there:
Underground: Knightsbridge, Lancaster Gate or South Kensington
Buses: 9,10, 12, 52, 24