Talbot Rice Gallery

Being a law student at the University of Edinburgh, I’d walked past this gallery at least a hundred times and am a bit ashamed at my complete lack of interest! It’s located in the magnificent Old College (aka law headquarters). Having a look in there would definitely have been a good excuse to skip some tutorials here and there! When a friend visited, I became an unofficial tourguide, and here we came.
Old College itself is quite magnificent, so it’s a great idea there is an art gallery in there. The White Gallery houses contemporary art by Scottish artists and after a visit to the National Gallery, I have to say I’ve become fan of scottish art!
The other part of the gallery, which is called the Georgian Gallery, appears to have much more classical art, and was apparently designed by a William Playfair. (I’ve attended a student event held at the Playfair library of Old College, which was really beautiful and worth a visit if they’ll let anyone else in there!)
A good idea to visit this gallery if you want to avoid the tourist bustle of Princes Street and its surrounding area.

Tucked away at the back of Old College, the University of Edinburgh law school, I had walked past the Talbot Rice gallery many times before actually going in, and had always imagined it to be a miniscule corner of art sandwiched between lecture theatres and libraries. This was a misconception — once through the door, you climb several flights of stairs and find yourself in the large, open white-​walled space found in most art galleries. It opens out onto further rooms, and is spread out over two floors.
The Talbot Rice put on a variety of shows, from contemporary work by Scottish artists to retrospectives from the university’s collection. Entry is free, and there is also a programme of educational events and talks. If you’re in town and feel like a spot of culture, it’s a good place to drop by and see what’s on.