London is very rich in museums and art galleries. If you are fond of painting you’ll go to the Tate Gallery. A rich sugar manufacturer Henry Tate founded it in 1897. There are about 300 oils and 19000 watercolours and drawings. There are many works by the English painter William Turner there. Most of his paintings are connected with the sea theme. There are a lot of paintings by the 16th century English artists and paintings by foreign artists of the 19 – 20th centuries. The Tate Gallery also includes paintings by impressionists and modern artists such as Pablo Picasso. Also present are sculptures, such as those by Henry Moor, a famous British sculptor. The National Gallery is one of the most important picture galleries in the world. The Tate Gallery is the most necessary compliment to the National Gallery, as it contains contemporary works by English and French masters. The British Museum is the largest and richest of its kind in the world. It comprises the national museum of archaeology and ethnography and the national library. The present building was built in 1852. By law a copy of every book, periodical and newspaper, published in Britain must be presented in the British museum. It contains books and manuscripts as well as Greek, Roman, British and Oriental antiques. It has a department of Ethnography. This collection is so vast that only a very small percentage of it is on show to the public. There’s also a department of prints and drawings. There are also departments devoted to maps, coins, medals and philately. Visitors to the British museum can see a fascinating array of clocks and watches. Cultural life of London would be impossible without the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the National Theatre, and a great number of museums: the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Geological Museum, the Museum of Mankind, Natural Hstory museum and others.
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