176 The Zabludowicz Collection: Best Kept Secret in Camden:

Carved out of yellow Oxford stone just north of the Stables market in Camden Lock or actually to be exact Chalk Farm is a neo classical former 19th century Methodist church now home to the fabulous 176 Gallery / The  Zabludowicz Collection.
The collection was started over 15 years ago by Anita and Poju Zabludowicz. It functions as a privately funded contemporary art collection which is managed by the Zabludowicz Art Trust. The strength of the collection is in its focus on emerging artists of the late 20th and 21st Centuries including many from Germany, Britain and North America. The acquisitions of photographic and video art are unsurpassed in both intrigue and quality. This is not just the usual big names from the 80’s, 90’s and Naughtie’s but a well thought out and focused collection of new and exciting art. It is an enormously personal selection of works, which draws comparison to the great private collections of the 19th and 20th century such as, The John D. Rockefeller collection in N.Y. and the Samuel Courtauld collection, here in London. It may not be evident to the casual gallery visitor but this is perhaps the single most relevant show place for contemporary art in Britain.
I visited the gallery on a humid early August afternoon and was genuinely welcomed by a young staff of well informed gallery assistants. They were eager to answer questions and show my 15 year old daughter and I around the gallery, a rabbit warren of rooms culminating in a massive space  which must have been the main hall of the church. This is a gallery which you will want to return to time and time again as The Zabludowicz’s whet your appetite with more gems from their storage vaults.

PCR London 2009

The Zabludowicz Collection
176 Prince of Wales Road
London NW5 3PT

FREE ENTRY

Opening hours:
Thursday & Friday: 11am-3pm
Saturday & Sunday: 11am-6pm

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