Lisson Grove Galleries Form Collective to Boost London Art District

Five galleries in London's Lisson Grove area have formed the Lisson Grove Galleries initiative to promote the district's artistic activity. The collaboration includes Lisson Gallery, The Showroom, The Bomb Factory Art Foundation, Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, and Palmer Gallery. The initiative launches during London Gallery Weekend (5-7 June) with talks, tours, performances, and a BBQ on 5 June. Lisson Gallery was founded in 1967 by Nicholas Logsdail, then a Slade student, after he missed a train and found a space in Bell Street. The area remains relatively untouched by gentrification, according to curator Andrew Renton, who calls it "the last part of central London to be gentrified." The Showroom moved there in 2009 from East London. Palmer Gallery was co-founded in 2024 by Lucas Palmer and Will Hainsworth in a former 1920s tyre factory. The district also houses the Cockpit Theatre and Alfie's Antiques Market, opened in 1976 by Bennie Gray. Events on 5 June include a talk on Collectivism at The Bomb Factory, a tour of Mandy El-Sayegh's mural at The Showroom, a performance by Carolina Aguirre at Palmer Gallery, a conversation with Lubaina Himid and Magda Stawarska at Lisson, and the opening of Thomas Müller's exhibition at Patrick Heide Contemporary Art.