Walk, Talk, Make Sculpture Trail
You and your family can find out about some artists, their artworks and follow prompts to make your own art with this trail.
The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is home to Scotland’s outstanding collection of modern and contemporary art.
Visiting the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Come and enjoy the grounds at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. With their world-class sculptures and a pop-up cafe, these beautiful green spaces are a breath of fresh air. You can also enjoy some of our family activities and self-led tours of our sculptures in the grounds.
All of our Gallery buildings will remain closed until further notice, in line with Scottish Government restrictions.
Modern One
Modern Two
Modern One is housed in a neoclassical building, which was designed by William Burn in 1825. Modern Two was originally built in 1833 and in 1999 it was converted into a Gallery.
Read more about this history of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Getting here
The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is located 15 minutes’ walk from Princes Street. It includes two buildings, Modern One and Modern Two, set in a beautiful sculpture park.
In addition to the transport options below there are bike racks at each site and Just Eat Cycle Hire stations nearby.
- <b>Closed until further notice</b>
- <b>Closed until further notice</b>
75 Belford Road, Edinburgh, EH4 3DR
Accessibility & facilities
A full accessibility guide is available at www.accessibilityguides.org for Modern One and Modern Two.
Parking for visitors is available at both Modern One and Modern Two. A donation is requested of £3 for up to 4 hours and £6 for 4-8 hours. Our payment meters have contactless capability.
Families
The grounds of Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art are perfect for exploring with your family. We have created some activities for you and your family to enjoy while stomping around the grounds.
Sensory Sculpture Stories
Stories to encourage you to use your senses to enjoy and experience the sculptures in our grounds.
In the grounds
Explore our grounds with these sculpture guides.
Smartify
Smartify
Download the app, scan the art, uncover the story.
Discover the stories behind the art with Smartify, the free informative art app. While our galleries are closed you can use the app to explore the artworks in the gallery and learn even more about the work and the artist.
Tour of Dada and Surrealism at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Patrick Elliott, Curator at the National Galleries of Scotland, introduces our display Beyond Realism: Dada and Surrealism at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. This tour gives you an insight into some of the Dada and Surrealist collection highlights. Artworks introduced by Patrick include those by Man Ray, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, René Magritte and Leonora Carrington.
Tour of Cubism at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Cubist art emerged in Paris around 1907. The two main 'inventors' of Cubism were the French painter Georges Braque (1882–1963) and the Spaniard Pablo Picasso (1881–1973). The term 'Cubism' originated in a derogatory remark made by an art critic in 1908: he said that Braque reduced everything 'to geometric outlines, to cubes'. The term 'Cubism' soon came into widespread use, although in fact Cubist paintings rarely feature cubes.
Featured exhibitions and displays
Exhibition
Coming Soon
New Arrivals | From Salvador Dalí to Jenny Saville
Modern One
Sat 27 Mar 2021 - Sun 20 Mar 2022
Closed until further notice
Display
Coming Soon
Beyond Realism | Dada and Surrealism
Modern One
Closed until further notice
Must see
Exhibition
Coming Soon
Ray Harryhausen | Titan of Cinema
Modern Two
Until Sun 5 Sep 2021
Closed until further notice
Cafés and shops
Pop-up café
The pop-up café beside the entrance to Modern Two offers takeaway snacks, sweet treats and coffee to keep you energised during your visit to the gallery grounds. Relax and enjoy the view over the Modern Two lawns and take a wander around the sculpture trails.
Contactless payment only.
Modern One Shop
The shop at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art stocks Scottish gifts, books, limited edition prints, stationery, fashion, craft, design and exclusive products featuring well-loved images from Scottish artworks.
Shop onlineModern Two Shop
The shop at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art stocks Scottish gifts, exhibition lines and exclusive products featuring well-loved images from Scottish artworks.
Shop online
Research facilities
We are not currently able to take bookings for our print rooms and libraries. We hope to be able to offer them again soon.
Archive and special books
Personal and institutional archives relating to 20th and 21st century Scottish and international art.
Modern & contemporary works on paper
The collection consists of Scottish and international 20th and 21st century graphic art.
Modern & contemporary art library
The modern art library covers the mid 19th century to the present day.
Historic prints and drawings
The collection consists of over 30,000 works of Scottish and international graphic art, from the early Renaissance to the 20th century.
Historic art library
The historic art research library covers the 14th to the 20th century.
About us
The National Galleries of Scotland cares for, develops, researches and displays the national collection of Scottish and international art and, with a lively and innovative programme of activities, exhibitions, education and publications, aims to engage, inform and inspire the broadest possible public.