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National Galleries Scotland: Modern One
National Galleries Scotland: Modern One — A welcoming space for modern and contemporary art in Edinburgh.
4.8
Art Gallery
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National Galleries Scotland: Modern One — A welcoming space for modern and contemporary art in Edinburgh.
National Galleries Scotland: Modern One offers a welcoming journey through modern and contemporary art in Edinburgh. Housed in an attractive former school near parkland, the two-level layout places permanent displays on the upper floor and temporary exhibits on the lower. Entry is free, with a café, gift shop, and accessible facilities including ramps and a lift. Praised for calm spaces, friendly staff, and attention to women artists.
No photos available
Free access to modern and contemporary artworks, including pieces by renowned artists like Picasso and Bourgeois.
Rotating displays and special exhibits, such as the Artist Rooms, with some paid options available.
Friendly staff and gallery guides offering insights and information about the artworks and exhibitions.
On-site café serving food and drinks, perfect for a break during your visit.
A well-stocked shop with reasonably priced art-related souvenirs, books, and gifts.
Fully accessible building with ramps, lifts, disabled toilets, and a changing places toilet in the car park.
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Overall rating
AJay Sadh
The National Galleries of Scotland make a quiet, confident statement even before you step fully inside. Modern One was open and welcoming, offering a thoughtful journey through modern and contemporary art—clean spaces, strong ideas, and room to pause. Modern Two, though closed during my visit, stood gracefully nearby, like a promise waiting for April. Together, they feel balanced: one speaking, one resting. Even with one door shut, the place still leaves you inspired, curious, and planning a return.
Emma Campus
Stunning gallery in Edinburgh - although a wee bit out of the city it's worth the trip! The building is an old school and extremely beautiful, and the light sculptures outside add a great touch. I also loved that they focus alot on women artists, I had a great chat with one of the gallery guides (i didn't catch her name but she had short blue hair) who was incredibly friendly and welcoming, and explained a bit about the pieces and the work of the gallery. Great café too and grounds to walk amongst. Highly recommend.
Roman Filo
An amazing place. You can actually spend the whole day inside were you to see all of it. A reasonable amount of time to enjoy a good amount of the place would be at least 3 hours, in my opinion. You can buy food and drinks inside. The entry and toilets are free. You can visit a special exhibition inside, which you need to pay for. You can store your luggage, bags, and jackets but it costs money as well. Recommend 10/10
Desislava
Came to this part of the city mainly to visit the museum, and it didn’t disappoint. The gardens surrounding it are beautiful and spacious, and entry was free, which I really appreciated. Inside, there were plenty of interesting pieces, including a Picasso original, but what stayed with me most were Louise Bourgeois’ Maman installation and Helen Chadwick’s fascinating Piss Flowers. Their Artist Rooms are on display until May 2026. The museum isn’t very large, so I went through the exhibits that interested me fairly quickly, a little bit more than an hour in total, but it was still well worth the visit.
Shelley C
A beautiful building that has a pretty parkland laid out infront of it. There are a few sculptures dotted around. It is free to enter. The artwork is set out over two floors. Floor two shows the permanent displays and floor one shows the temporary exhibits. There was enough to keep you interested, but equally it was not the best selection of art that I have seen. Staff were very welcoming and happy to answer questions. There was a fantastic gift shop and it was reasonably priced. There was, also, a cafe. The toilets were clean. There were two disabled toilets, though the one on floor one looked bigger and easier to use. There was a changing places toilet in the car park behind the building. You do not need a key to use it. The building is dusability accessible. There is a ramp to the entrance and a lift to the floors. To get to rooms 20 and 21 you have to use a separate luft. You need to speak to staff to gain access to the lift.
