# art gallery

CEFR A2 · Compound

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/art-gallery
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

A building or room where you can go to see paintings, sculptures, and other works of art.

For teachers: A building or dedicated space for the public exhibition of visual art, which may be a public institution or a private commercial enterprise.

## Examples

- They visited an art gallery on Saturday.
- The new art gallery downtown is showing an exhibition of modern photography.
- The city's oldest art gallery, founded in 1880, houses a renowned collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings.

## Pitfalls

- Not "I went to an arts gallery." but "I went to an art gallery." — The word 'art' functions as an adjective here and remains in its singular form.

## Usage notes

- As a compound noun, the main stress falls on the first word: 'ART gallery'.
- Teaching tip: Contrast with 'art museum', which typically holds a permanent collection, whereas a 'gallery' often focuses on temporary exhibitions and selling art.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.