Located in the heart of Edinburgh close to Waverley train station, the City Art Centre’s aim is to champion historic and contemporary Scottish visual and applied arts.
Artworks from our Nationally Recognised collection of Scottish art are displayed on a rotating basis. Visitors can also enjoy our richly diverse programme of changing exhibitions, which include historic and modern Scottish painting and photography, as well as contemporary art and craft.
An escalator and lift provide easy access to six floors, and the Centre also houses a great shop on the ground floor. Admission is normally free, although charges apply for some temporary exhibitions. Mimi's Bakehouse is situated on the ground floor, open daily 9am-5pm (last sit ins at 4:30pm) offering coffee, cake and an all day brunch menu. (View a sample menu below or hop over to mimisbakehouse.com)
Explore
The City of Edinburgh’s art collection is one of the finest in Scotland, and includes works by the most important Scottish artists from the 17th century to the present day. It encompasses drawings, prints, photographs and sculpture as well as paintings, and numbers over 4,500 items.
Prints of many of the pieces in our collection can be purchased on ArtUK; below are just a few examples of our most popular images.
It is a richly diverse collection, ranging from civic portraiture to contemporary abstraction. It continues to grow, using a generous bequest left to the City in the 1960s, with a focus on acquiring contemporary work as well as filling historic gaps.
City Art Centre Access Guide
Click on the link below to see our comprehensive access guide and find out how you can get to and around the City Art Centre:
City Art Centre Visual Story Guide
View our detailed step-by-step visual story guide for the City Art Centre to help you plan your visit.

City Art Centre BSL Tour
For all accessibility enquiries please contact the venue on:
+ 44 (0) 131 529 3993
museumsandgalleries@edinburgh.gov.uk
Inspiring, astonishing, just perfect. Thank you. Visitor from Switzerland, August 2017

Exhibitions
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Deep Rooted
Dalziel + Scullion, Anya Gallaccio, Andy Goldsworthy, Andrew Mackenzie, Naomi Mcintosh, Katie Paterson, Hanna Tuulikki
Sat 18 Nov 2023 to Sun 25 Feb 2024
Events
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ArtSpace in the City Art Centre
Free Family Activity Space in the Heart of the Gallery
Tue 13 Dec 2022 to Fri 13 Dec 2024 -
RSPB at the City Art Centre
Various dates from 18 November until 17 December - To link in with environmental themes in our exhibition ‘Deep Rooted’
Saturday 18 November 2023, 10:00am -
Winter Wonderlands: Seasonal Landscapes from the National Galleries of Scotland
Talk to Complement Landscape Season at the City Art Centre
Friday 8 December 2023, 2:00pm -
Memories of Home: Collage Art Workshop
City Art Centre Creative workshops in association with the exhibition 'Windrush Legacy Creative Reflections'
Saturday 9 December 2023, 2:00pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Philip Braham
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Tuesday 12 December 2023, 11:00am -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Johann Booyens
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Tuesday 12 December 2023, 12:30pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Cat Outram
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Wednesday 13 December 2023, 12:30pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Lorna Fraser
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Thursday 14 December 2023, 12:30pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Anna Dako
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Friday 15 December 2023, 12:30pm -
To Burn, Forest, Fire
Sensory Experience to accompany 'Deep Rooted'
Saturday 16 December 2023, 12:30pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Kate Davis and David Moore
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Saturday 16 December 2023, 3:00pm -
Winter Wonderland Christmas Crafts
Family Christmas Workshop at the City Art Centre in association with the exhibition 'Shifting Vistas: 250 Years of Scottish Landscape'
Sunday 17 December 2023, 2:00pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Lise Bech
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Monday 18 December 2023, 12:30pm -
Reduce – Reuse – Recycle Crochet Workshop with Karen Thomson
Adult Creative Workshop to Complement ‘Deep Rooted’
Saturday 6 January 2024, 10:30am -
Creative Creatures
Family drop-in workshop in association with the exhibition 'Deep Rooted'
Saturday 6 January 2024, 2:00pm -
Tree Detectives
Family environmental session to accompany the exhibition 'Deep Rooted'
Saturday 13 January 2024, 10:00am -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Leonie Siri MacMillan
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Saturday 13 January 2024, 12:30pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Susie Leiper, Dalziel & Scullion (film) and Andrew Mackenzie
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Saturday 13 January 2024, 3:00pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Reinhard Behrens and Catharine Davidson
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Sunday 14 January 2024, 2:00pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Bryan Angus
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Sunday 14 January 2024, 3:30pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Kenny Hunter
Talk to accompany the exhibition ‘The Scottish Landscape Awards’
Wednesday 17 January 2024, 2:00pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Georgina Bown
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Friday 19 January 2024, 12:30pm -
Reduce – Reuse - Recycle Crochet Workshop with Karen Thomson
Adult Creative Workshop to Complement ‘Deep Rooted’
Saturday 20 January 2024, 10:30am -
Creative Creatures
Family drop-in workshop in association with the exhibition 'Deep Rooted'
Saturday 20 January 2024, 2:00pm -
Seeking the Permanent in Nature: The Landscapes of William Gillies RSA
Lecture to accompany the exhibition ‘Shifting Vistas: 250 Years of Scottish Landscape’
Thursday 25 January 2024, 2:00pm -
Tree Detectives
Family environmental session to accompany the exhibition 'Deep Rooted'
Saturday 27 January 2024, 10:00am -
To Burn, Forest, Fire
Sensory Experience to accompany 'Deep Rooted'
Saturday 27 January 2024, 12:30pm -
From Rocks to Azure Blue Seas
Adult Creative Workshop to Complement ’Shifting Vistas: 250 years of Scottish Landscape’
Sunday 28 January 2024, 10:30am -
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham: A Life Through Landscape
Lecture to accompany the exhibition ‘Shifting Vistas: 250 Years of Scottish Landscape’
Friday 2 February 2024, 2:00pm -
Tree Detectives
Family environmental session to accompany the exhibition 'Deep Rooted'
Saturday 3 February 2024, 10:00am -
Hanna Tuulikki: Artist's Talk
Artist’s Talk to complement the exhibition ‘Deep Rooted’
Saturday 3 February 2024, 2:00pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Chris Wallbank
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Sunday 4 February 2024, 1:00pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Jake Harvey and David Faithfull
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Sunday 4 February 2024, 2:00pm -
Victoria Crowe - Landscape: Within and Without
Keynote Lecture to accompany the exhibition ‘Shifting Vistas: 250 Years of Scottish Landscape’
Tuesday 6 February 2024, 2:00pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Susan Mains
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Wednesday 7 February 2024, 12:30pm -
Scottish Folk Art Embroidery Workshop with Karen Thomson
Adult Creative Workshop to Complement ’Shifting Vistas: 250 years of Scottish Landscape’
Saturday 10 February 2024, 10:30am -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Reinhard Behrens
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Saturday 10 February 2024, 12:30pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: David Faithfull
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Saturday 10 February 2024, 1:30pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Andrew Mackenzie
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Saturday 10 February 2024, 2:00pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Jake Harvey
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Saturday 10 February 2024, 3:00pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Catharine Davison
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Saturday 10 February 2024, 3:30pm -
Scottish Landscape Awards Talks: Eoghann Mac Colla
Talk by artists to accompany the exhibition 'The Scottish Landscape Awards'.
Saturday 10 February 2024, 4:00pm -
Jon Schueler’s Paintings: An Encounter with Scotland
Lecture to accompany the exhibition ‘Shifting Vistas: 250 Years of Scottish Landscape’
Friday 16 February 2024, 2:00pm -
Paper Forests: Paper Sculpture Day
Adult Creative Workshop to Complement Landscape Season at the City Art Centre
Saturday 17 February 2024, 10:30am -
To Burn, Forest, Fire
Sensory Experience to accompany 'Deep Rooted'
Saturday 24 February 2024, 12:30pm -
Edinburgh College Creative Industries students present – Deep Rooted // Reuse Reinvent.
Fashion Shows inspired by the exhibition 'Deep Rooted'
Saturday 24 February 2024, 2:00pm -
In Search of Joan Eardley in Glasgow and Catterline
Keynote talk by Susan Mansfield to accompany the exhibition ‘Shifting Vistas: 250 Years of Scottish Landscape’
Saturday 1 June 2024, 2:00pm