About
The Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, Orkney is one of Britain's most remarkable small galleries — a destination that draws visitors from around the world to an archipelago at the edge of the North Atlantic. The collection, housed in a beautifully converted complex of historic waterfront buildings on the pier of Stromness harbour, is a concentrated masterpiece of twentieth-century British and international modernism.
The gallery grew from the personal collection of Margaret Gardiner, a writer and patron who assembled an extraordinary group of works by artists connected to the St Ives School and the international avant-garde, including Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Alfred Wallis, Patrick Heron, Terry Frost, and Naum Gabo. Gardiner gifted her collection to the people of Orkney in 1978, and the gallery has since grown to hold more than two hundred works of exceptional quality and significance.
The Pier Arts Centre is as celebrated for its architecture as for its collection. The conversion of the original pier buildings — a Victorian merchant's warehouse complex extending over the harbour water — was carried out in 2007 by Reiach and Hall Architects and received widespread critical acclaim. The new spaces integrate seamlessly with the old, creating a sequence of gallery rooms in which artwork, architecture, and the extraordinary light of Orkney combine to produce something genuinely unique.
The light of Orkney — clear, horizontal, luminous even on overcast days — has long attracted artists, and the Pier Arts Centre exploits it brilliantly. Looking through the gallery windows across Stromness harbour to Hoy and the other islands, it becomes immediately apparent why artists and writers have found this landscape so magnetic. The permanent collection is displayed with sensitivity and intelligence, allowing individual works to breathe and speak.
Beyond the permanent collection, the Pier Arts Centre runs an active programme of temporary exhibitions, commissions, residencies, and educational activities that engage local communities and bring contemporary artists into dialogue with this exceptional collection and setting.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
💡 Visitor Tips
- The gallery is closed on Sundays and Mondays — plan your Orkney itinerary accordingly
- Allow time to explore Stromness itself after your gallery visit — it is one of the most atmospheric small towns in Scotland with a wealth of independent shops and cafes along its flagstone-paved main street
- Combine the Pier Arts Centre with the Stromness Museum (just a few minutes walk) for a full morning of culture
- The gallery shop is exceptional for a venue of this size — a great source of art books, prints, and Orkney-made gifts
- The St Magnus International Festival in June brings world-class music and arts to Orkney and coincides with long summer evenings — an ideal time to visit
- Orkney's Neolithic monuments (Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae, Maeshowe) are within easy driving distance — a full cultural itinerary for two or three days is easily assembled
- The ferry from Scrabster (near Thurso) to Stromness takes 90 minutes and offers spectacular views of Orkney's sea cliffs and seabirds on arrival
- The Orcadian light changes rapidly — if it is overcast when you arrive, it may clear dramatically within an hour
Highlights
Discover the unique exhibits and collections at this museum.
Collections
The permanent collection comprises over 200 works, predominantly from the twentieth century, with particular strength in British modernism associated with the St Ives School and the international avant-garde. Artists represented include Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Naum Gabo, Alfred Wallis, Patrick Heron, Terry Frost, Roger Hilton, Peter Lanyon, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, and Eduardo Paolozzi.
The Gardiner Collection
Permanent display of the founding collection gifted by Margaret Gardiner in 1978, featuring works by Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Alfred Wallis, Patrick Heron, Terry Frost, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Naum Gabo, and others
Rotating Temporary Exhibitions
Four to six temporary exhibitions per year bringing contemporary Scottish and international artists into dialogue with the permanent collection and the Orkney setting
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.