Sainsbury Centre For Visual Arts Reviews

the concept of display is very different, campus of UEA is beautiful.

An amazing collection if sculptures from around the world, both ancient and modern.

My first museum / gallery visit since lockdown. Felt very safe. The Art Deco Seaside exhibition is very well curated

Very good collections! Great coffee shop and well maintained facilities

Multidisciplinary space dedicated essentially to the exhibition of the art collection of the Sainsbury family. Inside there are a number of pieces that range from African, American and Oriental cultures to paintings by Francis Bacon or Chillida. The building was created by Norman Foster and in the surroundings you can see sculptures by established artists such as Henry Moore.

Visited Paul Nash special exhibition. Always good value.

My daughter and I very much enjoyed viewing the "Body"photography in the gallery by various artists ..Very imformative reading about the amazing photographs...Coffee and cake sitting out in the sunshine ...Lovely morbing

Large modern building which almost always has a great exhibition on.

Lovely building to study in, lots of natural light inside. Cafe has a good spread of cakes and brunch options as well as gluten free bakes goods.

Beautiful building,spacious,bright and discreet staff.

Loved it here. So pleased to see work by Bacon, Moore, Hepworth and - my personal favourite and a total surprise - this extraordinary bronze my Degas.

Fortunately I can either walk or catch the number 25 bus, otherwise dedicated car park is minimal. Cafe is lovely as it looks out over the park. The free exhibition is really great and varied, covering different artists and ages. The shop has a good selection of gifts. Definitely a must to Visit, I've been numerous times.

Excellent early Norman Foster building with eclectic art collection. Kofras coffee shop recommended as is a walk around the lake

Because of covid we just walked around the outside looking at the statues then walked around the lake it was lovely wish I'd have taken my dog as there were lots of dogs having fun

An interesting, modern setting that houses a good standing collection and a series of changing exhibits throughout the year. The restaurant serves good tea and sandwiches. Can be spotted in several of the Avengers films.

Easy parking, various exhibitions at different times of year. One exhibition constant, things to buy as gifts + food is always delicious.

Lovely space, knowledgable staff and a fab cafe too

Interesting and often different art, well worth a visit

I've always loved the Sainsbury Centre, so it was great to visit now that it had reopen. The Art Deco by the Sea exhibition has been extended and I'd thoroughly recommend seeing it if you have the time.

The whole centre is managing social distancing really well, with booked slots for exhibitions and masks to be worn while inside.

The building is a Norman Foster designed building and beautiful in its own right. The permanent collection is strong in non- European sculpture and artifacts plus there are paintings by Bacon, Cohen and sculptures by Giacometti. Plus Degas' sculpture of the girl ballet dancer.

Lovely place to visit. Large grounds with lake and sculpture trail. Restaurant is beautiful bright area. Prices reasonable and food is delicious. Some interesting objects in Sainsbury collection

Went to the Art Deco at the seaside exabition and again came away feeling that they could have done more, they had enough space for more of the rail posters (even reproduction) more on the busses.

This is a one of my absolute favourite museums: top-class antiquities, mixed with 20th century Western art, mixed with ethnographic pieces from round the world. Really a great combination, beautifully displayed. The building is spectacular, and the caff is pretty good too!

Wonderful arts centre. Helpful people, best coffee on campus

Amazing Coffee with Kofra, a quiet and relaxing place with art works and history. A great place to realx

Really good gallery with an interesting and eclectic mix of sculptures and paintings. The Ondundo exhibition was very special.

Nice place. Need better toilets. Oddly the doors are super heavy, like there bomb proof.

Superb exhibitions. A great space and permenant collection. Leave plenty of time.

The Sainsbury Center is a good venue for the arts and a great piece of architecture in its own right. Parking can be a little bit of an issue but there is usually a space if you look around. Don't forget to ask at the desk for a parking permit.
It also has a good cafe and a larger canteen area for lunch.

A wonderful gallery. The sculpture Park is an added benefit with lovely outdoor space and broad.

Great art gallery that has regularly changing exhibitions. Good restaurants/cafe inside. Feel very lucky to have this in Norwich

It is a good place to enjoy the art and to have a relaxing time

Stunning tranquil place to spend a few hours. Amazing art on exhibition well done Sainsbury.

The alabaster sculptures of Anish Kapoor are things of great beauty which is quite a rare thing to come across.

Seaside exhibition was excellent. Plenty of space in cafe for lunch but jacket potatoes not very nice.Would not recommend

Love the ethos, vibe, range of exhibits and price (free!). Well worth a mooch around and nice, open spot for a coffee.

Fantastic art, beautifully curated. Great sculptures around the campus including some Anthony Gormleys. Lovely gift shop.

Terrific building. Wonderful space. A good cafe. For parking, it's best to leave your car in the main car park and walk down to the centre.

Great location, building and art. Oh, you can get Kofra coffee here as well

Usually got an exhibition on but they are usually expensive, has some exhibits you can see without paying, but worth a walk round mr Fosters building anyway. Theres a park area behind it too.

Fascinating art collection from the Sainsbury family, lovely building, and the coffee is amazing. Highly recommend.

Interesting pieces and varied exhibitions. I have been several times over the years, including when the Queen visited the Fiji exhibit. I have taken my class here also and they love seeing the art and the staff have always been very accomodating and great at engaging the children with fun activities. The children also love the fact that the building was in a Marvel Avengers film!

Saw the art deco exhibition which was excellent, lots of architecture which is close to where I live. Lovely exhibits, all donated. The cafe was superb, adhering to the social distance etiquette, which was good to see. Nice outdoor spaces to walk, and easy access via the bus. only draw back, it wasn't too well signposted, this may have been a problem if you came on foot.

Great exhibition on architecture running at the moment

Fantastic gallery with permanent collections of paintings and sculptures as well as changing exhibitions. It also has a sculpture park, gallery shop and cafe.

Always an enjoyable experience having afternoon tea at the Modern Life Cafe. Very polite staff and delicious cakes and drinks.

Fantastic art and sculpture can really get up close to see details- an eclectic collection but something for everyone. Grounds are lovely for an explore and a picnic. The uni was not open when we visited so easy parking

Fantastic art, well displayed and enjoyable to look around

Our guide Chris really made this a fantastic visit. Thanks

Great museum, permanent collection of sculptures is awesome

They had an Art Nouveau exhibition when we visited which I loved. the photographic portraits were wonderful too. The actual building is a work of art itself. Do visit.

Quirky museum/art gallery. Great resources. Well worth a visit.

The Sainsbury centre is one of the 'must see' places in Norwich if you are an art lover. There is also a better than usual cafe which is quiet and peaceful where you can watch the squirrels playing around some of the outdoor artworks while you enjoy a nice cup of coffee or glass of wine.

An astonishing collection of"primitive" art and artefacts which are shown to be highly sophisticated. Beautifully displayed in this Norman Foster building.

Car parking is limited. The new system for getting a ticket is hopeless, mistakes are made, some people are buying more than one ticket accidently and not refunded. The staff are not helpful in anyway what so ever. A recent visit made by senior citizens was very unpleasant they were treated terribly. Not on.
Elederly folk aren't at ease with technology as the system needs them to be and the staff won't help. The elderly folk are keeping the amenities and facilities afloat at this time at risk to their health so they treating like people what happened to good service this day and age? Pleasant staff? Nice people front of house, help and assistance with a smile? Outrageous that this seams to be a thing of the past. Shame.

Wonderful building and collection. Brian Clarke's show fantastic...and what a gentleman he is too.

Well laid out anthropological collection and associated art bits.

Such a fabulous find, very interesting collection. Staff very nice and helpful. You need to get a ticket/pass for your car at the reception before parking up - although it is free.

A lovely location on the side of the lake, and some wonderful exhibits. Lovely shop with all kinds of things for sale - well worth a visit!

Was having a lovely time here. Half way through my trip though a big purple guy arrived and trashed the place. Then a bunch of cos-players burst out of the building and started to fight the purple guy. Would vist again

Fabulous museum with visiting, short running exhibitions and lectures from some of the exhibitors. Nice lunch in restaurant overlooking greenery and Henry Moore sculpture.

Fantastic experience seeing the Queen arrive. Lovely venue one I would recommend!

Really interesting collection plus special exhibitions (& it's The Avengers hideout!). Cafe & gift shop. Parking is a bit of an issue however.

Always good. The building is amazing. Well done Norman Foster all those years ago.

The purpose of visit this time was to visit the cafe for lunch. It is the cafe that gets just one star. It was very poor in all respects. I cannot recommend it at all I'm afraid.

Nice exhibition in a brilliant setting. We had a picnic on the uea ground by the water. Really scenic setting. Uea students really lucky to live in that setting.

Loved it! Free parking and access to some fascinating indoor art works as well as those in the grounds.. Coffee shop and restaurant with a gorgeous sourdough toasty and then a lovely sunny walk around the lake... Whats not to like?

A quiet open space with a wide variety of different exhibits. I notice something different each time I come!

Amazing gallery. Walk on the grounds outside and look at sculptures. Set within Universit of East Anglia. Walk around university. They have bookshop and super restaurants. Parking available opposite gallery. Best cafe with glass walls looking out over grounds. A little pricey but good coffee.

Superb building. Interesting permanent collection and a variety of visiting exhibitions.