Finding a unique and personal gift on the high street is no mean feat. So why not sidestep the crowds and browse the shelves of an undiscovered source of great pressies – Britain’s art gallery and museum shops.
The even better news is that you don’t even have to leave the house to hunt down such treasures – most galleries have comprehensive online stores crammed with goodies for all ages.
The British Museum
You’ll find an enormous selection of unique gifts. For him there are T-shirts, hand printed ties and cufflinks while for her there’s an eclectic array of ethnic jewellery, clutch bags and silk scarves. Art lovers will appreciate the Asian inspired stationery and small-scale replicas of British Museum exhibits, while the online shop currently has offers on popular art books. For the little ones, meanwhile, there are painting kits, fun stationery and cuddly toys including a stuffed ancient hippo! Shop online where there’s a handy gift finder and special web deals.
The Fashion And Textile Museum
Teenagers, fashionistas and anyone who likes to look good will adore the Zandra Rhodes range of limited edition goodies. The punk chic range is ideal for stocking fillers, while there’s plenty to choose from for a more extravagant gift. There are also specially commissioned T-shirts, corsets and Russian dolls, all of which can be bought online.
The Science Museum
Gadget loving guys and teens will love the science shop. The online gift finder recommends a digital navigator priced at £129 for him, and an eye zone massager at just £14.99 for her. For budding scientists there’s a huge range of experiment kits and the range of reasonably priced kitchen gadgets and wall clocks should go down well with the house proud. Check out the sale page for special web offers.
The Royal Academy
Lovers of all things oriental will adore the China shop, featuring a limited edition range of items to run in conjunction with their latest exhibition, Three Emperors. Highlights include beautiful silk cushions priced at £23, decorative bowls, and a vibrant silk scarf specially commissioned from design duo Collier Campbell, £65. The regular gift shop at the RA stocks mugs, towels, jigsaws, calendars and art materials. Shop online.
Tate Modern
If you’re buying a gift for an art lover, think about choosing a painting from the gallery’s extensive collection and have it made into a print, framed and delivered to your door. Cheaper options include art-themed calendars, diaries, stationery and books. Creative kiddies will love the £25 paint-it-yourself kits, a sophisticated paint-by-numbers resulting in a work of modern art worthy of hanging in the Tate. Shop online.
The Natural History Museum
The highlight is the diamond shop, where you can pick up stocking fillers including a diamante dustpan and brush at £9 or sparkly T-shirts starting at £60! There’re also silk scarves, wildlife books and a range of art stationery. Shop online.
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites. Images courtesy of The Royal Academy and The Natural History Museum.
V&A - Games, clothes, accessories, jewellery, stationery, art books and prints, homeware.
National Gallery - Art books and posters, jigsaws, cuddly toys, art kits, stationery and clothes.
Institute of Contemporary Arts - Rare and unusual art books and periodicals.
Keep your little ones entertained while you do the shopping with the help of Volvo's Rear Seat Entertainment System. Watch DVDs with dual back seat screens, play console games, or listen to music through headphones. Find out more.
