The National Gallery

The National Gallery moved into a purpose-built space in 2012 and holds the national art collection, which is young: the islands had almost no formal art scene before the 1980s. The strength is in the intuitive tradition, self-taught Caymanian artists who began painting late in life from memory, most famously Gladwyn Bush, known as Miss Lassie, who started painting at sixty-two after a vision and covered the interior of her own house at South Sound in images, a building that is now preserved. Contemporary Caymanian work fills the rest, along with a programme of temporary shows and a sculpture garden.

What you actually see

• The intuitive painters - self-taught Caymanian artists, Miss Lassie above all.
• Miss Lassie's house - preserved separately at South Sound.
• The contemporary collection - Caymanian artists working now.
• The sculpture garden - outside the gallery building.

When to go

Year-round; open weekdays and Saturday mornings, closed Sundays. Entry is free. Two hours covers it. Temporary exhibitions change several times a year.

Honest expectations

The collection is small and young, and visitors expecting a substantial national gallery will find something modest. Miss Lassie's house is a separate site with restricted access, arranged through the gallery. It is on a highway with no walking route from George Town.

Nearby

Camana Bay is five minutes; George Town is ten minutes south.