If you're the artistic type, or want to impress someone by pretending that you are, then Whitechapel Gallery is a great place to visit. Famously hosting Picasso's Guernica in 1938 on its only trip to England, bringing Pop Art to the world with the This is Tomorrow collection in 1956, and showcasing the work of many other notable artists including Frida Kahlo, Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Lucian Freud, Sophie Calle and Mark Wallinger, Whitechapel Gallery describes itself as having a 'history of firsts'. Don't miss out on the chance to brag about seeing one of these 'firsts'; with its commitment to contemporary artists you never know which of the works in the gallery will go on to be The Next Big Thing. Expanded in 2009 to merge with next-door neighbour Passmore Edwards Library (a beautiful building in its own right with its ornamental Jacobean architecture), the Gallery is now twice its old size, meaning there's even more room for the collections. It now includes a Collection Gallery, showcasing works from around the world, a Commission Gallery, holding never-before-seen work made just for the Gallery, and an Archive Collection Gallery and Archive Research room which tell the Gallery's story. There's also an Education and Research Tower to help promote the Gallery's key cause: education.