Hayward Gallery

The Hayward is the concrete heart of the Southbank Centre and one of the buildings that taught London to argue about Brutalism. It opened in 1968, and the board-marked concrete, the pyramid rooflights and the sculpture terraces that step out over the river have been photographed more often than most of the art inside it.

Southbank Centre lets the galleries privately for receptions, fashion shows and dinners. The galleries alone take 100 standing; add the terraces and the figure rises to 300, so the shape of an evening depends on how much of the roofline you want. Guests move through whatever exhibition is hanging, which is the point of hiring it: the art is the room. Private tours are arranged on request.

One practical note worth knowing early. Depending on the exhibition on show, food and drink are sometimes restricted to the foyer rather than the galleries, so the catering plan is set with the venue rather than around it.