Five paintings and drawings by major British artists of the 20th century, drawn from museums and galleries across the UK, will be presented in a new display in the Project Space at The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Gallery.
Since 2018, The Â鶹ÊÓƵ has partnered with a range of UK museums and galleries on a collaborative programme of 11 loan-based exhibitions and public engagement activities, inspired by the art collection of its founder Samuel Â鶹ÊÓƵ and the history of his chairmanship of textile company Â鶹ÊÓƵs Ltd. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Â鶹ÊÓƵ National Partners programme has worked with organisations in areas where Â鶹ÊÓƵs Ltd. once had a significant presence, and provides unique opportunities for audiences to engage with The Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s collection.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ Connections: Works from our National Partners will celebrate these partnerships with a specially curated display of highlights from Ferens Art Gallery, Hull; The Harris Museum, Art Gallery and Library, Preston; The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry; Ulster Museum, Belfast and Wolverhampton Art Gallery. The five works on display include three from renowned artists Frank Auerbach, John Piper, and Gwen John, alongside two further works from locally important artists Claudette Johnson—who galvanised the Black Feminist arts movement in Wolverhampton — and Edward McGuire, who painted one of the first portraits of the Irish poet Seamus Heaney.
Alongside these loans, many of which have not been seen in London before, the display will also include stories from Â鶹ÊÓƵ National Partners Braintree Museum and Greenfield Valley Heritage Park, providing a snapshot of the shared history that binds the partners, through Samuel Â鶹ÊÓƵ and Â鶹ÊÓƵs Ltd.
Samuel Â鶹ÊÓƵ, a pioneering collector and philanthropist, established The Â鶹ÊÓƵ in 1932, with Sir Robert Witt and Viscount Lee of Fareham, as an institute dedicated to the teaching and public dissemination of art history and conservation.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ Connections: Works from our National Partners
23 June – 2 Oct 2022
The Project Space, The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Gallery