What Is The New Horizons Art Exhibition At Sheffield Millennium Gallery?

Ever walked into a gallery and wondered how all the art got there? It’s not like it just appears overnight. A city’s art collection is a bit like a living thing, constantly growing and changing to show us who we are and the world we live in. And this autumn, Sheffield is showing off the newest additions to its family. A big new exhibition is opening at the Millennium Gallery, pulling together some of the most exciting paintings, sculptures, and even video art that have joined the city’s collection over the last ten years. It’s a chance to see what’s been happening behind the scenes in the world of art and how the city's collection is keeping up with the times.

More than just pictures on a wall

The whole point of Sheffield’s art collection, right from the start 150 years ago, was to make amazing art accessible for the city's people. That idea is still going strong today. This new exhibition, called New Horizons: Growing Sheffield’s Art Collection, is a celebration of that. It runs from Saturday, 18 October 2025, to Sunday, 25 January 2026, and it’s packed with incredible pieces. Getting new artworks isn't simple. Sheffield Museums is a charity, which means it has to raise money to buy things for the collection. A lot of the amazing works on show have come from the generosity of artists and collectors who’ve gifted them. Support also comes from big organisations like the Art Fund and the Contemporary Art Society, who help museums all over the country. The Arts Council England also plays a huge part in making sure cultural treasures are available for everyone. Without this fund and support system, growing the collection would be a real challenge.

A look at the artists on show

So, what can visitors actually see? The exhibition features a real mix of famous names and rising stars, with each piece telling its own story. The collection of works demonstrates the huge variety of modern art.

• Lubna Chowdhary: Imagine growing up and never seeing things in museums that reflect your own heritage. That was Lubna Chowdhary’s experience. Her work is a brilliant response to that. She mixes inspiration from architecture and everyday objects with styles from different cultures to create something totally new and abstract.
• Lucian Freud: Everyone knows Freud as one of the 20th century's most important painters, but his printmaking is just as special. The exhibition features some of his trial etchings—think of them as rough drafts—that show how he worked. They reveal a process of constant revision, giving a peek behind the curtain at how a master like Freud created his art.
• Sean Scully: As one of the most important abstract painters around today, Sean Scully’s work is a must-see. His piece, Wall in Brown, looks a bit like a brick wall, inspired by his early days in construction. But it’s messy and imperfect, with blurred edges. Scully himself said, ‘I wanted to take order to ruin order.’ It’s a powerful piece of abstract art, kindly gifted by the artist.
• Marlene Smith: Art history hasn't always been fair, often overlooking brilliant artists. Marlene Smith’s work, Art History, tackles this head-on. Created in 1987, it shines a light on significant Black female artists who were missed by the history books. Smith was part of the Blk Art Group, a radical collective of young Black artists who challenged racism and discrimination in the 1980s. Her work is a vital piece of cultural history.
• Grayson Perry: What does Britain look like on a banknote? Grayson Perry gives an answer with his massive three-metre-wide tapestry, Comfort Blanket. He calls it a ‘portrait of Britain to wrap yourself up in,’ and it’s a funny and clever look at British identity, showing all the things people love and love to hate about this country.
• Bridget Riley: If you’ve ever seen a picture that seems to move or shimmer, you might have been looking at Op Art. Bridget Riley was a superstar of that movement in the 1960s. The artist, known as Bridget Riley, continues to play with patterns and optical effects to create a sense of movement in her works, and her piece in this exhibition is a perfect example.
• Nahem Shoa: This artist was concerned about the lack of diversity in British museums and decided to do something about it. He’s been leading a campaign to get more portraits of Black people into public collections. In 2017, he donated several paintings to galleries across the UK, including the one in this exhibition of his friend Gbenga Ilumoka.

Celebrating sheffield's own

The exhibition also has a strong local flavour, connecting with the people and places of Sheffield. It’s not just about famous names from far away; it’s about art that reflects the city itself. One of the highlights is a painting by John Hoyland, who was born and raised in Sheffield. His piece, Coffee Bar, Sheffield, was painted way back in 1955 when he was a student at Sheffield College of Art. It’s one of his earliest works in any public collection, showing the beginnings of a brilliant career that was sparked right here in the city's own galleries.

There's also a fantastic painting by Andrew Hunt called Nathaniel. To create it, Hunt set up a makeshift photo booth in Sheffield’s Moor Market with a photographer, capturing pictures of the local community. He then painted large, incredibly realistic portraits of some of the people he met, including Nathaniel Kalombo, whose mum is a stallholder. It’s a beautiful example of how art can celebrate everyday people and their stories, making the gallery feel connected to the streets outside. The Millennium Gallery is a perfect home for these unique pieces.

A word from the curator

Putting together an exhibition like this takes a lot of work from many different people. It's a testament to the community spirit that keeps the city's cultural scene thriving.

Katie Irwin, the Exhibitions Curator at Sheffield Museums, shared her thoughts:

‘Thanks to remarkable generosity of artists and galleries, individuals and organisations, and vital support from funders like Art Fund and the Contemporary Art Society, the Arts Council England/V & A Purchase Grant Fund and the Cultural Gifts and Acceptance in Lieu schemes, we’ve been able to continue grow Sheffield’s art collection. Because of that generosity, people can access and find inspiration in a dazzling array world-class art right here, on their doorstep. This exhibition is a celebration of that generosity and art’s incredible ability to help us see the world anew and inspire visitors to recognise their own creative potential.’

This really shows how much the growing collection relies on a network of support, and how this exhibition is a thank you to everyone involved.

Looking to the future of the collection

This exhibition isn't just about looking back at the last ten years. It’s also about asking what comes next. How can Sheffield continue growing an art collection that truly represents everyone in today’s society? The show invites visitors to think about these questions, making them part of the conversation about the future of art in the city. And for those who want to see more, the Graves Gallery has displays with over 250 works, showing the full history of the city’s amazing collection. It’s a reminder that these museums are for everyone, holding a treasure trove of stories that belong to the people of this country. The future of the collection depends on continued support for this important charity.