Yorkshire plays host to some of the most important art collections in the world, including exquisite paintings with a wealth of heritage. Check out some of the most iconic paintings available to visit this summer:
Brockfield House
This Grade II* Regency house, built in 1804, houses a rare collection by the Staithes Group of Artists.
These British Impressionists painted as a group, in Whitby and along the Yorkshire coast, c. 1894 – 1909.
The Staithes Group of Artists became part of the community and an important part of the local economy. They documented local life and work, and their beautiful paintings include rural, domestic and maritime scenes as well as still life and portraiture.
A few relationships and marriages developed in this creative environment, including Isa Thompson and Robert Jobling, Laura Johnson and Harold Knight, and Hannah Hoyland and Fred Mayor.
Viewings of the Staithes Group paintings are by appointment only – contact 01904 489 487 or simon@brockfieldhall.co.uk
Salts Mill
For modern art fans, the new 90 metre painting by David Hockney is on display at Salts Mill in Saltaire until 18th September.
A Year in Normandie is a vibrant frieze recording the changing seasons in and around the artist’s French garden. This is the first time this vast work has been seen in the UK. A whole host of other Hockney pieces are also available to view at the gallery.
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Smith Art Gallery
The Smith Art Gallery in Brighouse hosts an exhibition of oil paintings, based on People and Places, including works by Atkinson Grimshaw, Marcus Stone and Thomas Sydney Cooper.
York Art Gallery
York Art Gallery’s collection of over 1,000 paintings is exceptional for its range in covering the history of Western European painting.
Based in York, the trust hosts continental paintings from the 14th to the 19th centuries as well as British paintings dating from Elizabethan times to the present day – include a particularly good collection of 17th and 18th century portraits, a group of Victorian narrative paintings, and early 20th century paintings by the artists of the Camden Town Group working around Walter Sickert. The collection also includes works by York artist William Etty and York-born Victorian artist Albert Moore.
Ferens Art Gallery
The Ferens Art Gallery in Hull has a magnificent collection of paintings and sculptures, including works by European Old Masters, portraiture, marine painting, and modern and contemporary British art. Highlights include masterpieces by Lorenzetti, Frans Hals, Antonio Canaletto, Frederic Lord Leighton, Stanley Spencer, Helen Chadwick and Gillian Wearing.
Cartwright Hall Art Gallery
Located in Bradford, Cartwright Hall Art Gallery has an art collection consisting mainly of 19th and 20th century British art, with strong collections of international contemporary prints and contemporary South Asian art and crafts.
Cartwright Hall was opened in 1904 and is sited in the magnificent green flag awarded Lister Park.
Mercer Art Gallery
A fine art collection will go on display in January 2023 at the Mercer Art Gallery with the “Portraits and pictures of people from the Harrogate Fine Art Collection – 14 January 2023 until 26 March 2023”.
Found an artistic gem?
Tell us about your favourite artwork collections in Yorkshire in the comments below.