Leeds Art Gallery
Encyclopedia
Leeds Art Gallery in Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England is a museum whose collection of 20th century British Art
is recognised by the British government as a collection "of national importance". Its collection also includes 19th century and earlier art works. The gallery opened on 3 October 1888 as Leeds City Art Gallery and was paid for by public subscription. In 1912, the Leeds Art Collections Fund
was formed to support the gallery’s acquisitions, which it continues to do today. The gallery is owned and administered by Leeds City Council
.
The gallery was built between 1886-1888 by W. H. Thorp, as an extension to the Municipal Buildings to the west (built 1878-1884 by George Corson
, now housing Leeds Central Library
). It is grade II listed. A major renovation was completed in June 2007, including opening up the magnificent Victorian tiled hall (used as a café and bookshop) which links the gallery and the library. At first floor level there is direct access from the gallery to the Art Library
. The gallery includes a ground floor lecture theatre which is used for a variety of events.
In front of the gallery is Victoria Square, at the eastern end of which is the city's war memorial
. This square is often used for rallies and demonstrations because of the speakers' dais provided by the raised entrance to the gallery.
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England is a museum whose collection of 20th century British Art
British art
British art could refer to:* Art of the United Kingdom - post 1707* English art* Irish art* Scottish art* Welsh art...
is recognised by the British government as a collection "of national importance". Its collection also includes 19th century and earlier art works. The gallery opened on 3 October 1888 as Leeds City Art Gallery and was paid for by public subscription. In 1912, the Leeds Art Collections Fund
Leeds Art Collections Fund
The Leeds Art Collections Fund or LACF has been supporting the visual arts in Leeds since 1912. Founded by Frank Rutter, who was Director of the Leeds City Art Gallery at the time, with the support of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds, Michael Sadler, the LACF was established to...
was formed to support the gallery’s acquisitions, which it continues to do today. The gallery is owned and administered by Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
.
History
George Corson
thumb|right|Spenfield House, 1875-77George Corson was a Scottish architect active in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.He was born in Dumfries, where he was articled to Walter Newall before moving to Leeds in 1849 to work with his brother William Reid Corson who was working there with Edward La Trobe...
, now housing Leeds Central Library
Leeds Central Library
Leeds Central Library is a public library in Leeds, located on the Headrow in the city centre. It houses the city library service's single largest general lending and reference collection, as well as hosting an art gallery in the adjoining building....
). It is grade II listed. A major renovation was completed in June 2007, including opening up the magnificent Victorian tiled hall (used as a café and bookshop) which links the gallery and the library. At first floor level there is direct access from the gallery to the Art Library
Leeds Central Library
Leeds Central Library is a public library in Leeds, located on the Headrow in the city centre. It houses the city library service's single largest general lending and reference collection, as well as hosting an art gallery in the adjoining building....
. The gallery includes a ground floor lecture theatre which is used for a variety of events.
In front of the gallery is Victoria Square, at the eastern end of which is the city's war memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
. This square is often used for rallies and demonstrations because of the speakers' dais provided by the raised entrance to the gallery.
On display
Works on display in the galleries include :- Paintings
- The Shadow of DeathThe Shadow of DeathThe Shadow of Death is a religious painting by William Holman Hunt, on which he worked from 1870 to 1873, after his second trip to the Holy Land. It depicts Jesus as a young man prior to his ministry, working as a carpenter. He is shown stretching his arms after sawing wood...
(1870–73), William Holman HuntWilliam Holman HuntWilliam Holman Hunt OM was an English painter, and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Biography:... - Scotland Forever! (1881), Elizabeth ThompsonElizabeth ThompsonElizabeth Southerden Thompson, Lady Butler was a British painter, one of the few female painters to achieve fame for history paintings, especially military battle scenes, at the end of that tradition...
- The Bridesmaid (1883–85), James TissotJames TissotJames Jacques Joseph Tissot was a French painter, who spent much of his career in Britain.-Biography:Tissot was born in Nantes, France. In about 1856, he began study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Hippolyte Flandrin and Lamothe, and became friendly with Edgar Degas and James Abbott...
- The Lady of Shalott (c.1894), J. W. Waterhouse
- The Tin Mine (1942), Graham SutherlandGraham SutherlandGraham Vivien Sutherland OM was an English artist.-Early life:He was born in Streatham, attending Homefield Preparatory School, Sutton. He was then educated at Epsom College, Surrey before going up to Goldsmiths, University of London...
- The Shadow of Death
- Sculpture
- Hieroglyph - Barbara HepworthBarbara HepworthDame Barbara Hepworth DBE was an English sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism, and with such contemporaries as Ivon Hitchens, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Naum Gabo she helped to develop modern art in Britain.-Life and work:Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth was born on 10 January 1903 in Wakefield,...
- Mother and Child - Henry MooreHenry MooreHenry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
- The Leeds Brick Man - Anthony Gormley
- Hieroglyph - Barbara Hepworth
"Ten key works"
The gallery's visitor leaflet suggesting "Ten key works" for a short visit lists the following items (listed here in date order):- Retribution, Edward ArmitageEdward ArmitageEdward Armitage was an English Victorian era painter whose work focussed on historical, classical and biblical subjects.-Family background:...
, 1858 - The Age of BronzeThe Age of BronzeThe Age of Bronze is a bronze statue by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. The figure is of a life-size nude male. When first exhibited at the 1877 Salon in Paris, Rodin was falsely accused of having made the statue by casting a living model, a charge that was vigorously denied. This charge...
, Auguste RodinAuguste RodinFrançois-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
, 1877 (cast 1906) - The Valley of Shadows, Evelyn de MorganEvelyn De MorganEvelyn De Morgan was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter.She was born Evelyn Pickering. Her parents were of upper middle class. Her father was Percival Pickering QC, the Recorder of Pontefract...
, 1899 - Maternity, Jacob EpsteinJacob EpsteinSir Jacob Epstein KBE was an American-born British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British citizen in 1911. He often produced controversial works which challenged taboos on what was appropriate subject matter...
, 1910 - Praxitella, Percy Wyndham Lewis, 1921
- Reclining Figure, Henry MooreHenry MooreHenry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
, 1929 - Painting, Francis BaconFrancis Bacon (painter)Francis Bacon , was an Irish-born British figurative painter known for his bold, austere, graphic and emotionally raw imagery. Bacon's painterly but abstract figures typically appear isolated in glass or steel geometrical cages set against flat, nondescript backgrounds...
, 1950 - Postcard Flag (Union Jack), Tony CraggTony CraggTony Cragg is a British visual artist specialized in sculpture. He is currently the director of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.-Early life:Cragg was born in Liverpool in 1949...
, 1981 - Maquette for Leeds Brick ManBrick ManBrick Man was an Antony Gormley sculpture proposed for the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.A male human figure standing over 100 feet high, it would have stood on a triangle of land bounded by railway lines in the Holbeck area of the city, greeting travellers arriving at Leeds railway station...
, Antony GormleyAntony GormleyAntony Mark David Gormley OBE RA is a British sculptor. His best known works include the Angel of the North, a public sculpture in the North of England, commissioned in 1995 and erected in February 1998, Another Place on Crosby Beach near Liverpool, and Event Horizon, a multi-part site...
, 1986 - The Artist in her Studio, Paula RegoPaula RegoPaula Rego is a painter born in Portugal although she is a naturalised British citizen.-Biography:Rego was born in the Portuguese capital Lisbon, the daughter of an electrical engineer who worked for the Marconi Company. Although this gave her a comfortable middle class home, the family was...
, 1993