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The Lakes Top Ten AttractionsAbbot Hall Art Gallery, KendalHoused in a Georgian villa on the banks of the river Kent in the market town of Kendal, the galleries offer two floors of light-filled spaces in which to see art. The intimate rooms and tranquil setting are used to show British painting and sculpture, without pretention or overload, to uplift the spirits in an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere.As well as the fine permanent collection, Abbot Hall is widely acknowledged as having one of the most important and independently minded exhibition programmes outside London. “Given its location, it would have been easy for such a gallery to have rested on its laurels, simply showcasing historic works with links to the area. But what has put Abbot Hall on the map has been its bullish policy of showing and collecting modern British art.” Sue Hubbard, The Independent, July 2007.
Here are some examples of what you can see in the Gallery: The 18th Century George Romney (1734-1802) served his apprenticeship in Kendal and went on to be one of the most sought after portrait painters in England. Abbot Hall has the most important collection of his work in the country. Alongside works by several of his important contemporaries, Romney’s paintings can be seen hung in the elegant historical settings for which they were painted, with fine 18th century furniture, and original Georgian colours decorating the walls. Modern & Contemporary The English Watercolours Watercolours are a quintessential British phenomenon and yet are rarely to be found on display in public galleries. Abbot Hall has a superb collection from which it draws different groups in rotation throughout the year. The watercolours are shown in a small gallery reminiscent of a collector’s private room, where a Turner can be seen next to a Ruskin and a Constable oil sketch sits in a cabinet next to works by such figures as Cotman, Cozens and Edward Lear. Changing displays from Abbot Hall’s modern and contemporary collection are shown in the elegant galleries formed from the original Georgian rooms on the first floor. Key works are also used within some of the temporary exhibitions, to draw in major paintings and sculpture from collections throughout Britain and abroad. Abbot Hall has been one of the most active galleries collecting British art in recent years and important works have been acquired, ranging from a Turner watercolour of Windermere to portraits by Stanley Spencer and Lucian Freud, and abstract paintings by Bridget Riley and Sean Scully. Through its wide contacts with collectors, Abbot Hall has also secured some spectacular long term loans, including the largest collection of Lucian Freud etchings to be found in a public gallery. Exhibitions 2008 7 July - 20 September 2008 A Continuous Line - Ben Nicholson in England Ben Nicholson (1894 - 1982) was one of the most radical British artists of the 20th century. This exhibition, the first major representation of Ben Nicholson in the UK for fourteen years, begins its tour at Abbot Hall and will look at the landscapes of the 1920s, including works painted in Cumberland where he lived with his first wife, Winifred. It will continue throughout his time in St. Ives, Cornwall during World War II, where his abstract and landscape works became central to the establishment of the modernist art community, alongside his second wife, the sculptor Barbara Hepworth. The third and final section of the show will focus on the Cubist still-lifes made by Nicholson between 1945 and 1958. The exhibition has been organised by Abbot Hall Art Gallery, De La Warr Pavilion and Tate St Ives. It will have its first showing at Abbot Hall in Cumbria, the location of Nicholson’s earliest landscape work, before touring to Bexhill and St. Ives in early 2009. The exhibition has been curated by Chris Stephens, Head of Displays at Tate Britain, who is a leading expert on the art of St Ives from the 1940s-60s. The exhibition will draw on the Tate collection and the Ben Nicholson archive, as well as loans from major public institutions in the UK. Many of Nicholson’s finest works are still in private collections, and a number of these rarely seen pieces will be shown. An illustrated colour catalogue, by Tate Publishing, will accompany the exhibition.
6 October - 20 December 2008 Craigie Aitchison His Prints 1969 - 2007 Awarded a CBE for his contribution to British Art in 1999, Craigie Aitchison (b.1926) is an artist with a unique vision. His paintings are characterised by the purity and intensity of their colours, and the simplicity and sparseness of their compositions. Aitchison’s subject matter encompasses the traditional genres of landscape, portraiture, still life and religious themes, but his art achieves a timeless and mysterious poetry of colour and atmosphere that is both unusual and unorthodox in contemporary British painting. Craigie Aitchison has produced silk screen prints and hand-coloured etchings throughout his career, employing printmaking techniques that produce the same intensity of colour and form as oil on canvas. This exhibition covers Aitchison’s almost entire output as a printmaker, beginning with his earliest prints from the 1960’s. Three paintings on loan from a private collector will also be on display, alongside the work of other key 20th century British artists. The exhibition is organised by Timothy Taylor Gallery, London, in collaboration with Advanced Graphics and Abbot Hall. Abbot Hall Art Gallery - More information Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 5AL Telephone: 01539 722464 Fax: 01539 722494 info@abbothall.org.uk Web: www.abbothall.org.uk Admission Open Monday - Saturday 10.30 am - 5.00 pm 18 Jan - 20 Dec 2008 (but note between 18 Jan - 21 Mar and 1 Nov - 20 Dec the winter closing time is 4pm). Adult £5.45, Gift Aid It for £6.00. Young people up to the age of 18 and full-time students up to the age of 25 FREE admission. Annual Season Tickets £15.00. Group visits We warmly welcome groups of all ages and there is a special reduced rate for pre-booked groups of 10 or more, subject to availability. Abbot Hall Coffee Shop An appetising menu of locally produced food is freshly prepared daily, and a selection of wines and beers are available with meals. You can view changing selling exhibitions of artists’ prints with a cup of fresh coffee or speciality tea. In summer you can eat outside the Coffee Shop and enjoy the view of Kendal Castle. The Gallery Book Shop Browse through the range of specialist art books in the Book Shop, which also stocks exhibition catalogues, postcards and fine art greetings cards. Parking There is a pay and display car park at Abbot Hall Art Gallery. Photography Due to the restrictions of copyright placed on pictures on loan, no photography of any kind is allowed. Picnics There are picnic facilities in the adjacent park, as well as swings and slides for children. Room Closures Certain rooms may need to be closed when changing exhibitions. Please ring in advance if you are wishing to see a particular exhibit. How to Get There Follow signs to south Kendal and then for Abbot Hall. A 10 minute drive from j36 of the M6. Nearest train station: Oxenholme, the Lake District. Access Abbot Hall is a Grade I listed building, yet all levels are accessible for wheelchair users. Please telephone in advance so that a member of staff can be on hand to help with the lifts. |
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