New Walk Museum & Art Gallery

Hallaton Treasure

4 February — 3 June 2012 *on now

The Hallaton Treasure is one of the most important archaeological finds of recent years. Over 5000 Iron Age and Roman coins were found near the village of Hallaton, Leicestershire, along with a Roman cavalry helmet, mysterious silver objects and the remains of hundreds of pigs. The site has been interpreted as a mysterious shrine of the local Corieltavi tribe.

Explore this Iron Age mystery through the words of the people who discovered it in this special exhibition and marvel at 20 beautifully preserved gold and silver coins from the 2000 year old site, alongside beautifully crafted replica objects.

Suitable for

• Any age

Where

New Walk Museum & Art Gallery

Admission

Free admission

Website

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/hallatontreasure

Chien-Wei Chang: Don’t Look Back! I Told You So

11 February — 25 March 2012

Exhibition of new work by acclaimed British Taiwanese artist of Chien-Wei Chang as part of the national crafts initiative the shape of things.

Chien-Wei’s latest work responds to the idea of the cellar across different cultures as a space in which food is preserved in jars and bottles to nurture life in times of scarcity.

Chien-Wei’s cellar is a space of mystery and hidden transformation. Within its bottles and storage containers Chien-Wei has placed thoughts on his day-to-day life as he pursues his creative path. The ‘cellar’ is used to preserve the evidence of his journey through time and to create a kind of a diary room or archive.

Chien-Wei is renowned for his striking re-interpretation of seemingly every day domestic objects such as ladles and bowls in materials such as silver, wood and bamboo that reflect the artist’s Chinese heritage.

In this exhibition, he has stepped away from his main practice of silver / metalsmithing to create a major new installation work combining hundreds of recycled glass bottles alongside exquisitely crafted handmade objects.

Please visit our website or see our events pages for details of associated activities.

the shape of things is an ambitious and exciting artists' exhibition and venue development initiative for contemporary crafts. The shape of things aims to encourage a contemporary crafts professional practice, audience and market that is culturally diverse and representative. This exhibition, together with the shape of things initiative has been generously supported by Arts Council England.
www.theshapeofthings.org.uk

Suitable for

• Any age

Where

New Walk Museum & Art Gallery

Admission

Free admission

Website

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/chienweichang

Animal Stories

25 June 2011 — 26 February 2012 *on now

If you go down to the woods today, what do you think you'll find?

Discover Animal Stories, an exhibition for families where little known gems from the museum collections will be displayed for your enjoyment and inspiration. Hear and see stories about animals from around the world and across time and be inspired to use a number of interactive activities to tell your own stories.

For details of related events, including collaborations with Brooksby Agricultural College and the RSPB, please see our events listings below.

Animal Stories is supporting the RSPB's campaign to Save the Albatross. Please bring along your used stamps to deposit at the exhibition and help do your bit to support this endangered species. www.rspb.org.uk/albatross

Suitable for

• Any age

Website

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/animalstories

Expressionist Spirit: Early 20th Century German Art at Leicester

24 September 2011 — 31 December 2012 *on now

A new permanent gallery celebrates a remarkable collection of German Expressionist Art. Founded in Leicester during the dark days of war, and now with over 350 artworks, the collection is acclaimed as the finest of its kind in the UK. The permanent gallery display shows a selection of the collection.

The initial collection began with works acquired from the groundbreaking exhibition ‘Mid-European Art’, which took place at the museum in 1944. The exhibition featured unique works from private collections, which had been brought to England and safety by refugee artists and collectors.

Expressionist artists sought to liberate powerful emotions in their art, which they believed lay beneath the surface appearance of everyday life. Artists in the collection include Marc, Kandinsky, Münter, Heckel, Kirchner, Jawlensky and Schmidt-Rottluff. Artists preceding, or influenced by Expressionism also enrich the collection, including Liebermann, Feininger, Kollwitz and Grosz.

Funding support for works in the collection has been received from The Art Fund, The V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the City of Leicester Museums Trust.

Suitable for

• Any age

Where

New Walk Museum & Art Gallery

Admission

Free admission

Website

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/lc/leicester-city-museums/museums/nwm-art-gallery/german-expressionist/

Picasso Ceramics: The Attenborough Collection

18 August 2011 — 29 November 2013 *on now

Following on from the highly successful 2007 exhibition, New Walk Museum & Art Gallery is delighted to present Picasso: The Attenborough Collection, a permanent gallery of selected key works from the collection of Lord and Lady Attenborough.

In 1954 Richard and Sheila Attenborough paid their first visit to the Madoura pottery in Vallauris, where Picasso had been working for several years with Georges and Suzanne Ramié. The Attenboroughs started with modest purchases, leading to a collection numbering some 150 pieces.

All of Picasso’s activity with ceramics centred around the Madoura pottery factory in Vallauris, France. Picasso made plates, jugs and tiles but he also designed new forms combining aspects of painting and sculpture in ceramics. The majority of the collection consists of Editions and Original Impressions; multiple works that Picasso insisted the pottery should produce and sell inexpensively, so that everyone could own a ‘Picasso’.

This intimate permanent exhibition shows a changing display of around forty works selected from the unique collection, curated by renowned Picasso expert, Dr Marilyn McCully.

In 2007, Lord and Lady Attenborough announced that their Picasso ceramics collection would be entrusted to the City of Leicester to commemorate the lives of their daughter, Jane Mary, and their granddaughter, Lucy Elizabeth, who perished together in the Asian Tsunami on 26th December 2004.

Suitable for

• Any age

Where

New Walk Museum & Art Gallery

Admission

Free admission

Website

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/picasso

The Dinosaur Gallery: Exploring Lost Worlds

3 September 2011 — 29 November 2013 *on now

The Rutland Dinosaur is back!

The Dinosaur, a Cetiosaurus, is taking centre stage in the new exhibition that will show extinct animals were not ‘prehistoric monsters’ but living and breathing creatures. Discover what life was like millions of years ago and see how the world and the living things on it change constantly over time. Explore lost worlds and find out how dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals lived.

Suitable for all ages, the gallery includes new dinosaur interactives, hands-on activities and cutting edge reconstructions of marine reptiles.

Suitable for

• Any age
• Family friendly

Where

New Walk Museum & Art Gallery

Website

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/dinosaurs

The Moving Image

28 October 2011 — 28 April 2012 *on now

Over the twentieth century, film has become one of the most important media in visual art. Over a six month period we will have a programme of films and activities exploring this area.

A screening room will show the best in contemporary artist films from across the globe. A sequence of twelve films will be screened, each for a fortnight. To accompany the programme, a series of talks will take place exploring different approaches to film art.

Suitable for

• Any age

Where

New Walk Museum & Art Gallery

Admission

Free admission

Website

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/lc/leicester-city-museums/exhibitions/themovingimage/