New Walk Museum and Art Gallery

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

Come and investigate The Den! The Den is a dedicated space for children aged five and under and their families. Explore exciting new ways to experience museum objects and how they open up opportunities for fun and learning around the museum.

Look, listen, touch, move - in The Den there are no right or wrong answers... the only limit is your imagination!

Suitable for

• 0-4
• 5-6

Where

New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester

Admission

Free admission

Website

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

The Arts & Crafts movement was one of the most important and influential styles of the 20th century. Ernest Gimson, the architect and designer who represents this style in its purest form, was born in Leicester. This gallery celebrates his life and work alongside that of his closest friends and associates. It also shows their continuing legacy through the works of modern makers who are still inspired by his ideas and ideals today.

Suitable for all ages, visitors can explore the harsh realities of living and working in Victorian cities, follow the Arts & Crafts designers in their move to the countryside and understand their principles of good design, good work and good living. The gallery also explores the many ways the Arts & Crafts movement was inspired by nature and take our 'Taste Test' to discover if there really is such a thing as ‘good taste’.

Suitable for

• Any age

Admission

Free admission

Website

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

Unravel the stories of the Sikh turban and discover how and why turbans are important to Sikh faith and identity.

This exhibition features a turban known as a Dastaar Boonga or fortress turban, worn by a group of skilled warrior Sikhs called Akali Nihangs. It was used to protect the head in battle and to hold their weapons including daggers, swords and metal throwing discs. This fascinating Sikh fortress turban is on loan from the British Museum.

A Spotlight tour from the British Museum.

Suitable for

• Any age

Admission

Free admission

Website

http://www.visitleicester.info/sikhfortressturban

Add some colour to your life with this inspiring exhibition. 'Eye for Colour’ is a visual feast that will alert the senses and stimulate the mind. Packed with hands-on exhibits and interactive displays, it explores the endless ways in which colour shapes our world.

Eye-catching exhibits will also reveal how different cultures have used colour to communicate messages. In fact if you’ve ever wondered why you sometimes feel blue or in the pink then you’ll find the answer in 'Eye for Colour'!

Suitable for

• Family friendly
• Especially for children

Admission

Free admission

To commemorate the outbreak of the First World War this exhibition will take original artefacts, art works, photographs, documents, diaries and newspapers to tell the story of life in the early years of the war both on the home front as well as the battle front.

Discover how Leicester first reacted to the outbreak of war then how it mobilized and started its local recruitment campaigns. Find out too what life would have been like for the women and children left behind and those who supported the war effort in local factories.

The Royal Leicestershire Regiment Association has secured a grant of £80,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to run the four-year programme of events in conjunction with Leicester Arts & Museums Service.

Suitable for

• Any age

Admission

Free admisson

Website

http://www.visitleicester.info/firstworldwar