Laing Art Gallery (Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums)
New Bridge Street
Newcastle & Gateshead
Tyne and Wear
NE1 8AG
England
Website
Main website
General enquiries
Telephone
General enquiries
0191 232 7734
Textphone users
18001 0191 232 7734
Fax
General enquiries
0191 222 0952
Situated in the centre of Newcastle, the Laing is home to an impressive collection of art and sculpture. Its exhibition programme is renowned for bringing the biggest names in art to the North East and includes historic, modern and contemporary art.
This gallery has a Designated Collection of national importance and its permanent displays feature important 18th and 19th century paintings including dramatic landscapes by John Martin.
Venue Type:
Gallery
New Bridge Street
Newcastle & Gateshead
Tyne and Wear
NE1 8AG
England
Website
Main website
General enquiries
Telephone
General enquiries
0191 232 7734
Textphone users
18001 0191 232 7734
Fax
General enquiries
0191 222 0952
The Gallery's exceptional permanent collection includes British oil paintings, watercolours, ceramics, silver and glassware. It is of national and international significance and enjoys Designated Status. Highlights include: Isabella and the Pot of Basil by Holman Hunt (1827-1910), Laus Veneris by Burne Jones (1835- 1898), The Breton Shepherdess by Gauguin (1848-1903), The Lovers by Spencer (1891-1959) and an important group of works by John Martin (1789- 1854).
Early 20th century artists represented in the Gallery include Auerbach, Nicholson, Hitchen, Bomberg and Moore as well as a growing contemporary collection. The Laing's watercolours are widely recognised as being of exceptional importance, including work by Paul Sandby, J R Cozens, Thomas Girtin, J M W Turner, David Cox, Samuel Palmer, Edward Lear and J F Lewis. An extensive decorative art collection embraces locally produced glass, pottery and silver. Beilby enameled glass, Newcastle silver, North East pottery, early 19th century creamwares and 19th and 20th earthenwares by Maling pottery are of particular significance.
Not all of these items are on permanent display. Please contact the gallery before making a special visit.
Collection details
World Cultures, Fine Art, Decorative and Applied Art
Key artists and exhibits
- Designated Collection
Collections services
- General guide to collections available
- Object identification and/or written enquiry service
- Object study facilities available (enquire in advance)
New Bridge Street
Newcastle & Gateshead
Tyne and Wear
NE1 8AG
England
Website
Main website
General enquiries
Telephone
General enquiries
0191 232 7734
Textphone users
18001 0191 232 7734
Fax
General enquiries
0191 222 0952
Victorian Artists in Newcastle
During the 19th century, Newcastle was home to a thriving art world.
This exhibition explores the work of many of its key figures who captured the life and spirit of the age, with familiar names such as Ralph Hedley, Robert Jobling and John Falconar Slater.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free.
Website
Summer Heat to Winter Freeze
The pictures on display have been chosen from the Laing’s collection of 19th and 20th century paintings.
They show how artists have been fascinated by the challenge of capturing springtime freshness, summer heat, autumn breeziness, and the chill of winter. As well as landscapes, the subjects range from holiday relaxation to work in the fields and daily life in the colder months.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free.
Website
Northern City Renaissance
Centred on Sting’s commissioned painting 'Northern City Renaissance, Newcastle, England' (2004-2008) by leading contemporary American artist Stephen Hannock, this exhibition shows scenes from the Laing Art Gallery’s collection depicting the Tyne’s sites of industrial shipbuilding and coalmining history.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free
Website
http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/laing/thingstoseeanddo/exhibition/2012/01/21/northern-city-renaissance/
Shakespeare in Art
To celebrate the 175th birthday of Newcastle’s Theatre Royal in 2012, the Laing hosts an exhibition which explores how Shakespeare has inspired artists for centuries.
Displaying paintings, prints and objects from Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums' collections, visitors young and old will recognise characters from Shakespeare’s best-known plays such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice and much more.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free.
Website
http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/laing/thingstoseeanddo/exhibition/2012/01/28/shakespeare-in-art/
Watercolour Gems
Some of the biggest names in British watercolours of the 18th and 19th centuries are included in the Laing’s new display from the collection. Watercolours by Thomas Girtin, JMW Turner, John Sell Cotman and David Cox demonstrate the atmospheric effects of light and weather which made British watercolours famous.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free.
Website
http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/laing/thingstoseeanddo/exhibition/2011/07/16/watercolour-gems/
Barnaby Barford, the Big Win: A Modern Morality Tale
The Big Win: A Modern Morality Tale tells the story of a ‘layabout’ striving to live a celebrity lifestyle who wins the lottery.
Charting his rise and fall as his money runs out, the sculptures will explore our insatiable appetite for celebrity culture and living beyond our means.
Loosely based on the narrative of ‘A Rake’s Progress’ by 18th century artist William Hogarth as well as the themes inherent within the Laing’s 18th and 19th Century Permanent Collection, Barnaby Barford’s The Big Win also depicts contemporary society’s problems and experiences such as gambling and luxurious living.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free.
Website
New Bridge Street
Newcastle & Gateshead
Tyne and Wear
NE1 8AG
England
Website
Main website
General enquiries
Telephone
General enquiries
0191 232 7734
Textphone users
18001 0191 232 7734
Fax
General enquiries
0191 222 0952
New Bridge Street
Newcastle & Gateshead
Tyne and Wear
NE1 8AG
England
Website
Main website
General enquiries
Telephone
General enquiries
0191 232 7734
Textphone users
18001 0191 232 7734
Fax
General enquiries
0191 222 0952
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