Abbot Hall Art Gallery

Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003) was one of the most important British sculptors of the twentieth century, rising to prominence in the 1950s as part of the ‘New Aspects of British Sculpture’ exhibition at the Venice Biennale in 1952 and winning the International Prize at the Biennale four years later. The Lakeland Arts Trust is working in close collaboration with the Lynn Chadwick Estate and Osborne Samuel Gallery on a survey show that will be spread across two sites: Abbot Hall Art Gallery and Blackwell, the Arts & Crafts House, where some of Chadwick’s sculptures will be positioned outside against the dramatic backdrop of Windermere and the Lakeland Fells.

Suitable for

• Any age
• Family friendly

Admission

Adults £6.20, Gift Aid It for £6.85
Young people up to the age of 16 and full-time students FREE

Website

http://www.abbothall.org.uk/exhibitions/lynn-chadwick

Graham Sutherland (1903-80) was the unofficial leader of the Neo-Romantic movement, spearheading a return to a visionary conception of the British landscape after the devastation of the Second World War. This exhibition at Abbot Hall, the first significant show of the artist in the north west, will explore Sutherland’s surreal transformation of the natural forms he chanced upon (‘accidental encounters’ as he termed it), twisting them into striking, dramatic compositions imbued with an ‘exultant strangeness’ and illuminated by the elemental power of the artist’s imagination.

Suitable for

• Any age

Admission

Adults £6.20, Gift Aid It for £6.85
Young people up to the age of 16 and full-time students FREE

Website

http://www.abbothall.org.uk/exhibitions/graham-sutherland

This display, featuring rarely seen works from the Lakeland Arts Trust’s permanent collection, will show that there is more to sculpture than just bronze and marble. Whether it is the slate obelisk of Ian Hamilton Finlay’s Corday Lux, the polished steel of Richard Wentworth’s humorous Half a mo or the infinite possibilities presented by Li Yuan-Chia’s experimental magnetic sculpture, the variety of materials and approaches in this wonderfully diverse selection demonstrates how inventive British sculpture can be.

Suitable for

• Any age

Admission

Adults £6.20, Gift Aid It for £6.85
Young people up to the age of 16 and full-time students FREE

Website

http://www.abbothall.org.uk/exhibitions/modern-materials-abbot-hall’s-british-sculpture-collection

The Radev Collection is named after Mattei Radev, who came to Britain in the 1950’s as a stowaway on a cargo ship, fleeing from communism in his native Bulgaria. Radev went on to build a new life in London mixing in the artistic Bloomsbury circle and becoming a leading picture framer for the London Galleries.

Radev inherited most of the works from his friend the artist-dealer Eardley Knollys who had in turn inherited from music critic 5th Lord Sackville, Eddy Sackville-West following the latter’s’ death in 1965. The impressive collection includes works by British and international artists including Duncan Grant, Alfred Wallis, Ivon Hitchens, Ben Nicholson and Lucien Pissarro.

Suitable for

• Any age

Admission

Adults £6.20, Gift Aid It for £6.85
Young people up to the age of 16 and full-time students FREE

Website

http://www.abbothall.org.uk/exhibitions/radev-collection-bloomsbury-beyond

This tiny bronze sculpture is an incredibly rare cast of Picasso’s 1906 copper relief, depicting a strongly-stylised head of a woman, from one of the artist’s most intensely creative periods. The Lakeland Arts Trust is thrilled to have been lent this fascinating sculpture on long term loan, giving visitors the opportunity to glimpse a moment of this modern master’s creative genius as he worked towards his first iconic masterpiece, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon of 1907.

This small bronze will be displayed alongside works from the Lakeland Arts Trust’s modern collection, highlighting the influence that Picasso exerted on his contemporaries.

Suitable for

• Any age

Admission

Adults £6.20, Gift Aid It for £6.85
Young people up to the age of 16 and full-time students FREE

Website

http://www.abbothall.org.uk/exhibitions/picasso’s-tête-de-femme

This complex, mysterious and enormous 17th century triptych was acquired by the Lakeland Arts Trust in 1981 with the aim of keeping it in the North West where Lady Anne Clifford, who commissioned this painting, ruled over her estates in the counties of Westmorland and Craven.

The complete work remained on display at Appleby Castle until its return to Kendal in 1999. However, due to access difficulties, the triptych has never previously been shown in its entirety at Abbot Hall – until now.

Suitable for

• Family friendly
• Any age

Admission

Adults £6.20, Gift Aid It for £6.85
Young people up to the age of 16 and full-time students FREE

Website

http://www.abbothall.org.uk/exhibitions/great-picture-triptych

The Lakeland Arts Barn (The LAB) at Abbot Hall is where our creative fun happens, a place to develop new talent, innovate and explore collections. But keep it quiet as we don’t want everyone finding out! Monthly afternoon workshops for artists aged 11-16. Limited places, booking essential 01539 722464. The Abbot Hall collection includes paintings featured on the Your Paintings website.

Suitable for

• 11-13
• 14-15
• Not suitable for children

When

12-2pm

Website

http://www.abbothall.org.uk/event/young-art-2

We’re taking a traditional feel this month and getting to grips with landscape painting, but with Graham Sutherland awaiting to be displayed, this session may take on a surreal turn.

The Lakeland Arts Barn (The LAB) at Abbot Hall is where our creative fun happens, a place to develop new talent, innovate and explore collections. But keep it quiet as we don’t want everyone finding out! Monthly afternoon workshops for artists aged 11-16. Limited places, booking essential on 01539 722464.

Suitable for

• 11-13
• 14-15
• Especially for children

When

12-2pm

Website

http://www.abbothall.org.uk/event/young-art-3