Whitworth Art Gallery, The University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester
Greater Manchester
M15 6ER
England
Website
www.manchester.ac.uk/whitworth
General
media enquiries
press.whitworth@manchester.ac.uk
Telephone
Gallery enquiries
0161 275 7450
Education Information & bookings
0161 275 7453
Fax
Gallery fax
0161 275 7451
The Whitworth Art Gallery is part of the University of Manchester. It is home to some of the UK's finest collections of art and design.
Venue Type:
Gallery
The entire collection of this gallery is a Designated Collection of national importance.
The Whitworth Art Gallery's collections cover the areas of fine art, textiles and wallpapers. Both textiles and wallpapers are amongst the finest collections in the country, outside of London. The wallpaper ranges from 17th century to the present day, including several important French pieces. Amongst the highlights of the textile collection are the post-Pharonic Egyptian textiles which illustrate all of the main textile techniques in use from 300-1000AD. Arts and crafts design is well represented in both textiles and wallpapers, and the Gallery has near-comprehensive holdings of Morris & Co. textiles. The fine art collections are particularly strong in works on paper and include important works by JMW Turner and William Blake. The 20th century drawing is well represented as well as a number of Pop Art works and prints by British artists.
Collection details
Fine Art, Costume and Textiles
Key artists and exhibits
- Designated Collection
Sublime: Watercolours of the Welsh Landscape
The Whitworth presents an exhibition of drawings and watercolours from its own historic collection showcasing interpretations of the Welsh landscape.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free
Website
Beryl Korot: Text and Commentary
Beryl Korot was an active player in New York’s emergent video art scene in the 1970s and considered a pioneer of multichannel installation in particular.
Text and Commentary (1976-7) was inspired by the punch card system of the Jacquard loom and its impact on Charles Babbage, a mathematician who originated the idea of a programmable computer in the 19th century.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free.
Website
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/exhibitions/berylkorot/
Callum Innes
Callum Innes is one of Britain’s best-known abstract painters. His constantly evolving practice is as much about un-painting as it is about painting.
Using turpentine in conjunction with oil paints Innes thins and removes layers, revealing underlying colours and leaving the evidence of his process on the canvas.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free.
Website
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/exhibitions/calluminnes/
Michael Landy: Four Walls
In 1977 Michael Landy’s father, John Landy, a miner, was seriously injured in a tunnel collapse at the age of 37. Severe spinal injuries rendered him housebound and unable to return to work.
In his poignant video Four Walls, Landy explores his father’s previous enthusiasm for working around the home, referencing his collection of tools, DIY manuals, home improvement magazines and videos, assembled over decades...
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free.
Website
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/exhibitions/michaellandy/
Nancy Holt: Land Art
Nancy Holt is renowned for her large-scale sculptural works in the environment, exemplified by Sun Tunnels (1976) in which pairs of large concrete pipes are aligned in a Utah desert along the axis of the rising and setting sun at the solstice.
This exhibition focuses on her photography, including Trail Markers made on a visit to Dartmoor with her husband Robert Smithson in 1969, and photographs and films of Sun Tunnels.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free.
Website
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/exhibitions/nancyholt/
Richard Long: Land Art
Richard Long emphatically changed the artist’s view from that of observing the landscape to journeying through it when he made his 1967 work A Line Made by Walking.
With Robert Smithson, Walter De Maria, Nancy Holt and other artists in Europe and North America, Long was at the centre of the Land Art movement.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free.
Website
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/exhibitions/richardlong/
Alison Wilding: Deep Water
On show for the first time at the Whitworth, this important work from the Gallery's collection is made up of a steel column rising from a wide base which will transform the Gallery's sculpture court
Suitable for
- Any age
Construction
Between 1964 and 1968, the architect John Bickerdike created a space in the south of the Whitworth gallery building to display large, contemporary paintings. Now known as the South Gallery, the full-length windows flood the space with natural light and provide views onto the park. Reflecting this period of development, 'Construction' will showcase abstract works from the 1960s by innovative, inspirational British artists in the Whitworth and Manchester Art Gallery's collections
Suitable for
- 14-15
- 18+
- 16-17
- 11-13
- 7-10
Continental Drift: Themes in European Art
Highlights include exquisitely detailed engravings and woodcuts from the Renaissance by Italian and Northern European artists such as Andrea Mantegna and Albrecht Duerer; drawings and prints by Pablo Picasso
Suitable for
- 14-15
- 18+
- 11-13
- 16-17
Pavel Buechler: Idle Thoughts
Over the course of one year (2003), Manchester-based artist Pavel Buechler wrote a diary on just 12 pages, one heavily overwritten page for each month. These pages were published, and the next year Buechler kept another diary, writing over the entries in the first diary from the previous year, resulting in a second published diary before he repeated this process for a third time
Suitable for
- 14-15
- 18+
- 11-13
- 16-17
Revolutionary Light: Blake / Turner / Kapoor
Prints and watercolours by William Blake, Anish Kapoor and JMW Turner explore light as a powerful, mysterious and celestial force
Suitable for
- 14-15
- 18+
- 11-13
- 16-17
Wall to Wall: New Wallpaper Acquisitions
The Whitworth's collection of wallpapers and wall coverings, many by visual artists, is one of the most internationally significant in the UK. This intriguing exhibition marks the culmination of a major five-year programme of historic wallpaper acquisitions funded by the Heritage Lottery Funds Collecting Cultures scheme. It also marks 25 years of development of the Whitworth's collection of historic and modern wallpapers
Serious About Art
Inspired by our textiles collection, join a contemporary textile artist and learn traditional techniques to create your own innovative work of art.
Suitable for
- Any age
When
11am-4pm
Admission
Booking essential for weekend courses: 0161 275 7450
£35
Website
Colourful Sundays
There are new arty activities to take part in every week. Suitable for children of all ages and their families and carers. All year round! Free no need to book. The Whitworth collections features painting included on the Your Paintings website.
Suitable for
- Any age
- Family friendly
When
1:30-3:30pm
Website
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/families/freeevents/
Toddlertastic!
Creative sessions especially for the under fives and their grown ups.
These sessions are very popular!
Session One: 10:30 - 11:30
Session Two: 11:30 - 12:30
Please state which session you would prefer when booking.
Suitable for
- 0-4
- Especially for children
When
10:30am-12:30pm
Admission
Free. Please book telephone: 0161 275 7450
Website
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/families/freeevents/
Arty Picnics
Bring your lunch and get creative whilst having a very special picnic at the gallery. Don’t worry if it’s wet outside we will have the picnic inside the gallery. The Whitworth Gallery collection includes paintings featured on the Your Paintings website.
Suitable for
- 0-4
- 5-6
- 7-10
- 11-13
- Family friendly
- Especially for children
When
11:30am-1pm
Website
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/families/freeevents/
Art Baby
Activity session specially designed for babies before they learn to walk. Creative sensory, discovery and play sessions accompanied by a musician.
Session One: 10:15 - 11:15
Session Two: 11:30 - 12:30
Please state which session you would prefer when booking.
Suitable for
- 0-4
When
10:30am-12:30pm
Admission
Free. Booking is essential t: 0161 275 7450
Website
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/families/freeevents/
Printing in the Park
Join an artist and create your own screen prints. Dress ready for the spring weather.
Suitable for
- 5-6
- 7-10
- 0-4
- 11-13
- Family friendly
When
1-3pm
Website
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/families/freeevents/
Printing in the Park
Join an artist and create your own screen prints. Dress ready for the spring weather.
Suitable for
- 5-6
- 7-10
- 0-4
- 11-13
- Family friendly
When
1-3pm
Website
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/families/freeevents/
Printing in the Park
Join an artist and create your own screen prints. Dress ready for the spring weather.
Suitable for
- 5-6
- 7-10
- 0-4
- 11-13
- Family friendly
When
1-3pm
Website
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson/families/freeevents/
Nikhil Chopra: Coal on Cotton
An exploration of Manchester's industrial and historical bonds with India, as part of Manchester International Festival. The artist has chosen the setting of the Whitworth Art Gallery's half-completed Landscape Gallery for his work, allowing visitors rare access to the site during construction
Suitable for
- Any age
- About
- | Collections
- | Exhibitions
- | Events
- | Resources
- | Map
