11 January 2023

  • Worcester Society of Artists 75th Annual Exhibition
  • Benjamin Williams Leader: A Homecoming
  • Both exhibitions open this Saturday 14 January, to Saturday 25 February

This Saturday 14 January two brand new exhibitions open at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum guaranteed to chase away the January blues.

Worcester Society of Artists has exhibited at Worcester City Art Gallery every year since its first year of existence. 2023 sees its 75th annual exhibition opening on Saturday 14 January. In this landmark 75th year the artists have taken their inspiration on the theme of Our World.

The annual exhibition supports local artists and illustrates the wealth of creative talent in Worcestershire. Many of the artworks are for sale.

Benjamin Williams Leader is Worcester’s most celebrated artist, famed for portraying idyllic and glorious views of British Landscapes. The exhibition A Homecoming includes the painting February, Fill Dyke, on loan from Birmingham Museums Trust which features an iconic Worcestershire landscape (thought to be Claines, in North Worcester).

The painting will be displayed alongside Leader’s landscapes from the Worcester City Collection. The selection of artworks is a testament to Leader’s ability to create vast and stirring rural visions in paint.

Born in Worcester in 1831 Benjamin Williams Leader grew up in Diglis House (now Diglis Hotel), attended the city’s Royal Grammar School and painted on the banks of the Severn with his father’s friend the famous landscape artist John Constable. Leader studied at Worcester School of Design before going on to the Royal Academy Schools in 1854.

Senior Curator Deborah Fox says: “There’s no better way to chase away the January blues than a visit to the Art Gallery & Museum to enjoy two fabulous exhibitions celebrating Worcestershire’s artistic talents.”

Worcester Society of Artists 75th Annual Exhibition and Benjamin Williams Leader: A Homecoming are free to enter and the Art Gallery & Museum is open Monday – Saturday 10.30am – 4.30pm. For more information contact the Art Gallery and Museum on 01905 25371 OR visit www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk or follow @worcestermuseum

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For further information contact Helen Large, at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum on 01905 25371 or email Helen.Large@worcester.gov.uk

Credit line for images attached is as follows:

  1. Image courtesy of Worcester Society of Artists
  2. BW Leader, February Fill Dyke, 1881. Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust, licensed under CCO.

 Exhibition Listing:

Benjamin Williams Leader: A Homecoming

14 January – 25 February 2023

Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Open Mon – Sat 10.30am – 4.30pm
FREE
Information via 01905 25371 or www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk

Benjamin Williams Leader is Worcester’s most famous artist, famed for portraying idyllic and glorious views of British landscapes. The exhibition features February, Fill Dyke, on loan from Birmingham Museums Trust, alongside works from the Worcester City Collection

 

Worcester Society of Artists 75th Annual Exhibition

14 January – 25 February 2023

Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Open Mon – Sat 10.30am – 4.30pm
FREE
Information via 01905 25371 or www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk

The annual exhibition celebrates and supports local artists and illustrates the wealth of creative talent in Worcestershire. The theme in this landmark year is ‘Our World’.

About Museums Worcestershire
Museums Worcestershire is the joint museum service of Worcester City and Worcestershire County Councils. It comprises three fantastic venues– Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, the Commandery in Worcester and The County Museum at Hartlebury Castle.

The collections and exhibitions at our sites are many and varied, covering centuries of the county’s history right up to the present day. Thousands of objects, including the historic buildings themselves, are brought to life through innovative exhibitions and events throughout the year.

www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk