Media release: 10 March 2025

  • Elizabeth & Stanhope Forbes: A Marriage of Art is on show at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum from 5 April to 29 June 2025
  • A sumptuous selection of artworks by the leading proponents of British Impressionism
  • Includes many works on loan from Penlee House Gallery & Museum and visiting Worcester for the first time.

 The new exhibition Elizabeth & Stanhope Forbes: A Marriage of Art opens at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum on Saturday 5 April and runs until Sunday 29 June 2025.

Featuring a sumptuous selection of artworks by the power couple of British Impressionism, Elizabeth and Stanhope Forbes, the exhibition includes intricate portraits and landscapes, many on loan from Penlee House Gallery & Museum and visiting Worcester for the first time. Also featured is the local favourite by Stanhope Forbes from Worcester’s own collection; Chadding on Mounts Bay.

Elizabeth Adela Forbes (née Armstrong; 29 December 1859 – 16 March 1912) was a virtuosic artist who achieved international recognition, produced idyllic landscape paintings, and played a crucial role within the development of British Impressionism. However, conventional understandings of women artists during this period meant Elizabeth became overshadowed by her male contemporaries – a prejudice that, over time, has obscured her influence within this important history.

When they married in 1889, Elizabeth and Stanhope were both already well-established and successful artists. Unusually for the time, Elizabeth did not curtail her career after their wedding and continued to paint and exhibit right up to her untimely death, aged just fifty-two. The couple are perhaps most famous for their formation of the ‘Newlyn School’ of painting, which brought together like-minded artists and eager students keen to paint en plein air and played a pivotal role in the development of British Impressionism.

One of the most beloved paintings in Worcester City’s Fine Art collection is Chadding on Mounts Bay by Stanhope Forbes. Stanhope painted genre scenes and landscapes en plein air with a particular skill for capturing light and reflection. He was also adept at capturing the warm and charming effects of lighting on a room and the people in it in his interior scenes, as can be seen in his 1920 work Treasure Island which is included in this exhibition.

This exhibition illustrates Elizabeth’s place within the vanguard of British Impressionism, her relationship of equal partnership with Stanhope Forbes, and her interest as an artist in her own right who drew much praise at a time when it was often the fate of women artists to be remembered as largely an appendage of their more famous husband.

Worcester has a strong collection of British Impressionist works and in 2026 will be opening a permanent gallery dedicated to British Impressionism; the Shirley and Rolf Olsen Gallery. The new gallery will have a clear focus on Worcestershire’s relationship with British Impressionism; how the city was both influenced by non-local artists and had an impact upon British art.

Deborah Fox, Museums Worcestershire Senior Curator commented: “Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum is committed to bringing great art and artists to the region. We are very excited to celebrate these two incredible artists who were the leading lights in British impressionism.”

The exhibition runs from 5 April – 29 June at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum. The Art Gallery & Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 4pm and Sunday 10am – 3pm. Tickets for the exhibition can be booked at www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk

 

ENDS

Press contact:

 For further information contact:

Helen Large, at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum on email Helen.Large@worcester.gov.uk

 

Image Credit:  Autumn Breeze, Elizabeth Forbes, courtesy of Penlee House Gallery & Museum

 

Exhibition Details:

Elizabeth & Stanhope Forbes: A Marriage of Art

Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum

Saturday 5 April until Sunday 29 June 2025 | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 4pm, Sunday 10am – 3pm

To book tickets: www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk

Featuring a sumptuous selection of artworks by the power couple of British Impressionism, Elizabeth and Stanhope Forbes, the exhibition includes intricate portraits and landscapes, many on loan from Penlee House Gallery & Museum and visiting Worcester for the first time. Also featured is the local favourite by Stanhope Forbes from Worcester’s own collection; Chadding on Mounts Bay.

Please note the Art Gallery & Museum is closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

 

Bite-size Talk | Bringing the Father and Queen of Newlyn to Worcester

Tuesday 10 June 2025, 11 – 11.30am, 2 – 2.30pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum

Be introduced to the spring exhibition, Elizabeth and Stanhope Forbes: A Marriage of Art.

Explore works by Elizabeth and Stanhope Forbes, which are already a much-loved part of the Worcester City collection. This exhibition brings more of their art to Worcester.

£4.50, to book see www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk. Tickets for the exhibition can be purchased separately online here or bought from the shop on the day of the talk.

 

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 Worcestershire 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