Saturday 5 April – Sunday 29 June 2025 | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
A sumptuous selection of artworks by the power couple of British Impressionism, Elizabeth and Stanhope Forbes.
The exhibition includes intricate portraits and landscapes to lose yourself in, many on loan from Penlee House Gallery & Museum and visiting Worcester for the first time. Also featured is the local favourite by Stanhope Forbes; Chadding on Mounts Bay.
Elizabeth Forbes achieved international recognition but soon became overshadowed by her male contemporaries. This exhibition aims to put these two outstanding artists on an equal footing and show the importance of both to the development of British Impressionism.
Exhibition admission
Tickets are required to visit this exhibition and advance booking is available online. There are a variety of ticket options to choose from. The rest of the Art Gallery and Museum is free to visit as usual.
Online booking isn’t available on the day of your visit, but you are welcome to pay in the shop when you arrive. If you’d like to check availability, please give the team a ring on 01905 25371.
The exhibition is open from 10am to 4pm Tuesday to Saturday, and 10am to 3pm on Sunday. Last entry is one hour before closing.
Exhibition admissions and concessions
| Adult | £6 | |
| Worcester Resident | £4 | Please bring proof of Council Tax bill payable to Worcester City Council. |
| Art Fund Member | £3 | Please bring your Art Fund card with you. |
| Art Gallery and Museum Member | FREE | Please bring your membership card with you. |
| Under 16s | FREE | |
| Museums Worcestershire Volunteers | FREE | You must be a current volunteer with Museums Worcestershire. |
| Carer | FREE | When it is necessary for a visitor to be accompanied by a carer we will give free admission to the carer. |
| Pay it forward | donate a ticket for a student to visit for free | £4 | This donation ticket goes towards funding a student to visit the exhibition for free on a Wednesday or Saturday. |
| Student (ages 16+) | FREE (limited spaces on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons only) | Limited spaces available; funded by Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums Charity and public donations. |
Pay it forward | donate a ticket so a student can visit for free
Students aged 16+ can get free entry to the exhibition (student ID required) on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
These tickets are funded jointly by Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums Charity and public donations.
If you would like to contribute, please purchase a “pay it forward” ticket alongside your own. All donations are gratefully received, thank you.*
If you are a student, there is no need to book, just come along on a Wednesday or a Saturday afternoon. Please note there are limited numbers of these tickets and they are available on a first-come, first-served basis from the shop.
*Any unused funds at the end of the exhibition will be donated to Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums Charity.
Pay it forward donation tickets can be purchased here. Please note the date you choose when purchasing does not matter as the pay it forward donation tickets will be shared with visiting students throughout the exhibition.
Related events
Bite-size Talk | Bringing the Father and Queen of Newlyn to Worcester, 10 June
Tuesday 10 June, 11 – 11.30am and 2 – 2.30pm.
Be introduced to the spring exhibition, Elizabeth and Stanhope Forbes: A Marriage of Art.
Hear about 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.
This seated talk takes place in the Committee Room.
£4.50; book via the link below. Tickets for the exhibition can be purchased separately online here or bought from the shop on the day of the talk.
Book this talk.
Bring your group for an exclusive introductory talk
Bring your group along to the Art Gallery and Museum for an exclusive introductory talk with Natasha Wilcockson, Curatorial and Exhibitions Assistant.
This talk is about a wonderful partnership formed between two artists at the turn of the nineteenth century: the mutual love and admiration they had for one another and the ways in which they influenced the direction of British art.
These artists are Elizabeth and Stanhope Forbes, who married in 1889 and together formed the famous ‘Newlyn School’ of painting in Cornwall. Elizabeth was labelled ‘the Queen of Newlyn’ for her contributions to the art colony. However, as is often the fate of women artists of the period, she came to be regarded as an appendage of her more famous husband and, over time, her influence within this story became obscured.
This talk and exhibition places Elizabeth and Stanhope as equals, a power couple that worked together to change the course of British art as vanguards of Impressionism.
The cost for the group talk is £80. Exhibition tickets need to be purchased separately at a cost of £4 per person. This is the reduced rate for groups; the standard ticket price is £6.
To book your group talk, please get in touch with Jo Jeffree at Joanna.Jeffree@worcester.gov.uk.
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Elizabeth Forbes, Autumn Breeze, undated, Penlee House Gallery and Museum.
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Stanhope Forbes, Chadding on Mount’s Bay, 1902, Worcester City Collection.
