Royal Holloway will be showcasing its renowned art collection in a special exhibition from 14 September 2019 until 8 December 2019, in the university’s Exhibition Space on its Egham campus.
Detail from John Nash, Mountain Landscape with Distant Lake, 1939 © Artists estate/ Royal Holloway art collection 2019
The exhibition, Spotlight: 20th century in focus, will display the university’s collection of artworks and objects from the 18th century right through to the present day, and will include never before seen paintings.
Featuring a multitude of celebrated artists such as Graham Sutherland, Dame Laura Knight, John Piper, C R W Nevinson, Sir Muirhead Bone, Sir William Orpen, John Nash and many more, the event will bring into focus a part of Royal Holloway’s collection rarely on public display.
Sarah Creed, Exhibitions Curator at Royal Holloway, said: “We are fortunate to care for works by some of the biggest names in 20th century art, but also by artists now since forgotten by the art historical narrative, and who we wish to shine a light on once again, rediscovering their importance.
“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to display a little-seen part of our art collections, especially a selection so rife with social history and dominant narratives of war and societal changes at the beginning of the 20th century.”
Admission to the exhibition is free and open to members of the general public daily from 10am to 6pm. Please visit royalholloway.ac.uk/events for further details about the exhibition and the accompanying programme of free tours and talks.
The art exhibition also coincides with the national Heritage Open Day on Sunday 15 September - an annual celebration of England's architecture and culture that allows visitors free access to historical landmarks, with Royal Holloway once again opening its doors to the public.
Visitors will get the chance to explore Royal Holloway’s spectacular grade I listed Founder's Building, Picture Gallery, Chapel and extensive grounds from 11am to 5pm.
The Founder's Building, commissioned by entrepreneur, Thomas Holloway and opened by Queen Victoria in 1886, is modelled on the Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley. Its flamboyant architecture makes it one of the most impressive university buildings in the world.
A series of tours will run throughout the day, for more information and to book onto the tours, please visit our events page on our website.