Spotlight on St Ives

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson were among artists who left London to settle in St Ives, establishing probably the most important artists' community in 20th-century British art.

Many of the artists gained international reputations, producing work that, although abstract, was inspired by the striking landscape of West Cornwall.

The Arts Council Collection owns a particularly strong group of works by the leading St Ives artists from 1939 to the mid-1960s. The exhibition will include approximately 25 paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints by Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, Patrick Heron, Peter Lanyon, Terry Frost, Roger Hilton, Bryan Wynter, Patrick Hayman, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Denis Mitchell and John Wells, as well as earlier works by Alfred Wallis and Christopher Wood.

Tour Details

This exhibition toured to the following venues:

3 Mar - 15 Apr 2007
Museum and Art Gallery, Denbigh

21 Apr - 3 Jun 2007
Peter Scott Gallery, Lancaster

9 Jun - 21 Jul 2007
Art Gallery and Museum, Cheltenham

28 Jul - 7 Sep 2007
Northumbria University Gallery, Newcastle

15 Sep - 4 Nov 2007
Scarborough Art Gallery, Scarborough

End of Tour

Top image:Ben Nicholson Still Life 1946. Arts Council Collection, Hayward Gallery, London.

Bottom image: Peter Lanyon Soaring Flight 1960. Arts Council Collection, Hayward Gallery, London.