Dudley Holland: The Artist and the Man

Dr Richard Keesing, who has a long association with the Friends, writes with great enthusiasm about the life and works of a favourite painter of his, Dudley Holland (1915-1956), who for a short time was Principal of York Art School. The Gallery has a fine example of...

Q&A: Lesley Birch

Lesley Birch, York-based painter, discusses her work and influences Click...

The Portrait of Monsignor Agucchi in York Art Gallery

This essay, by Charles Martindale, Interim Chair of the Friends, is concerned with a painting in the Gallery, The Portrait of Monsignor Agucchi, but it broadens out into discussion of some more general issues: problems of attribution; changing tastes; and the nature...

Q&A: Jake Attree

Jake Attree, an artist based in Yorkshire, discusses his work Click...

Artwork of the Month – June 2020

The John Cheere Busts in York Art Gallery (mid 18th century).   Above the stairs in York Art Gallery, on the left as you go up, there are a number of 18th-century portrait busts. Moira Fulton here explains what these are, and how they come to be in the Gallery. Click...

Q&A: Judith Glover, ceramicist

 Judith Glover, ceramic artist and former secretary of the Firends, talks about her artistic practice and creative influences. Click...

Artwork of the Month – May 2020

Preparing for a Fancy Dress Ball, William Etty (1787 -1849). The painter most closely associated with the City of York is William Etty, whose statue stands outside the Art Gallery, and who is buried in St Olave’s Churchyard. Margaret May, a member of the...

Artwork of the Month – April 2020

Study for ‘Nameless and Friendless’ by Emily Mary Osborn (1828-1925). Dorothy Nott, a former Chair of the Friends,  writes about a remarkable small painting in the Gallery’s collection. ‘Nameless and Friendless’ was painted as a study for a larger...

Artwork of the Month: September

This month’s artwork is Albert Moore’s A Venus (1869). Marte Stinis, a PhD student at the University of York, writes about one of the most important paintings in York Art Gallery, by the York-born Victorian artist Albert Moore, a pioneering figure in the...

Two new exhibitions at York Art Gallery

Two new exhibitions, Your Gallery: Paintings Chosen by You and Views of York and Yorkshire, open on 20 August 2020. Charles Martindale has been to the Preview: I have just been to the Art Gallery for the Preview of the two new shows. Both have strong connections with...