
Thomas Gainsborough to Today
A major exhibition examining our relationship with the countryside, bringing together Old Masters and contemporary artists whose work spans more than 350 years.
Creating the Countryside provokes reflection on the artistic, social and political forces that have played an important role in forming successive generations’ perceptions of this ‘green and pleasant land’.
The rural idyll occupies a deeply rooted place in the nation’s psyche – Compton Verney’s ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped grounds are themselves an expression of this. Creating the Countryside explores how artists have shaped the vision of rural life and landscape, offering a new perspective on the countryside and its expression in contemporary art and society.
Works by artists including Thomas Gainsborough, Claude Lorrain, George Stubbs and Stanley Spencer are joined by pieces from contemporary artists such as Mat Collishaw, Anna Fox, Sigrid Holmwood and Grayson Perry to present you with a broad spectrum of responses to, and interpretations of, this sceptred isle.
★★★★ “Enchanting views of country life” Mail on Sunday
“An intriguing look at what ‘countryside’ means to the British” The Telegraph
SPECIAL OFFER
The exhibition book is down from £15 to £9.50. This offer is time limited so get yours now!
The development of this exhibition was supported in part by a Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Research Grant from the Art Fund.
Image: Paul Reas, Constable Country, Flatford Mill, Suffolk, 1993, lightjet print, © The Artist, courtesy of The Hyman Collection, London
Turquoise Bag in a Tree
Hilary Jack, Turquoise Bag in a Tree, © Compton Verney
Turquoise Bag in a Tree
Harvest of a Bygone Age
Paul Reas, Harvest of a Bygone Age, © Paul Reas and courtesy of the Hyman Collection
Harvest of a Bygone Age
Haywain with Cruise Missiles
Peter Kennard , Haywain with Cruise Missiles, 1980 © Tate, © Peter Kennard
Haywain with Cruise Missiles
Margaret Gainsborough Gleaning
Thomas Gainsborough, Margaret Gainsborough Gleaning, Late 1750s © Ashmolean Museum
Margaret Gainsborough Gleaning
Gleaners Coming Home
George Clausen, Gleaners Coming Home, 1904 © Tate
Gleaners Coming Home
A Farmer and his Prize Heifer
Unknown, A Farmer and his Prize Heifer, © Compton Verney
A Farmer and his Prize Heifer