Search our collection of articles on art and artists

To search our collection for articles of interest, use the search window on this page or browse the entries below. These may be write-ups of Artwork of the Month talks or occasional essays written by members of the Friends. There are also a number of Q&A’s with curators and artists which can be found by searching for ‘Q&A’.

‘Balthazar’

Artwork of the Month May 2025 Circle or Workshop of Pieter Coecke van Aelst c. 1530: Balthazar. Peter Gibbard, formerly Chair of the Friends, writes about Balthazar, also known as The Black African King, who is depicted in a 16th-century panel from a triptych of...

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The ‘Picturesque in Britain’

Our speaker for Artwork of the Month, April 2025, was Peter Miller, President of the Friends. His subject was 'The Picturesque in Britain'. Two paintings from the Gallery stores were used to illustrate the talk: George Morland (1763-1804), A Gypsy Encampment...

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Surgeon Waiting by Barbara Hepworth

Artwork of the Month March 2025 Barbara Hepworth, Surgeon Waiting (1948) Dorothy Nott, formerley Chair of the Friends, gave the Artwork of the Month talk for March 2025. Her subject was Surgeon Waiting by Barbara Hepworth.

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An Ancient Stronghold in France by Wynford Dewhurst

Artwork of the Month August 2024 An Ancient Stronghold in France by Wynford Dewhurst Caitlin Doley, Associate Collections Curator at York Art Gallery, writes about a painting by Wynford Dewhurst, ‘Manchester’s Monet’, which was included in the exhibition ‘National...

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The Derbyshire Gift

Artwork of the Month July 2024 The Derbyshire Gift Peter Gibbard, former Chair of the Friends, continues his occasional accounts of women artists represented in York Art Gallery’s permanent collection. ‘The Derbyshire Gift’ pertains to five paintings by 20th century...

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Winter Sea by Paul Nash

Artwork of the Month June 2024 Winter Sea by Paul Nash Danae Reaves-Bey Browne, MA scholar part-sponsored by the Friends, chose this painting as the subject of her talk at the Gallery. Here are the notes from her talk.

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The Road to Calvary by Marten van Cleve

Professor Jeanne Nuechterlein of the History of Art Department, University of York, discusses a favourite painting from the Gallery’s collection. The identity of the artist has long been debated but through her research Jeanne has found the probable solution.

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In the Tropics by Patricia Ramsay

Artwork of the Month October 2023 Click on the button below to access the article about Patricia Ramsay's painting, In the Tropics, by Peter Gibbard, formerley Chair of the Friends.

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The Flagellation of Saint Barbara by Hans Siebenbürger

Artwork of the Month July 2023 The Flagellation of Saint Barbara by Hans Siebenbürger Click on the button below to read the article by John Roe, Secretary of the Friends, in which he explores the origins and imagery of this fifteenth-century oil-on-wood painting, a...

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