A selection of web postings by members of the Friends about the Gallery and its holdings and the art world in general
Artwork of the Month
May 2021 Portrait of a Young Man with a Book by Parmigianino (1503-40)
April 2021 Charlotte Fitzroy by Peter Lely (1670s)
March 2021 A Stafford Pottery Plaque
February 2021 Sculptures formerly at Wentworth Woodhouse, c. 1755
January 2021 Gulliver Reprimanded and Silenced by his Master when Describing the Horrors of War by Sawrey Gilpin (1733 – 1807)
December 2020 ‘The Kimono’ by Philip Wilson Steer OM, (1894)
November 2020 Portrait of a Man Aged 27 by an Unknown Netherlandish Artist (1556)
October 2020 Portrait of Henry Baines by Thomas Banks (1874)
September 2020 Alfred Wolmark by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska
September 2020 Albert Moore’s A Venus (1869)
August 2020 Liverpool Docks at Night by J Atkinson Grimshaw
July 2020 David Hockney – Egyptian Head Disappearing into Descending Clouds (1961)
June 2020 The John Cheere Busts in York Art Gallery
May 2020 ‘Preparing for a Fancy Dress Ball’, by William Etty (1787-1849)
April 2020 Study for ‘Nameless and Shameless’ by Emily Mary Osborn (1828-1925)
Q&A – Interviews with practising artists
Helen Whittaker, York-based stained glass artist and designer
Occasional Essays
Ann Stokes, Potter (1917-2014) by Hannah Savage
Charles Martindale, Interim Chair, writes about a favourite painting in the Gallery’s collection. The Portrait of Monsignor Agucchi in York Art Gallery and the Question of Portraiture
Charles Martindale, reflects on the importance of the Friends for the past and future of York Art Gallery. The Friends in Lockdown
Dr Richard Keesing writes about a favourite modern artist closely associated with York, some of whose works might be described as Neo-Romantic.
Dudley Holland: The Artist and the Man
Ronald Clayton discusses the different ways in which gallery displays might be conceived and organized. Art as Therapy
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Captain Foote by Reynolds: an Indian Perspective
Reading Decoloniality in the Portrait of Captain John Foote by Joshua Reynolds, c. 1765: An Indian Perspective. An occasional essay for Friends of York Art Gallery by Kuhu Kopariha, a curator from Mumbai, currently completing her MA in History of Art. She is the...
Still-life by Melendez
Artwork of the Month April 2023 Still-life with Lemons and Nuts by Luis Egidio Meléndez Click on the button below to access the article by Dorothy Nott, former Chair of the Friends, on this painting, a gem of the Gallery's collection. The artist, Meléndez, is...
Captain Foote by Joshua Reynolds
Artwork of the Month August 2022 Portrait of Captain John Foote, (1761-5) by Joshua Reynolds (1723-92) Summary of the talk given to Friends of York Art Gallery on 10 August 2022 by Moira Fulton, who is currently Events-Co-ordinator for the Friends. Joshua Reynolds...
William Etty
Artwork of the Month June 2022 - William Etty (1787-1849), Male Nude with Arms Up-Stretched In this essay Dorothy Nott explores the controversial nature of William Etty’s nudes, both male and female, and how they may have been seen in his lifetime and how they can be...
The Slade & Bloomsbury
Eliza Goodpasture, a student in the Department of History of Art at the University of York, writes about the Slade School of Fine Art in connection with the Bloomsbury exhibition (2022) at York Art Gallery.
The Birdcage by Barbara SM Smith
Artwork of the Month April 2022 Peter Gibbard, formerly Chair of the Friends, writes about a little-known woman artist, an example of whose work is included in the exhibition Beyond Bloomsbury: Life, Love & Legacy held in York Art Gallery in 2022. The Life...
Curator Q&A: Peter Trippi
This month we introduce Peter Trippi, former Director of Dahesh Museum of Art, New York, in conversation with Judith Glover, former Secretary of the Friends.
Curator Q&A: Sarah Rothwell of National Museums, Scotland
This month we introduce Sarah Rothwell, Senior Curator in Modern and Contemporary Design at the National Museums Scotland. Sarah discusses her policies, practices and influences with Judith Glover, former Secretary of the Friends.
Curator Q&A: Helena Cox of Beverley Art Gallery
In the first of a new series focussing on curators, their policies and practices, we introduce Helena Cox, of Beverley Art Gallery, in conversation with Judith Glover, former Secretary of the Friends.
The Groves Quartet
Artwork of the Month for September 2021 has been chosen by Peter Gibbard, former Chair of the Friends. The painting, dated 1854, is by a little-known artist, Ann Beaumont, the earliest woman artist to feature in the Gallery's collection. The painting depicts the...