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...

The Friends in Lockdown

In this piece written earlier in lockdown, Charles Martindale, Interim Chair, reflects on the importance of the Friends for the past and future of York Art Gallery. Click...