Southampton City Art Gallery Turns 80

Over the course of the Gallery’s 80th year we are holding a series of exhibitions to mark this important milestone and celebrate the City’s internationally renowned collection. The Gallery first opened to the public on 26 April 1939 and 80 years on, guided by a rigorous collecting policy stipulating guidance from the National Gallery and now Tate, the permanent collection holds over 5,300 works and has been awarded Designated status.

Gallery 80 is a display of pride and celebration: showcasing the highlights of an already significant collection that was acquired ahead of the Gallery’s opening and, for the first time since 1939, we present the paintings which featured in the original exhibition. Alongside this will be a display of contemporary work by artists who have won, or been shortlisted for, the Turner Prize. Focusing on the Gallery’s curators and their relationships with artists, this display will highlight the successful history of purchasing artists on the cusp of their journey to becoming household names.

Later in the year, we will present a selection of recent acquisitions that demonstrate how the collection continues to grow through gifts, bequests and purchases.

Image credit: Portrait of a Girl by Gerald Leslie Brockhurst