A Cornish Childhood

A Cornish Childhood is a survey of the lives of children in the area’s fishing and farming communities in the late Victorian era through to the early 20^th century, through the eyes of some of the leading painters of the day. The exhibition offers an overview of how Cornish children spent their days, whether at school, work or play, presenting a delightful evocation of the life and art of the local area. A Cornish Childhood gives a unique opportunity to see many famous and much-loved images from public and private collections throughout the UK in the context both of related works from Penlee House’s collections and of the community that inspired them.  The show will include work by Newlyn School and Lamorna group painters including Stanhope and Elizabeth Forbes, Walter Langley, Harold Harvey and Laura Knight, together with paintings by some of their St Ives contemporaries such as Dorothea Sharp.
Ground floor galleries: further selection of Newlyn School paintings on view upstairs in Gallery 5

 

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Sea Change: Art in St Ives 1914 - 1930

Despite the horrors of the War, the 1920s Depression and a general decline in rural art colonies, during this period St Ives still managed to inspire a large number of artists, with widely differing outlooks.  Curated by David Tovey, Sea Change brings together the colourful British Impressionist work of artists such as Charles Simpson, Borlase Smart and John Park, with the modernist experiments of Louis Reckelbus, Frances Hodgkins, Christopher Wood and Ben Nicholson, and the naïve paintings of Alfred Wallis. The show also reflects the era’s Decorative Arts, including the innovative pottery of Leach, Hamada and Cardew and the vibrant textile designs of Alec Walker's Cryséde.
Ground floor galleries: selection of Newlyn School paintings on view upstairs in Gallery 5 

Picture Post

While today most of us rely on shops and charities to provide us with attractive images to send one-another at this time of year, many artists - including the Newlyn School and Lamorna group - have created their own.  This exhibition shows some of the beautiful, fascinating and sometimes funny artwork that west Cornwall's artists and illustrators sent eachother in the late 19th and early 20th century, including Christmas cards, letters and unique picture postcards.
Galleries 2, 3 & 4: selection of Newlyn School paintings on view upstairs in Gallery 5 

 

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 27 Nov 2010 – 15 Jan 2011 

Penlee House’s annual selling exhibition of work by Cornwall Crafts offers the chance to find a special gift for a loved-one or a unique acquisition for yourself, with a wealth of items by some of Britain’s leading craftspeople, all of which are available for immediate purchase (cash, cheque or credit cards only).

 

 

An exhibition of photographs drawn from Penlee House’s extensive collection, looking at some of the quirkier images taken by photographers from the dawn of photography through to the mid-20th century, including John Branwell, Gibson & Co, the Richards Brothers, Robert Preston and Harry Penhaul. Rather than the picturesque views depicted on postcards, the exhibition includes informal snapshots and unusual and bizarrely composed images to offer an uncommon overview of our local area. Curated by Jeremy Rice with assistance from the Penlee House photographic research group, led by John Wallis.

 

 

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The Irishman Norman Garstin was a central figure of the Newlyn School, not only because of his own paintings – which include the iconic The Rain it Raineth Every Day – but also his teaching, writing and exhibition curation. His children inherited this cornucopic talent, Alethea being dubbed by Patrick Heron ‘England’s greatest Impressionist painter’ and Crosbie and Denis both becoming noted writers. The exhibition gives an overview of the family and their circle and includes paintings by both Norman and Alethea, plus photographs and family ephemera.