Following the success of Percy Kelly: Line of Beauty, Tullie House has announced a special exhibition to celebrate what would have been the artists 100th birthday. Percy Kelly who was born on 3 November 1918 in Workington, Cumberland.
Tullie House will mark this special occasion with Percy Kelly: A Legacy, an exhibition of recent bequests and gifts to the Percy Kelly Collection.
The exhibition consists of gifts and bequests from several individuals including: 13 works bequeathed to the collection earlier this year, which include charcoal drawings, watercolours and an illustrated letter; a selection from 400 mostly preparatory works gifted in 2013, which are rare survivors and give a unique insight into Kelly’s working methods; five watercolours which are currently on loan and will be bequeathed, and a single work Seedheads, gifted in 2017; and a selection of significant work from Chris Wadsworth’s own Percy Kelly collection that will compliment and further enhance both the exhibition and Tullie House’s permanent Kelly collection.
The exhibition will hang in the Special Exhibitions Gallery in the Old Tullie House building – the very room in which Kelly would have attended life drawing classes when a student. The Grade I Listed classical revival building was once part of Carlisle College of Art.
Andrew Mackay, Director Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust said: “Galleries often depend on bequests and donations to develop their collection and to acquire significant works of art which might otherwise be out of our reach. We are grateful to all our benefactors – those that give financially or those who donate artwork. Bequests make a lasting contribution to the gallery’s collection and ensure future generations will benefit from the foresight and generosity of today’s supporters. This exhibition has only been possible through the support of our generous benefactors.”
All enquiries concerning legacies, gifts and bequests to the Tullie House Collection should be directed to Kate Davidson, Development Coordinator, [email protected]
The Gallery and exhibition are open daily: Mon – Sat, 10am – 5pm, Sunday 11am – 5pm
Visitor information: www.tulliehouse.org.uk. Tel: 01228 618718
