The Ingram Collection

LAND | SEA | LIFE

A British Art Collection

Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal  

Friday 20 October 2017 - Saturday 17 February 2018

This Autumn, Abbot Hall Art Gallery stages one of its largest shows in the last ten years with over seventy works, by forty-eight artists. The gallery has gained a national reputation for showing work of the highest quality particularly focusing upon work from British artists working in the twentieth century. Building on this reputation the LAND | SEA | LIFE exhibition highlights the very best of twentieth century art from The Ingram Collection of Modern British Art. Chris Ingram, a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist, began collecting in 2002, and quickly created one of this country’s most significant collections of Modern British Art. Ingram has been described as, “one of the most active and thoughtful collectors of Modern British Art today.” (Stephen Deuchar, Director, The Art Fund.)

The exhibition will explore a broad range of themes, representing what the artists were engaging with in terms of subject and developments in artistic practice.  Featuring paintings, sculptures and works on paper, visitors are taken on an individual journey of discovery from Henry Moore’s Reclining Figures to Laura Knight’s breath-taking Sea & Rocks.

The diverse selection of subjects covered in the exhibition include Landscape featuring atmospheric scenes by Alan Reynolds and Edward Burra, and urban landscapes by Keith Vaughan, Frank Auerbach and Carel Weight. Works by Dame Laura Knight, John Piper, Terry Frost and Patrick Heron focus upon Boats and the Sea. The final subject of Life brings together several sub themes including Still Life and the Figure displaying work by significant artists from the period such as Dame Barbara Hepworth, David Bomberg, Henry Moore, Eduardo Paolozzi, Ben Nicholson, Bryan Winter, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Eric Gill and Christopher Wood. 

The exhibition will investigate the notion of collecting, comparing the personal motives of Chris Ingram with the Gallery Collection and exploring why we collect? Ingram himself has given advice on collecting, “The golden rule is only buy what you like and enjoy. Regardless of what people tell you and whatʼs fashionable. Always start with what you like. As in any walk of life you need to study and learn – practice makes perfect! So build up a bit of expertise. Of course you can have an eclectic collection, but if you focus in you become more of an expert, you learn the ins and outs more. It really becomes a collection then.” Abbot Hall Art Gallery will further explore this notion encouraging visitors to share their experiences of collecting, or to discover their own collections they never realised they had.

Helen Watson, Director of Programming, Lakeland Arts  said, “Abbot Hall Art Gallery is delighted to be working in partnership with The Ingram Collection, to present a unique opportunity to see work by leading artists from the twentieth century. With over seventy pieces and featuring work by artists never shown at the gallery, there really is something for everyone.”

Jo Baring, Director of the Ingram Collection said, “We are thrilled to bring the Ingram Collection to Cumbria this October and see the collection presented in an entirely new way. Last year we lent over 400 works from the collection to be shown publicly, and we are delighted to ensure that the collection remains as accessible as possible.”

Events

Accompanying the exhibition will be a series of events. This includes a talk featuring Jo Baring, Director and Curator of the Ingram Collection, to learn about the collection’s founder Chris Ingram, how he started collecting and how it has evolved over the years.  There will also be a talk from Kerri Offord, Curator at Abbot Hall Art Gallery to learn more about the gallery's impressive collections. More information about these events can be found on the Abbot Hall website.

Abbot Hall Art Gallery is open Monday – Saturday. Entry for adults costs £7.70 (including Gift Aid) / £7, while ‘Friends’ of Abbot Hall, Under 16’s and full time students are free. For more information on Abbot Hall visit abbothall.org.uk.

For further information or images, please contact:

Jess Barrowclough at Abbot Hall Art Gallery on 01539 888053 or at jbarrowclough@lakelandarts.org.uk

Anya Harrison at Kallaway PR on +44 (0)20 7221 7883 or at anya.harrison@kallaway.com | ingramcollection@kallaway.com

 

Notes to the Editor

• Helen Watson, Director of Programming is available for interview either by phone or in person. To arrange a suitable time, please contact Jess Barrowclough on 01539 888053 or at jbarrowclough@lakelandarts.org.uk
• A selection of images is available to accompany this story, please contact Jess Barrowclough to access these jbarrowclough@lakelandarts.org.uk
• Artists included: Alan Reynolds, Barnett Freedman, Ben Nicholson, Bernard Meadows, Bryan Pearce, Bryan Wynter, Carel Weight, Charles Ginner, Christoper Wood, Dame Barbara Hepworth, Dame Laura Knight, David Bomberg, David Carr, David Jones, Edward Burra, Frank Auerbach, Geoffrey Clarke, Graham Sutherland, Henry Moore, James Hull, John Craxton, John Minton, John Northcote Nash, John Piper, John Tunnard, Keith Vaughan, Mark Gertler, Mary Fedden, Margaret Thomas, Patrick Heron, Paul Feiler, Peter Lanyon, Reg Butler, Sir Jacob Epstein, Sir Terry Frost, Tristram Hillier, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham CBE, William Gear, William Scott, Geoffrey Clarke, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, John Behan, Kenneth Armitage,  Lynn Chadwick, Reg Butler, Rosemary Young, Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, Eric Gill and William Turnbull.
• Abbot Hall Art Gallery and the Winifred Nicholson Exhibition of 2016 proved a winning combination at the 2017 Cumbria Life Culture Awards.  Abbot Hall itself fought off strong competition to win Art Gallery of the Year while Winifred Nicholson in Cumberland was awarded Exhibition of the Year.

About the Ingram Collection

The Ingram Collection is a not-for-profit organisation founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Chris Ingram. It is now one of the largest publicly accessible collections of Modern British art in the UK.

The ever-expanding collection now spans over 10 years of British art and includes over 650 artworks. More than 400 of these are by some of the most important British artists of the twentieth  century. Through an active programme of loans and exhibitions, The Ingram Collection works in partnership with galleries, innovative spaces and new artistic talent to bring art to the widest possible audience. www.ingramcollection.com