Showing posts with label Art Gallery Exhibitions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art Gallery Exhibitions. Show all posts

Friday, 5 June 2026

Summer Exhibition. Sir Alfred Munnings: Exmoor Through the Seasons at the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon

An exhibition of paintings by Sir Alfred Munnings, former President of the Royal Academy of Arts, capturing the evocative landscapes, people and ponies of Exmoor.

Sir Alfred Munnings and his wife, Violet, escaped the restrictions of their requisitioned Essex home, during the Second World War, by moving to a cottage in the Exmoor village of Withypool. During this period, Exmoor provided a joyful retreat. The oil paintings he produced while there capture the wild beauty of Exmoor through all four seasons. This exhibition showcases his love of Exmoor and its changing landscapes, its people and wild Exmoor ponies. The exhibition brings together art works and selections from Munnings’ published diaries and poetry written while living in Withypool. These offer a rare personal insight into his artistic process, the people he befriended while living there, and his relationship to the land.

 

Our summer exhibition is complemented by a series of events and activities for both adults and children, including En Plein Air sessions in Barnstaple and on Exmoor, and our regular Curious Creators programme of family-friendly artist-led sessions on Wednesdays throughout the school holidays.


Sir Alfred Munnings: Exmoor Through the Seasons  Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon

Sir Alfred Munnings: Exmoor Through the Seasons

Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon, The Square, Barnstaple EX32 8LN

4th July – 26th September 2026

Friday, 20 March 2026

New exhibition opening at the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon

A new exhibition opening at the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon on Saturday 21st March sheds light on the life and work of former Mayor of Barnstaple, Bruce William Oliver, who died 50 years ago this year.

The exhibition, Bruce Oliver: A Grand Old Man of Barnstaple, has been created in collaboration with North Devon Athenaeum and paints a portrait of an accomplished local man as of many talents. In his professional life Oliver was a well-known local architect, but he was also an accomplished artist, photographer, musician, actor, historian, and sportsman.

Bruce Oliver was elected Mayor of Barnstaple in 1931 on the strength of his services to community, charity, and entertainment. He joined the North Devon Athenaeum in 1932 as a board member, and he became Trustee and Chair in 1951. Following his death in 1976, Bruce Oliver left the bulk of his estate to the North Devon Athenaeum – which includes notes, drawings, watercolours, photographic slides and more, including his house, Homestead in South Park, Barnstaple. Some of the items from his estate will be shown as part of this exhibition.

Bruce Oliver: A Grand Old Man of Barnstaple. Photo copyright Bruce Oliver Exhibition (All Rights Reserved)

Bruce Oliver: A Grand Old Man of Barnstaple. Photo copyright Bruce Oliver Exhibition (All Rights Reserved)

Bruce Oliver: A Grand Old Man of Barnstaple
21st March – 16th May 2026
All welcome | Admission FREE
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01271 388784 | barnstaplemuseum.org.uk

The Square, Barnstaple EX32 8LN

 

Thursday, 11 September 2025

Heritage Open Days Talk: Bideford Ceramics and International Maritime Trade

As part of Heritage Open Days, The Burton is presenting a mini-exhibition of ceramics selected from its archive, displaying works not typically accessible to the public (13th-21st September). This will focus on the relationship between Bideford’s history of ceramics and international maritime trade, both of which saw the town’s influence stretch across the globe. 

Come along on Sunday 14th September to hear more about this fascinating topic from Sadie Green, an expert in North Devon Pottery and its export to the Eastern seaboard of America in Elizabethan times. Sadie’s talk is free to attend but booking is required.


Call the gallery on 01237 471455 or book via our website at https://www.burtonartgallery.co.uk/exhibitions-activities/heritage-open-days-talk-bideford-ceramics-and-international-maritime-trade/

 

 

Sadie Green, an expert in North Devon Pottery

Sunday 14th September, 2025

Heritage Open Days Talk: Bideford Ceramics and International Maritime Trade

With Sadie Green

11.30am-12.30pm | FREE | Booking essential