Catalogue of paintings from the region available for the first time

• Share this
• 
• 

William Irving’s The Blaydon Races, dramatic paintings by John Martin and a collection of works by L.S. Lowry are among the region’s treasures which are included in a new catalogue of paintings, available from 14 November.

The catalogue, produced by the Public Catalogue Foundation (PCF) in partnership with the North East Regional Museums Hub, includes colour images of more than 2,500 oil paintings from the collections of Tyne & Wear Museums.

Alec Coles, director of Tyne & Wear Museums, says:

“Tyne & Wear Museums hold extensive collections of oil paintings, which are of international importance.

“The production and publication of this volume will reveal the quality and size of our exceptional collections to a much wider audience.�

Andrew Ellis, director of the Public Catalogue Foundation, explains:

“This is the first of our three North East England catalogues and the 22nd in our national series. We are delighted that this substantial volume shows off the splendid painting collections of Tyne and Wear Museums to such good effect. �

The catalogue brings together paintings from five collections, including the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle, the Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead, South Shields Museum & Art Gallery and Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, some of which have never been illustrated in print before.

More than 1,000 paintings from the collection of the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle are illustrated in the catalogue, including the most comprehensive collection in the world of works by locally-born British Romantic artist, John Martin.

Around 700 paintings are featured from Gateshead’s Shipley Art Gallery, including William Irving’s The Blaydon Races.

Maritime paintings by artists such as Charles Napier Hemy are represented in the collections of South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, while six paintings by L. S. Lowry, including two of the docks in Sunderland, are shown as part of the collections held by Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens.

This catalogue was made possible by the generosity of Renaissance North East, the Northern Rock Foundation and Fenwick Ltd alongside many other donors.

Fiona Ellis, director of the Northern Rock Foundation adds:

“This is such an obviously sensible and glorious thing to do - to render accessible thousands of paintings we all own but rarely see. Thanks to this catalogue we can know what we have and where it is.

“Who knows what exciting connections will be made, what new converts to art will be created, what an opening up of imagination will happen - all because of a simple idea well produced! The Foundation is delighted to be associated with something that opens up these collections to all their owners.�

The catalogue is available in Tyne & Wear Museums’ venue shops, including the Laing Art Gallery, Shipley Art Gallery, South Shields Museum & Art Gallery and Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens. It can also be bought online at www.twmuseums.org.uk and at www.thepcf.org.uk and is priced at £15 (softback) or £25 (hardback). Images included in the catalogue can also be reproduced as fine quality prints, and are available at www.artprints.org.uk .