British Landscapes: A Sense of Place

This landmark exhibition explores how artists from the 18th to the 20th century have responded to the landscapes of the British Isles. Bringing together works by more than 60 artists, the exhibition reveals landscape not simply as scenery, but as a powerful expression of memory, identity and emotion. Spanning Romanticism, Modernism and postwar abstraction, the exhibition traces a rich lineage from Thomas Gainsborough and the golden age of British watercolour to the postwar works of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Barbara Hepworth, Paul Nash, and Eric Ravilious.

From quiet lanes and chalk hills to industrial sites and abstract coastlines, painters, printmakers and sculptors have depicted places shaped by labour, conflict and imagination. British Landscapes: A Sense of Place invites visitors to reflect on how Britain’s landscapes have been lived in, remembered and reimagined – and how they continue to shape our collective sense of belonging and resilience.

This exhibition is accompanied by a new illustrated catalogue written by Director Simon Martin, with contributions from contemporary artist, Haroun Hayward, whose exhibition Haroun Hayward: Path through Trees runs alongside British Landscapes: A Sense of Place.

“How our best artists captured the beauty of Britain”

– The Telegraph