Watts Gallery
Watts Gallery news
Dates for your diary:
Discover captivating illustrations and sketches by Cicely Mary Barker in Flower FairiesThe Magical World of Cicely Mary Barker and follow the magic into the Watts Gallery woodlands with an outdoor Tree Fairy Trail. Explore the exhibition in more depth with a lunchtime tour on Thursday 6 February by Exhibitions Curator, Corinna Henderson. Exhibition runs until Sunday 27 April 2025.
A new exhibition is coming to Watts Contemporary Gallery. The Spirit of Charleston features the works of 10 artists embracing the exuberant spirit of Charleston Farmhouse, in Lewes, created by the Bloomsbury Group’s Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant in the early 20th Century. Discover vibrant colours and playful patterns. From Thursday 6 February until Sunday 6 April 2025.
Learn tips and tricks to bring your sketchbook pages to life on Saturday 8 February with the monthly Saturday sketch workshop. Be inspired by the Watts Gallery grounds and collection.
February half term is fast approaching, so round up the kids and head to Watts Gallery for some fairy-tastic family fun, from decorating fairy doors and wing embossing at Flower Fairies Family Days, to creating your own fairy tea party during the weekly Clay Club. See website for dates and times.
Watts Gallery’s five-week pottery course with ceramicist Luisa Cacciotti returns on Tuesday 25 February, with weekly sessions running through to Monday 25 March. Learn a range of hand building techniques, as well as getting the opportunity to throw on the potter’s wheel.
DON’T FORGET, COMPTON RESIDENTS GET 50% OFF ADMISSION! VALID WITH A PROOF OF ADDRESS.
Check the website for details of events and to book tickets: www.wattsgallery.org.uk
Nestled in the beautiful Surrey Hills, Watts Gallery first opened its doors to the public in 1904. It is unique in the UK being the only purpose-built art gallery created for the display of works by a single artist, the great Victorian artist G.F. Watts (1817-1904). Over one hundred paintings and sculptures are on permanent display; spanning a period of 70 years, they include portraits, landscapes and major symbolic works.
Perched on a hillside, overlooking the Gallery sits Limnerslease, the Autumn and Winter home and studio of G.F. and Mary Watts, originally built in the Arts & Crafts style. Limnerslease recently underwent a major restoration project. Don’t miss the chance to join a guided tour and glimpse the start of this nationally important project.
G.F. Watts - Fiesole, Italy
To this day, the legacy of G.F. and Mary Watts lives on, with artists working onsite and a contemporary gallery selling artwork by local and national artists. Watts Gallery also runs an extensive events programme for families, adults and young people, offering the opportunity to improve your art skills, attend a lecture, or meet one of the artists in residence.
George Frederic Watts 1817 - 1904
The English symbolist painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts lived in Compton during the latter years of his life.
De Morgan Gallery in Watts Gallery
George Frederic Watts occupies a unique place in the history of British painting. Famous in his day as a painter and sculptor, he gained the nickname of ‘England’s Michelangelo’. His aim was to re-invent British history painting in a grand manner, making images that were both uplifting and thought provoking. He believed art should also be accessible to everyone, not just the rich, so he gave many of his pictures to public galleries, helping to found the Tate Gallery in 1897.
G.F. Watts - Mary Watts
Watts was a serious individual, so it may therefore come as no surprise that his marriage to the teenage actress Ellen Terry, was short lived. In later life, he married Mary Fraser-Tytler (1886) who was 36 years his junior. Mary devoted the rest of her life to her husband, both during his life and after his death.
In 1891 Watts made Limnerslease his winter retreat and it remained so until his death in 1904. Mary Watts, the inspiration behind the move to Compton and the Chapel, continued to live there until she died in 1938.
Shortly before his death in 1904, G.F. Watts saw the opening of the first and main portion of 'Watts Picture Gallery'.
Cicely Robinson is Curator.
G.F. Watts - Lion & Tiger Fighting. 1830. Aged 13
Green Summer
Sunset on the Alps