Falmouth Art Gallery in its present form opened on the upper floor of the Municipal Buildings on 12 October 1978 and was renovated with grant aid from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other funding bodies, before being re-opened by Sir Tim Rice on 31 May 1996. Falmouth Art Gallery is a service funded by Falmouth Town Council and is a nationally accredited museum and complies with standards laid down for the Registration of Museums in the United Kingdom.[2]
The core of the town's art collection dates from 1923, with gifts made by Alfred de Pass (1861–1952), a South African businessman and art benefactor. This has encouraged other major donations, most notably from Richard Harris, Robert Priseman,[3] Grace Gardner,[4] and Sue and Ron Astles. The gallery has also benefited from purchases made through grant funding from organisations such as The Art Fund,[1] the Heritage Lottery Fund, MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, and the Nerys Johnson Contemporary Art Fund.[5]
The collection
Painting by Henry Scott Tuke depicting a French Barque in Falmouth BayPainting by Anne Killigrew depicting Venus Attired by the Three Graces
Falmouth Art Gallery has an exhibition and event programme that display works from their permanent collection alongside major museum loans, work from local artists, community groups, school children and students.
Their art collection is large and eclectic for a small museum. The works are rotated regularly in the entrance and main galleries and they work to variety of themes.
The staircase gallery is used for community displays. Groups such as Falcare, Age Concern, local schools and Falmouth University visit on a regular basis and create art in response to works on display.
In November 2021 to January 2022, the gallery hosted a collaborative group exhibition titled 'Thanks for the Apples', which featured nationally and internationally recognised contemporary artists including Nicholas Deshayes and Caragh Thuring. The show was devised and produced by Naomi Frears and Ben Sanderson, who invited artists on a trip to Cornwall to visit the county's museums and explore their collections and archives.
From the thousands of artefacts they saw during the week, both on display as well as behind the scenes, the artists each chose objects they were drawn to and produced work in response. From a hairball found inside a bull to a row of whimsy bottles and a tiny calendar, these artists focused their attention on objects and artworks that, while not hidden, can be overlooked, asking questions about the nature of these artefacts and what they might mean to people now.
The modern collection includes specially commissioned works for seasonal exhibitions such as the Darwin200 exhibitions in 2009, celebrating the arrival in Falmouth of Charles Darwin at the end of his HMS Beagle voyage in 1836. A plaque was erected as part of these celebrations in Falmouth marking the point where Darwin came ashore near the gallery and left by mail coach for Shrewsbury. Exhibitions and the permanent collection includes contemporary Cornish artists such as John Dyer the official Darwin200 artist for the Southwest.[11]
In 2016, Cornwall-based artist Andrew Lanyon created an exhibition 'The Musings of Creatures - imagined in a barren land'[12] which featured many artist and brought a range of new work into the Falmouth Art Gallery Collection including those by Andrew Litten, Carlos Zapda and David Kemp.[13]
Notable previous exhibitions include the "Surrealists on Holiday" in Cornwall and Matisse; a list of previous exhibitions can be found on the website.
An exhibition which explored the importance and impact of the fishing industry in Cornwall, through history up to present day.
Cornwall Climate Care’s documentary film ‘Plenty More Fish?’ (Cornwallclimate.org)
‘Polperro: Cornwall’s Forgotten Art Centre’
2 April - 18 June 2022
An exhibition of Polperro artists which provided an overview of how Polperro developed not only as an art centre but also as a fishing port.
Curated by Cornish Art Historian David Tovey.
Mouat Loudan’s critically acclaimed 1888 Royal Academy exhibit, Fish Sale, Polperro, which has been unexhibitable for decades but which Falmouth Art Gallery arranged to be restored for the show. A photo of the old damage was displayed next to the freshly restored piece so visitors could see the changes.
'The Art of Animation From Scribble to Screen: Behind the Scenes of Animation Production'
29 January - 26 March 2022
This exhibition presented the inner workings of the production process involved with making animated films.
This exhibition celebrated the 85th anniversary of a holiday to Cornwall taken by a group of Surrealists.
Photographs by Lee Miller and Roland Penrose.
Roll the Dice
23 May - 16 July 2022
Artwork made by Falmouth Art Gallery’s youth climate activist art group displayed alongside works from the gallery collection which they used as inspiration in some of their workshops.
A showcase of objects, paintings, illustrations and animation from the well-known children's artist and author Rodney Peppe.
Episodes of the stop-motion animated series Huxley Pig, displayed next to the original models used in the show.
Education
The gallery runs year-round regular free workshops for a wide range of visitors including families, babies and toddlers, schools and community groups. They particularly welcome visits from special needs groups and adults with severe learning difficulties.[citation needed]
Awards and recognition
Falmouth Art Gallery has been nominated for or won 19 major awards including The Guardian newspaper Kids in Museums Award 2006 (Winner),[14] the Sandford Award for Heritage Education, and the Gulbenkian Prize, Britain's most prestigious arts award.[15]
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